Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago and Cerro de Pasco

For one person, living is cheaper in Cerro de Pasco: $555 a month against $1,190 in Santiago, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in Cerro de Pasco
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Cerro de Pasco Living Index

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Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,190

/mo nomad

Cerro de Pasco

🇵🇪 Peru

$555

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santiago and in Cerro de Pasco

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Santiago and in Cerro de Pasco actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,190 per month in Santiago vs $555 in Cerro de Pasco, rent included.

Santiago $1,190
Cerro de Pasco $555

A couple spends around $1,892 per month in Santiago vs $891 in Cerro de Pasco, rent included.

Santiago $1,892
Cerro de Pasco $891

A family of three spends $2,595 per month in Santiago vs $1,227 in Cerro de Pasco, rent included.

Santiago $2,595
Cerro de Pasco $1,227

Santiago costs about 114% more than Cerro de Pasco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Santiago and Cerro de Pasco are more affordable than the global median – Santiago 12% lower, Cerro de Pasco 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.37 CLP 10.2K

$2.83 PEN 9.70

266.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

$29.34 PEN 101

76.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 CLP 8,805

$6.74 PEN 23.16

32.64%

Cappuccino

$3.26 CLP 3,211

$2.05 PEN 7.03

59.02%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 CLP 1,640

$0.76 PEN 2.61

119.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 CLP 1,212

$0.45 PEN 1.55

173.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.98 CLP 3,914

$2.69 PEN 9.22

47.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 CLP 4,465

$4.44 PEN 15.27

2.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 CLP 1,263

$1.52 PEN 5.23

-15.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 CLP 1,817

$2.35 PEN 8.07

-21.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 CLP 1,567

$1.26 PEN 4.34

26.19%

Eggs

$4.10 CLP 4,031

$2.47 PEN 8.47

65.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.41 CLP 11.2K

$9.18 PEN 31.53

24.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.69 CLP 6,586

$6.04 PEN 20.74

10.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.81 CLP 10.6K

$7.92 PEN 27.20

36.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 CLP 1,905

$2.00 PEN 6.86

-3.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 CLP 1,497

$0.76 PEN 2.61

100.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 CLP 1,577

$0.43 PEN 1.46

272.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 CLP 1,668

$1.14 PEN 3.91

48.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 CLP 1,084

$0.70 PEN 2.41

57.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 CLP 1,500

$0.54 PEN 1.87

181.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 CLP 1,164

$0.83 PEN 2.85

42.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 CLP 1,061

$0.84 PEN 2.88

28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.07 CLP 4,995

$5.78 PEN 19.84

-12.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.95 CLP 5,858

$7.19 PEN 24.68

-17.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 CLP 1,470

$1.92 PEN 6.60

-22.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 CLP 2,342

$2.65 PEN 9.11

-10.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 CLP 821

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.14 CLP 39.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 CLP 393

$3.98 PEN 13.68

-89.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 CLP 897

$1.99 PEN 6.84

-54.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.63 CLP 11.5K

$7.46 PEN 25.62

55.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 CLP 1,486

$1.67 PEN 5.74

-9.58%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$17.6K CLP 17.3M

$22.2K PEN 76.4K

-21.01%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$22.0K CLP 21.6M

$26.2K PEN 89.9K

-16.00%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$151 CLP 149.0K

$72.8 PEN 250

107.90%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$12.34 CLP 12.1K

$16.46 PEN 56.5

-25.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.73 CLP 18.4K

$27.53 PEN 94.6

-31.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.71 CLP 33.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.80 CLP 11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$7.45 CLP 7,334

$7.15 PEN 24.56

4.20%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$430 CLP 423.7K

$176 PEN 606

144.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K CLP 10.6M

$12.9K PEN 44.4K

-16.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.65 CLP 48.9K

$53.3 PEN 183

-6.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.94 CLP 28.5K

$35.36 PEN 121

-18.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.7 CLP 64.6K

$83.2 PEN 286

-21.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.7 CLP 79.4K

$77.6 PEN 267

3.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$559 CLP 550.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$384 CLP 377.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,004 CLP 988.4K

$408 PEN 1,400

146.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 CLP 767.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,640 CLP 2.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,546 CLP 2.5M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$804 CLP 791.0K

$470 PEN 1,616

70.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

8.94

-39.71%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Santiago: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cerro de Pasco: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Santiago

$384 32.3%

Cerro de Pasco

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Santiago

$236 19.8%

Cerro de Pasco

$203 36.6% 14% $33

Eating Out

Santiago

$189 15.9%

Cerro de Pasco

$95 17% 50.1% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago

$182 15.3%

Cerro de Pasco

$117 21.1% 36% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago

$101 8.5%

Cerro de Pasco

$112 20.2% 10.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago

$49 4.1%

Cerro de Pasco

$14 * 2.6% 70.6% $34

Getting Around

Santiago

$48 4.1%

Cerro de Pasco

$14 * 2.5% 71.2% $34

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 71% higher in Santiago, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52.0 in Santiago versus $29.00 in Cerro de Pasco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $236 vs $203 – making Cerro de Pasco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Santiago

🇵🇪 Cerro de Pasco

🕒 Local time

20:07 8:07 PM

18:07 6:07 PM

2 h behind Santiago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,139,087 Capital

58,899

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Santiago Cerro de Pasco 2,590 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Santiago
Cerro de Pasco

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Santiago vs Cerro de Pasco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Santiago is pricier by about 114%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,785 per month in Santiago and $832 in Cerro de Pasco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52.0 in Santiago and $29.00 in Cerro de Pasco. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Santiago, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cerro de Pasco, where all-in costs run around $555, than in Santiago at $1,190. In Cerro de Pasco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santiago it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cerro de Pasco – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Cerro de Pasco. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Santiago makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.