Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago and La Romana

For one person, living is cheaper in La Romana: $631 a month against $1,190 in Santiago, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in La Romana
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La Romana Living Index

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Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,190

/mo nomad

La Romana

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$631

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santiago and in La Romana

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

A single person spends $1,190 per month in Santiago vs $631 in La Romana, rent included.

Santiago $1,190
La Romana $631

A couple spends around $1,892 per month in Santiago vs $1,014 in La Romana, rent included.

Santiago $1,892
La Romana $1,014

A family of three spends $2,595 per month in Santiago vs $1,398 in La Romana, rent included.

Santiago $2,595
La Romana $1,398

Santiago costs about 88% more than La Romana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Santiago and La Romana are more affordable than the global median – Santiago 12% lower, La Romana 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.37 CLP 10.2K

$8.43 DOP 516

23.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

$40.80 DOP 2,499

26.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 CLP 8,805

$7.16 DOP 439

24.86%

Cappuccino

$3.26 CLP 3,211

$1.75 DOP 107

86.29%

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

$1.67 CLP 1,640

$0.71 DOP 43.32

135.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 CLP 1,212

$0.32 DOP 19.33

284.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.98 CLP 3,914

$2.43 DOP 149

63.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 CLP 4,465

$3.97 DOP 244

14.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 CLP 1,263

$1.05 DOP 64.1

21.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 CLP 1,817

$1.80 DOP 110

2.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 CLP 1,567

$1.51 DOP 92.3

5.30%

Eggs

$4.10 CLP 4,031

$1.48 DOP 91.0

177.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.41 CLP 11.2K

$6.28 DOP 384

81.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.69 CLP 6,586

$3.53 DOP 216

89.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.81 CLP 10.6K

$4.62 DOP 283

133.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 CLP 1,905

$3.61 DOP 221

-46.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 CLP 1,497

$1.38 DOP 84.3

10.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 CLP 1,577

$3.23 DOP 198

-50.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 CLP 1,668

$2.13 DOP 131

-20.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 CLP 1,084

$3.58 DOP 220

-69.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 CLP 1,500

$2.87 DOP 176

-47.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 CLP 1,164

$0.88 DOP 53.9

34.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 CLP 1,061

$1.60 DOP 98.2

-32.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.07 CLP 4,995

$4.66 DOP 285

8.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.95 CLP 5,858

$16.45 DOP 1,007

-63.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 CLP 1,470

$3.00 DOP 184

-50.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 CLP 2,342

$3.48 DOP 213

-31.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 CLP 821

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.14 CLP 39.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 CLP 393

$2.49 DOP 153

-83.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 CLP 897

$3.23 DOP 198

-71.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.63 CLP 11.5K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 CLP 1,486

$1.39 DOP 85.1

8.63%

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

$17.6K CLP 17.3M

$15.1K DOP 922.4K

16.72%

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

$22.0K CLP 21.6M

$25.5K DOP 1.6M

-13.73%

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

$151 CLP 149.0K

$95.3 DOP 5,837

58.91%

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

$12.34 CLP 12.1K

$9.68 DOP 593

27.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.73 CLP 18.4K

$39.12 DOP 2,397

-52.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.71 CLP 33.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.80 CLP 11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$7.45 CLP 7,334

$4.97 DOP 305

49.90%

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

$430 CLP 423.7K

$146 DOP 8,946

194.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K CLP 10.6M

$5,480 DOP 335.7K

97.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.65 CLP 48.9K

$26.84 DOP 1,644

84.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.94 CLP 28.5K

$45.24 DOP 2,772

-36.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.7 CLP 64.6K

$60.6 DOP 3,713

8.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.7 CLP 79.4K

$67.0 DOP 4,104

20.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$559 CLP 550.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$384 CLP 377.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,004 CLP 988.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 CLP 767.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,640 CLP 2.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,546 CLP 2.5M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$804 CLP 791.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

-51.00%

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

Last update for Santiago: October 11, 2026

Last update for La Romana: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santiago

$384 32.3%

La Romana

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Santiago

$236 19.8%

La Romana

$235 37.2% 0.5% $1.2

Eating Out

Santiago

$189 15.9%

La Romana

$134 21.2% 29.3% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago

$182 15.3%

La Romana

$144 22.8% 21% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago

$101 8.5%

La Romana

$90 14.2% 11.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago

$49 4.1%

La Romana

$9.9 * 1.6% 79.6% $39

Getting Around

Santiago

$48 4.1%

La Romana

$19 * 3% 61.5% $30

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 $52.0 in Santiago versus $41.00 in La Romana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $236 vs $235 – making La Romana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Santiago

🇩🇴 La Romana

🕒 Local time

10:12 10:12 AM

09:12 9:12 AM

1 h behind Santiago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,139,087 Capital

567,431

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.45 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 61.26 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.87 DOP (100 DOP = 1.45 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santiago La Romana 5,770 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Santiago
La Romana

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 La Romana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Santiago is pricier by about 88%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,785 per month in Santiago and $947 in La Romana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,190 in Santiago and $631 in La Romana. That's a gap of about 88%.

Kindergarten costs $430 per month in Santiago and $146 in La Romana. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in La Romana, where all-in costs run around $631, than in Santiago at $1,190. In La Romana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santiago it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward La Romana – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with La Romana. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Santiago makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.