Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago and Duncans

For one person, living is cheaper in Duncans: $1,011 a month against $1,163 in Santiago, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Santiago outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Santiago, Chile
Duncans, Jamaica
Santiago
🇨🇱 Chile
$1,163
/mo nomad
Duncans
🇯🇲 Jamaica
$1,011
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santiago and in Duncans

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

A single person spends $1,163 per month in Santiago vs $1,011 in Duncans, rent included.

  • Santiago $1,163
  • Duncans $1,011

A couple spends around $1,844 per month in Santiago vs $1,673 in Duncans, rent included.

  • Santiago $1,844
  • Duncans $1,673

A family of three spends $2,525 per month in Santiago vs $2,336 in Duncans, rent included.

  • Santiago $2,525
  • Duncans $2,336

Santiago costs about 15% more than Duncans, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Santiago and Duncans are more affordable than the global median – Santiago 15% lower, Duncans 26% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Santiago
Duncans
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.93 CLP 9,705
$13.60 JMD 2,144
-26.99%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$49.88 CLP 48.7K
$75.7 JMD 11.9K
-34.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.64 CLP 8,444
$8.14 JMD 1,284
6.14%
Cappuccino
$3.16 CLP 3,089
$5.44 JMD 858
-41.91%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 CLP 1,615
$1.14 JMD 180
44.74%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.24 CLP 1,215
$0.71 JMD 111
74.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.12 CLP 4,024
$2.25 JMD 355
83.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.60 CLP 4,499
$3.21 JMD 507
43.30%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Santiago
Duncans
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.22 CLP 1,194
$4.15 JMD 655
-70.60%
White Bread (500g)
$1.82 CLP 1,774
$3.73 JMD 588
-51.21%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.58 CLP 1,546
$1.58 JMD 249
-
Eggs
$4.04 CLP 3,949
$3.58 JMD 565
12.85%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.96 CLP 10.7K
$11.50 JMD 1,813
-4.70%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.66 CLP 6,508
$6.21 JMD 979
7.25%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.32 CLP 10.1K
$10.34 JMD 1,631
-0.19%
Apples (1kg)
$2.02 CLP 1,969
$6.01 JMD 947
-66.39%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 CLP 1,454
$3.97 JMD 625
-62.47%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.58 CLP 1,542
$7.54 JMD 1,190
-79.05%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.72 CLP 1,676
$3.02 JMD 476
-43.05%
Potato (1kg)
$1.04 CLP 1,020
$3.32 JMD 523
-68.67%
Onion (1kg)
$1.51 CLP 1,475
$2.61 JMD 411
-42.15%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.22 CLP 1,190
$3.01 JMD 475
-59.47%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.10 CLP 1,075
$1.43 JMD 226
-23.08%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.10 CLP 4,980
$9.48 JMD 1,494
-46.20%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.93 CLP 5,794
$11.25 JMD 1,775
-47.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.48 CLP 1,446
$2.78 JMD 439
-46.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.25 CLP 2,196
$3.96 JMD 625
-43.18%
🚌 Getting Around
Santiago
Duncans
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.84 CLP 819
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$40.64 CLP 39.7K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.38 CLP 372
$1.27 JMD 200
-70.08%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.82 CLP 800
$3.20 JMD 505
-74.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.53 CLP 11.3K
$6.23 JMD 983
85.07%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 CLP 1,490
$1.45 JMD 228
4.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$16.8K CLP 16.4M
$44.1K JMD 7.0M
-61.82%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.9K CLP 24.4M
$32.2K JMD 5.1M
-22.49%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santiago
Duncans
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$146 CLP 142.4K
$171 JMD 27.0K
-14.94%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.20 CLP 11.9K
$29.64 JMD 4,674
-58.84%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.80 CLP 18.4K
$51.8 JMD 8,166
-63.70%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Santiago
Duncans
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.41 CLP 31.7K
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.68 CLP 11.4K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.58 CLP 7,410
$13.41 JMD 2,115
-43.48%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Santiago
Duncans
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$440 CLP 429.7K
$355 JMD 56.0K
23.80%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.7K CLP 10.4M
$8,307 JMD 1.3M
28.20%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Santiago
Duncans
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.81 CLP 47.7K
$23.91 JMD 3,771
104.14%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.87 CLP 28.2K
$31.38 JMD 4,949
-8.00%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$64.4 CLP 62.9K
$78.7 JMD 12.4K
-18.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$80.9 CLP 79.1K
$103 JMD 16.3K
-21.64%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Santiago
Duncans
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$497 CLP 485.6K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$373 CLP 364.9K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$989 CLP 966.1K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$750 CLP 732.8K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,960 CLP 2.9M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,517 CLP 2.5M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Santiago
Duncans
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$771 CLP 753.4K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.39
9.45
-42.96%

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

Last update for Santiago: October 25, 2026

Last update for Duncans: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Santiago
$373
Duncans
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Santiago
$232
Duncans
$384 65.5% $152
Eating Out
Santiago
$185
Duncans
$224 21.1% $39
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santiago
$177
Duncans
$253 43% $76
Clothing & Footwear
Santiago
$100
Duncans
$107 6.4% $6.4
Getting Around
Santiago
$48
Duncans
$17 * 64.3% $31
Sport & Entertainment
Santiago
$48
Duncans
$27 * 43.6% $21

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 $50 in Santiago versus $76 in Duncans. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $232 vs $384 – making Santiago the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇱 Santiago
🇯🇲 Duncans
🕒 Local time
14:35 2:35 PM
12:35 12:35 PM
2 h behind Santiago
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
6,139,087 Capital
5,153
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 977 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,088 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.19 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Santiago Duncans 5,820 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Santiago
  • Duncans

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 Duncans: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Duncans cheaper than Santiago?
Yes – Santiago is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,745 per month in Santiago and $1,517 in Duncans. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What are total monthly expenses in Santiago and in Duncans?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,163 in Santiago and $1,011 in Duncans. That’s a gap of about 15%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $440 per month in Santiago and $355 in Duncans. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 enough for either Santiago or Duncans?
$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,163 in Santiago and $1,011 in Duncans, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is it better to live in Santiago or in Duncans?
It depends on your priorities. Duncans has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,011 in Duncans to $1,163 in Santiago. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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