Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago and Chimaltenango

For one person, living is cheaper in Chimaltenango: $745 a month against $1,206 in Santiago, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Santiago outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Chimaltenango
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Chimaltenango Living Index

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Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,206

/mo nomad

Chimaltenango

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$745

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santiago and in Chimaltenango

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 Chimaltenango actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,206 per month in Santiago vs $745 in Chimaltenango, rent included.

Santiago $1,206
Chimaltenango $745

A couple spends around $1,885 per month in Santiago vs $1,229 in Chimaltenango, rent included.

Santiago $1,885
Chimaltenango $1,229

A family of three spends $2,564 per month in Santiago vs $1,712 in Chimaltenango, rent included.

Santiago $2,564
Chimaltenango $1,712

Santiago costs about 62% more than Chimaltenango, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Santiago and Chimaltenango are more affordable than the global median – Santiago 10% lower, Chimaltenango 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.19 CLP 9,931

$6.92 Q 52.9

47.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.2 CLP 50.9K

$49.80 Q 381

4.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.54 CLP 8,323

$7.69 Q 58.8

11.05%

Cappuccino

$3.19 CLP 3,115

$3.36 Q 25.67

-5.06%

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

$1.68 CLP 1,637

$1.16 Q 8.88

44.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 CLP 1,191

$0.93 Q 7.10

31.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.21 CLP 4,101

$3.19 Q 24.36

31.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.66 CLP 4,539

$4.85 Q 37.04

-3.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 CLP 1,283

$2.00 Q 15.30

-34.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 CLP 1,756

$3.13 Q 23.94

-42.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 CLP 1,543

$2.09 Q 15.96

-24.40%

Eggs

$4.25 CLP 4,141

$2.56 Q 19.59

66.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.19 CLP 10.9K

$6.46 Q 49.37

73.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.75 CLP 6,580

$9.44 Q 72.1

-28.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.67 CLP 10.4K

$13.47 Q 103

-20.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 CLP 1,991

$4.00 Q 30.54

-49.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 CLP 1,497

$1.66 Q 12.66

-7.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.59 CLP 1,549

$2.82 Q 21.56

-43.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 CLP 1,708

$1.66 Q 12.70

5.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 CLP 1,051

$1.48 Q 11.27

-27.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 CLP 1,476

$2.10 Q 16.08

-28.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 CLP 1,145

$0.68 Q 5.17

72.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 CLP 1,041

$1.15 Q 8.78

-6.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.14 CLP 5,015

$3.99 Q 30.48

28.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.88 CLP 5,732

$8.36 Q 63.9

-29.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CLP 1,513

$1.75 Q 13.36

-11.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 CLP 2,218

$2.68 Q 20.49

-15.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 CLP 829

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.50 CLP 40.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 CLP 383

$5.27 Q 40.28

-92.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.84 CLP 820

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.94 CLP 11.6K

$10.27 Q 78.5

16.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 CLP 1,467

$1.21 Q 9.28

23.97%

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

$18.1K CLP 17.7M

$27.9K Q 213.3K

-35.14%

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

$21.6K CLP 21.1M

$25.3K Q 193.1K

-14.50%

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

$151 CLP 147.3K

$72.4 Q 553

108.72%

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

$12.04 CLP 11.7K

$29.30 Q 224

-58.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.93 CLP 18.5K

$47.04 Q 359

-59.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.81 CLP 33.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.72 CLP 11.4K

Cinema Ticket

$7.37 CLP 7,185

$6.34 Q 48.43

16.25%

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

$434 CLP 423.3K

$338 Q 2,583

28.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K CLP 10.7M

$6,593 Q 50.4K

66.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 CLP 49.6K

$49.38 Q 377

3.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.16 CLP 28.4K

$47.63 Q 364

-38.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.4 CLP 65.7K

$116 Q 889

-42.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 CLP 78.2K

$114 Q 873

-29.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$555 CLP 540.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$372 CLP 363.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 CLP 984.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$779 CLP 759.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,671 CLP 2.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,622 CLP 2.6M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$791 CLP 771.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

11.62

-53.61%

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

Last update for Santiago: October 4, 2026

Last update for Chimaltenango: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santiago

$372 31.6%

Chimaltenango

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Santiago

$236 20%

Chimaltenango

$282 37.7% 19.6% $46

Eating Out

Santiago

$187 15.9%

Chimaltenango

$153 20.4% 18.5% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago

$182 15.5%

Chimaltenango

$149 19.9% 18.3% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago

$102 8.7%

Chimaltenango

$147 19.7% 43.9% $45

Getting Around

Santiago

$50 4.2%

Chimaltenango

$5.3 * 0.7% 89.4% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago

$49 4.1%

Chimaltenango

$13 * 1.7% 73.9% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52.0 in Santiago versus $50.0 in Chimaltenango. Groceries tell a different story – $236 in Santiago vs $282 in Chimaltenango – so Santiago wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Santiago

🇬🇹 Chimaltenango

🕒 Local time

05:28 5:28 AM

02:28 2:28 AM

3 h behind Santiago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,139,087 Capital

43,900

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.26 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.14 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 975 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 1,094 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.14 EUR).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.57 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santiago Chimaltenango 5,760 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Santiago
Chimaltenango

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 Chimaltenango: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santiago costs about 62% more than Chimaltenango, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,809 per month in Santiago and $1,117 in Chimaltenango. 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 $50.0 in Chimaltenango. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 20% cheaper in Santiago – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chimaltenango, where all-in costs run around $745, than in Santiago at $1,206. In Chimaltenango it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santiago it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chimaltenango. 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.