Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago and Escazu

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,190 a month against $1,933 in Escazu, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Escazu
Learn more

Escazu Living Index

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Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,190

/mo nomad

Escazu

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,933

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santiago and in Escazu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Santiago versus $1,933 in Escazu.

Santiago $1,190
Escazu $1,933

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,892 in Santiago versus $2,966 in Escazu.

Santiago $1,892
Escazu $2,966

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,595 in Santiago versus $3,999 in Escazu.

Santiago $2,595
Escazu $3,999

Living in Santiago costs roughly 38% less than in Escazu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santiago is 12% below, Escazu is 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.37 CLP 10.2K

$12.23 ₡5,486

-15.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

$62.1 ₡27.9K

-16.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 CLP 8,805

$11.48 ₡5,146

-22.13%

Cappuccino

$3.26 CLP 3,211

$4.56 ₡2,045

-28.51%

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

$1.67 CLP 1,640

$2.72 ₡1,218

-38.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 CLP 1,212

$1.85 ₡828

-33.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.98 CLP 3,914

$3.36 ₡1,505

18.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 CLP 4,465

$4.47 ₡2,006

1.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 CLP 1,263

$2.32 ₡1,040

-44.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 CLP 1,817

$3.12 ₡1,397

-40.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 CLP 1,567

$2.49 ₡1,117

-36.14%

Eggs

$4.10 CLP 4,031

$3.59 ₡1,611

14.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.41 CLP 11.2K

$10.61 ₡4,757

7.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.69 CLP 6,586

$10.22 ₡4,581

-34.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.81 CLP 10.6K

$13.94 ₡6,252

-22.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 CLP 1,905

$5.13 ₡2,301

-62.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 CLP 1,497

$1.62 ₡726

-6.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 CLP 1,577

$3.16 ₡1,416

-49.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 CLP 1,668

$3.07 ₡1,378

-44.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 CLP 1,084

$3.79 ₡1,698

-70.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 CLP 1,500

$3.73 ₡1,674

-59.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 CLP 1,164

$1.04 ₡465

13.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 CLP 1,061

$1.70 ₡762

-36.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.07 CLP 4,995

$5.53 ₡2,479

-8.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.95 CLP 5,858

$18.39 ₡8,249

-67.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 CLP 1,470

$1.66 ₡745

-10.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 CLP 2,342

$2.68 ₡1,202

-11.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 CLP 821

$1.09 ₡491

-23.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.14 CLP 39.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 CLP 393

$2.06 ₡923

-80.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 CLP 897

$1.57 ₡704

-42.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.63 CLP 11.5K

$8.76 ₡3,927

32.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 CLP 1,486

$1.48 ₡664

2.03%

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

$17.6K CLP 17.3M

$22.4K ₡10.1M

-21.60%

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

$22.0K CLP 21.6M

$35.2K ₡15.8M

-37.51%

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

$151 CLP 149.0K

$94.6 ₡42.4K

60.14%

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

$12.34 CLP 12.1K

$29.81 ₡13.4K

-58.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.73 CLP 18.4K

$60.1 ₡27.0K

-68.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.71 CLP 33.2K

$108 ₡48.6K

-68.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.80 CLP 11.6K

$10.15 ₡4,550

16.26%

Cinema Ticket

$7.45 CLP 7,334

$7.81 ₡3,502

-4.61%

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

$430 CLP 423.7K

$457 ₡204.9K

-5.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K CLP 10.6M

$16.9K ₡7.6M

-36.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.65 CLP 48.9K

$71.1 ₡31.9K

-30.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.94 CLP 28.5K

$55.7 ₡25.0K

-48.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.7 CLP 64.6K

$131 ₡58.6K

-49.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.7 CLP 79.4K

$130 ₡58.4K

-38.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$559 CLP 550.4K

$834 ₡373.9K

-32.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$384 CLP 377.8K

$845 ₡378.8K

-54.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,004 CLP 988.4K

$1,961 ₡879.3K

-48.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 CLP 767.9K

$1,508 ₡676.4K

-48.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,640 CLP 2.6M

$1,407 ₡630.8K

87.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,546 CLP 2.5M

$972 ₡435.7K

162.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$804 CLP 791.0K

$1,746 ₡782.8K

-53.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

8.62

-37.47%

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

Last update for Santiago: October 11, 2026

Last update for Escazu: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santiago

$384 32.3%

Escazu

$845 43.7% 120% $461

Groceries & Markets

Santiago

$236 19.8%

Escazu

$361 18.7% 52.8% $125

Eating Out

Santiago

$189 15.9%

Escazu

$231 12% 21.9% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago

$182 15.3%

Escazu

$184 9.5% 1.1% $2

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago

$101 8.5%

Escazu

$174 9% 72.4% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago

$49 4.1%

Escazu

$124 6.4% 155% $75

Getting Around

Santiago

$48 4.1%

Escazu

$14 * 0.7% 70.5% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $559 in Santiago and $834 in Escazu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Escazu pays 117% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $52.0 in Santiago vs $62.0 in Escazu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $236 vs $361 per month, with Santiago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Santiago

🇨🇷 Escazu

🕒 Local time

09:28 9:28 AM

06:28 6:28 AM

3 h behind Santiago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,139,087 Capital

11,984

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santiago Escazu 5,030 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Santiago
Escazu

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 Escazu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santiago is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 62% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 117% lower in Escazu. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $559 in Santiago versus $834 in Escazu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Escazu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,190 per month in Santiago versus $1,933 in Escazu – a 62% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,190 in Santiago versus $1,933 in Escazu, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santiago but tight or insufficient in Escazu. The gap between the two cities makes Santiago the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Santiago is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Escazu, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Santiago and Escazu are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Santiago gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Escazu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.