Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago and Higuey

For one person, living is cheaper in Higuey: $912 a month against $1,163 in Santiago, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Higuey
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Higuey Living Index

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Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,163

/mo nomad

Higuey

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$912

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santiago and in Higuey

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,163 in Santiago versus $912 in Higuey.

Santiago $1,163
Higuey $912

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,844 in Santiago versus $1,495 in Higuey.

Santiago $1,844
Higuey $1,495

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,525 in Santiago versus $2,078 in Higuey.

Santiago $2,525
Higuey $2,078

Living in Santiago is roughly 27% more expensive than in Higuey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Santiago 15% lower, Higuey 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.93 CLP 9,705

$9.75 DOP 597

1.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.88 CLP 48.7K

$50.0 DOP 3,064

-0.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.64 CLP 8,444

$7.46 DOP 457

15.82%

Cappuccino

$3.16 CLP 3,089

$1.99 DOP 122

58.79%

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

$1.65 CLP 1,615

$1.04 DOP 63.9

58.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 CLP 1,215

$0.51 DOP 31.17

143.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.12 CLP 4,024

$2.51 DOP 154

64.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 CLP 4,499

$3.17 DOP 194

45.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 CLP 1,194

$1.19 DOP 73.1

2.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.82 CLP 1,774

$1.57 DOP 96.2

15.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 CLP 1,546

$1.35 DOP 82.8

17.04%

Eggs

$4.04 CLP 3,949

$1.95 DOP 119

107.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.96 CLP 10.7K

$7.30 DOP 447

50.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.66 CLP 6,508

$5.29 DOP 324

25.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.32 CLP 10.1K

$6.56 DOP 402

57.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 CLP 1,969

$3.00 DOP 183

-32.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 CLP 1,454

$0.70 DOP 43.08

112.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 CLP 1,542

$1.46 DOP 89.1

8.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 CLP 1,676

$1.29 DOP 79.0

33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 CLP 1,020

$1.16 DOP 71.0

-10.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 CLP 1,475

$1.11 DOP 68.2

36.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 CLP 1,190

$0.59 DOP 36.00

106.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 CLP 1,075

$0.47 DOP 28.95

134.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.10 CLP 4,980

$5.38 DOP 330

-5.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.93 CLP 5,794

$10.11 DOP 619

-41.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 CLP 1,446

$2.42 DOP 148

-38.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 CLP 2,196

$2.87 DOP 176

-21.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 CLP 819

$0.81 DOP 49.35

3.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.64 CLP 39.7K

$49.72 DOP 3,045

-18.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 CLP 372

$3.32 DOP 203

-88.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 CLP 800

$2.26 DOP 139

-63.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.53 CLP 11.3K

$5.84 DOP 358

97.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 CLP 1,490

$1.36 DOP 83.5

11.76%

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

$16.8K CLP 16.4M

$24.8K DOP 1.5M

-32.12%

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

$24.9K CLP 24.4M

$30.7K DOP 1.9M

-18.84%

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

$146 CLP 142.4K

$90.5 DOP 5,540

61.05%

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

$12.20 CLP 11.9K

$16.40 DOP 1,004

-25.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.80 CLP 18.4K

$32.65 DOP 2,000

-42.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.41 CLP 31.7K

$24.74 DOP 1,515

31.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.68 CLP 11.4K

$65.4 DOP 4,003

-82.13%

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 CLP 7,410

$7.38 DOP 452

2.71%

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

$440 CLP 429.7K

$98.6 DOP 6,039

345.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K CLP 10.4M

$2,173 DOP 133.1K

390.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.81 CLP 47.7K

$44.71 DOP 2,738

9.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.87 CLP 28.2K

$45.17 DOP 2,766

-36.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.4 CLP 62.9K

$86.2 DOP 5,279

-25.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.9 CLP 79.1K

$79.6 DOP 4,873

1.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$497 CLP 485.6K

$289 DOP 17.7K

72.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 CLP 364.9K

$209 DOP 12.8K

78.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$989 CLP 966.1K

$566 DOP 34.6K

74.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$750 CLP 732.8K

$401 DOP 24.6K

86.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,960 CLP 2.9M

$1,809 DOP 110.8K

63.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,517 CLP 2.5M

$1,240 DOP 75.9K

103.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$771 CLP 753.4K

$434 DOP 26.6K

77.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

11.5

-53.13%

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

Last update for Santiago: October 25, 2026

Last update for Higuey: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santiago

$373 32.1%

Higuey

$209 22.9% 44% $164

Groceries & Markets

Santiago

$232 19.9%

Higuey

$192 21.1% 17.1% $40

Eating Out

Santiago

$185 15.9%

Higuey

$149 16.4% 19.1% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago

$177 15.2%

Higuey

$140 15.3% 21% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago

$100 8.6%

Higuey

$115 12.6% 14.7% $15

Getting Around

Santiago

$48 4.2%

Higuey

$68 7.4% 39.4% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago

$48 4.1%

Higuey

$40 4.3% 17% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $497 in Santiago and $289 in Higuey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santiago pays 78% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $50 in Santiago vs $50 in Higuey. Groceries flip the comparison at $232 vs $192, with Higuey cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Santiago

🇩🇴 Higuey

🕒 Local time

18:02 6:02 PM

17:02 5:02 PM

1 h behind Santiago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,139,087 Capital

123,787

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.23 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.19 EUR

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

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).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 61.24 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.17 DOP (100 DOP = 1.47 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santiago Higuey 5,790 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Santiago
Higuey

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 Higuey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Higuey is about 22% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 78% higher in Santiago, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $497 in Santiago versus $289 in Higuey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Santiago. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,163 per month in Santiago versus $912 in Higuey – Higuey is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Higuey wins on affordability, Santiago on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.