Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago and Iqaluit, NU

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,190 a month against $2,934 in Iqaluit, NU, rent and utilities included – about $20,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index
142

Cost of Living Index in Iqaluit, NU
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Iqaluit, NU Living Index

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Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,190

/mo nomad

Iqaluit, NU

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santiago and in Iqaluit, NU

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Santiago versus $2,934 in Iqaluit, NU.

Santiago $1,190
Iqaluit, NU $2,934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,892 in Santiago versus $4,585 in Iqaluit, NU.

Santiago $1,892
Iqaluit, NU $4,585

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,595 in Santiago versus $6,236 in Iqaluit, NU.

Santiago $2,595
Iqaluit, NU $6,236

Living in Santiago costs roughly 59% less than in Iqaluit, NU, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santiago is 12% below, Iqaluit, NU is 117% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.37 CLP 10.2K

$26.82 CA$38.14

-61.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.7 CLP 50.8K

$63.4 CA$90.1

-18.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 CLP 8,795

$12.91 CA$18.36

-30.75%

Cappuccino

$3.26 CLP 3,207

$7.02 CA$9.98

-53.56%

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

$1.67 CLP 1,638

$3.71 CA$5.28

-54.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 CLP 1,211

$1.62 CA$2.31

-24.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.98 CLP 3,909

$6.73 CA$9.57

-40.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 CLP 4,459

$5.45 CA$7.74

-16.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 CLP 1,261

$2.44 CA$3.47

-47.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 CLP 1,815

$2.55 CA$3.63

-27.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 CLP 1,565

$3.18 CA$4.53

-50.00%

Eggs

$4.10 CLP 4,026

$3.41 CA$4.85

20.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.41 CLP 11.2K

$9.71 CA$13.81

17.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.69 CLP 6,578

$13.07 CA$18.59

-48.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.81 CLP 10.6K

$14.48 CA$20.59

-25.35%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 CLP 1,903

$3.70 CA$5.26

-47.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 CLP 1,495

$1.33 CA$1.90

14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 CLP 1,575

$3.58 CA$5.09

-55.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 CLP 1,666

$3.80 CA$5.41

-55.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 CLP 1,083

$2.41 CA$3.42

-54.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 CLP 1,498

$2.16 CA$3.08

-29.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 CLP 1,163

$2.37 CA$3.37

-50.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 CLP 1,060

$1.58 CA$2.25

-31.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.07 CLP 4,989

$13.88 CA$19.73

-63.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.95 CLP 5,851

$12.82 CA$18.22

-53.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 CLP 1,469

$2.54 CA$3.62

-41.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 CLP 2,339

$3.00 CA$4.27

-20.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 CLP 820

$2.23 CA$3.17

-62.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.14 CLP 39.5K

$61.5 CA$87.4

-34.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 CLP 392

$6.57 CA$9.34

-93.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 CLP 895

$1.38 CA$1.96

-34.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.63 CLP 11.4K

$20.20 CA$28.73

-42.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 CLP 1,484

$1.14 CA$1.62

32.46%

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

$17.6K CLP 17.3M

$38.0K CA$54.1K

-53.77%

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

$22.0K CLP 21.6M

$30.1K CA$42.8K

-26.93%

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

$151 CLP 148.9K

$114 CA$162

33.04%

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

$12.34 CLP 12.1K

$38.71 CA$55.0

-68.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.73 CLP 18.4K

$53.6 CA$76.2

-65.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.71 CLP 33.1K

$40.57 CA$57.7

-16.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.80 CLP 11.6K

$17.61 CA$25.04

-32.99%

Cinema Ticket

$7.45 CLP 7,325

$8.09 CA$11.51

-7.91%

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

$430 CLP 423.2K

$755 CA$1,073

-42.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K CLP 10.6M

$13.1K CA$18.6K

-17.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.65 CLP 48.8K

$52.7 CA$74.9

-5.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.94 CLP 28.5K

$38.18 CA$54.3

-24.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.7 CLP 64.6K

$85.7 CA$122

-23.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.7 CLP 79.3K

$102 CA$145

-21.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$559 CLP 549.7K

$1,751 CA$2,489

-68.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$384 CLP 377.3K

$1,700 CA$2,417

-77.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,004 CLP 987.2K

$2,877 CA$4,091

-65.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 CLP 766.9K

$3,448 CA$4,902

-77.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,640 CLP 2.6M

$4,252 CA$6,045

-37.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,546 CLP 2.5M

$3,525 CA$5,011

-27.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$804 CLP 790.0K

$4,135 CA$5,879

-80.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

5.32

1.32%

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

Last update for Santiago: October 11, 2026

Last update for Iqaluit, NU: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santiago

$384 32.3%

Iqaluit, NU

$1.7K 58% 343% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Santiago

$236 19.8%

Iqaluit, NU

$358 12.2% 51.9% $122

Eating Out

Santiago

$189 15.9%

Iqaluit, NU

$403 13.8% 113% $214

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago

$182 15.3%

Iqaluit, NU

$206 7% 13% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago

$101 8.5%

Iqaluit, NU

$125 4.3% 23.9% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago

$49 4.1%

Iqaluit, NU

$57 1.9% 16.8% $8.1

Getting Around

Santiago

$48 4.1%

Iqaluit, NU

$84 2.9% 73.2% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $559 in Santiago and $1,751 in Iqaluit, NU. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iqaluit, NU pays 415% 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 $63.0 in Iqaluit, NU for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $236 vs $358 per month, with Santiago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Santiago

🇨🇦 Iqaluit, NU

🕒 Local time

21:39 9:39 PM

20:39 8:39 PM

1 h behind Santiago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,139,087 Capital

8,000

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.17 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.08 EUR

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 983 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,101 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.08 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santiago Iqaluit, NU 10,810 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Santiago
Iqaluit, NU

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 Iqaluit, NU: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santiago is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 147% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 415% lower in Iqaluit, NU. 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 $1,751 in Iqaluit, NU. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $430 in Santiago versus $755 in Iqaluit, NU. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 52% higher in Iqaluit, NU. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,190 in Santiago versus $2,934 in Iqaluit, NU, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santiago but tight or insufficient in Iqaluit, NU. The gap between the two cities makes Santiago the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Santiago gentler on the wallet – expenses run 147% less than in Iqaluit, NU. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.