Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago and Costa Rica

Name: Costa Rica
Address: CR

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,206 a month against $1,735 in Costa Rica, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
Learn more

Costa Rica Living Index

Jump to prices

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,206

/mo nomad

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,735

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: Santiago is 34.9% cheaper than Costa Rica without rent, and 30.5% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Santiago is 30.8% cheaper than Costa Rica without rent, and 30.4% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.19 CLP 9,931

$11.78 ₡5,312

-13.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.2 CLP 50.9K

$55.5 ₡25.0K

-6.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.54 CLP 8,323

$10.72 ₡4,831

-20.34%

Cappuccino

$3.19 CLP 3,115

$4.49 ₡2,023

-28.95%

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

$1.68 CLP 1,637

$2.33 ₡1,051

-27.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 CLP 1,191

$1.81 ₡815

-32.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.21 CLP 4,101

$3.23 ₡1,455

30.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.66 CLP 4,539

$4.42 ₡1,992

5.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 CLP 1,283

$2.30 ₡1,037

-42.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 CLP 1,756

$3.55 ₡1,600

-49.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 CLP 1,543

$2.71 ₡1,221

-41.70%

Eggs

$4.25 CLP 4,141

$4.05 ₡1,825

4.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.19 CLP 10.9K

$9.92 ₡4,473

12.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.75 CLP 6,580

$10.49 ₡4,729

-35.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.67 CLP 10.4K

$13.56 ₡6,111

-21.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 CLP 1,991

$5.13 ₡2,312

-60.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 CLP 1,497

$1.68 ₡758

-8.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.59 CLP 1,549

$3.63 ₡1,639

-56.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 CLP 1,708

$3.24 ₡1,463

-45.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 CLP 1,051

$3.40 ₡1,534

-68.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 CLP 1,476

$3.09 ₡1,394

-51.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 CLP 1,145

$1.11 ₡501

5.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 CLP 1,041

$2.64 ₡1,192

-59.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.14 CLP 5,015

$5.43 ₡2,446

-5.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.88 CLP 5,732

$15.63 ₡7,048

-62.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CLP 1,513

$2.75 ₡1,238

-43.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 CLP 2,218

$3.27 ₡1,472

-30.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 CLP 829

$1.07 ₡480

-20.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.50 CLP 40.5K

$65.3 ₡29.4K

-36.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 CLP 383

$2.18 ₡981

-82.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.84 CLP 820

$2.03 ₡916

-58.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.94 CLP 11.6K

$8.82 ₡3,977

35.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 CLP 1,467

$1.53 ₡688

-1.96%

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

$18.1K CLP 17.7M

$32.8K ₡14.8M

-44.76%

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

$21.6K CLP 21.1M

$36.0K ₡16.2M

-39.93%

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

$151 CLP 147.3K

$93.4 ₡42.1K

61.77%

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

$12.04 CLP 11.7K

$30.19 ₡13.6K

-60.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.93 CLP 18.5K

$57.1 ₡25.7K

-66.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.81 CLP 33.0K

$65.1 ₡29.3K

-48.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.72 CLP 11.4K

$22.13 ₡9,976

-47.04%

Cinema Ticket

$7.37 CLP 7,185

$8.09 ₡3,645

-8.90%

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

$434 CLP 423.3K

$740 ₡333.8K

-41.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K CLP 10.7M

$12.6K ₡5.7M

-12.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 CLP 49.6K

$75.5 ₡34.0K

-32.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.16 CLP 28.4K

$54.6 ₡24.6K

-46.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.4 CLP 65.7K

$127 ₡57.4K

-47.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 CLP 78.2K

$107 ₡48.3K

-25.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$555 CLP 540.8K

$833 ₡375.3K

-33.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$372 CLP 363.2K

$641 ₡289.1K

-41.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 CLP 984.3K

$1,776 ₡800.8K

-43.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$779 CLP 759.1K

$1,191 ₡536.9K

-34.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,671 CLP 2.6M

$2,437 ₡1.1M

9.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,622 CLP 2.6M

$1,631 ₡735.2K

60.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$791 CLP 771.7K

$1,033 ₡465.8K

-23.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

9.56

-43.62%

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

Last update for Santiago: October 4, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santiago

$372 31.6%

Costa Rica

$641 36.7% 72.2% $269

Groceries & Markets

Santiago

$236 20%

Costa Rica

$379 21.7% 60.5% $143

Eating Out

Santiago

$187 15.9%

Costa Rica

$222 12.7% 18.4% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago

$182 15.5%

Costa Rica

$181 10.3% 0.8% $1.4

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago

$102 8.7%

Costa Rica

$164 9.4% 60.2% $62

Getting Around

Santiago

$50 4.2%

Costa Rica

$82 4.7% 65.4% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago

$49 4.1%

Costa Rica

$81 4.6% 67.4% $33

Good to know

🇨🇱 Santiago

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🕒 Local time

10:53 10:53 AM

07:53 7:53 AM

3 h behind Santiago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,139,087 Capital

5,044,197

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.26 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.15 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, 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 = 1,093 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.15 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santiago Costa Rica 5,030 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Santiago
Costa Rica

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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