Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,206 in Santiago, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
Learn more

Santiago Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index

Jump to prices

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,206

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santiago and in Lima

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,206 in Santiago versus $996 in Lima.

Santiago $1,206
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,885 in Santiago versus $1,594 in Lima.

Santiago $1,885
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,564 in Santiago versus $2,191 in Lima.

Santiago $2,564
Lima $2,191

Living in Santiago is roughly 21% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Santiago 10% lower, Lima 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.19 CLP 9,954

$4.42 PEN 15.21

130.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.2 CLP 51.0K

$35.04 PEN 121

49.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.54 CLP 8,342

$6.84 PEN 23.52

24.85%

Cappuccino

$3.19 CLP 3,122

$3.27 PEN 11.26

-2.45%

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

$1.68 CLP 1,641

$1.10 PEN 3.80

52.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 CLP 1,194

$0.65 PEN 2.23

87.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.21 CLP 4,110

$2.58 PEN 8.88

63.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.66 CLP 4,550

$4.47 PEN 15.39

4.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 CLP 1,286

$1.59 PEN 5.48

-16.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 CLP 1,760

$2.58 PEN 8.89

-30.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 CLP 1,547

$1.36 PEN 4.67

16.18%

Eggs

$4.25 CLP 4,151

$2.95 PEN 10.14

44.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.19 CLP 10.9K

$9.10 PEN 31.30

22.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.75 CLP 6,596

$5.81 PEN 19.98

16.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.67 CLP 10.4K

$9.83 PEN 33.80

8.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 CLP 1,995

$2.01 PEN 6.92

1.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 CLP 1,500

$1.08 PEN 3.70

41.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.59 CLP 1,553

$1.37 PEN 4.71

16.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 CLP 1,712

$1.48 PEN 5.08

18.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 CLP 1,054

$0.96 PEN 3.32

12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 CLP 1,480

$0.85 PEN 2.93

77.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 CLP 1,148

$0.88 PEN 3.03

32.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 CLP 1,043

$0.87 PEN 2.98

22.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.14 CLP 5,027

$5.90 PEN 20.31

-12.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.88 CLP 5,745

$8.81 PEN 30.31

-33.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CLP 1,516

$1.92 PEN 6.59

-19.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 CLP 2,223

$3.20 PEN 11.02

-29.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 CLP 831

$0.68 PEN 2.33

25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.50 CLP 40.6K

$26.74 PEN 92.0

55.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 CLP 383

$3.81 PEN 13.10

-89.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.84 CLP 822

$2.04 PEN 7.02

-58.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.94 CLP 11.7K

$7.14 PEN 24.57

67.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 CLP 1,470

$1.65 PEN 5.67

-9.09%

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

$18.1K CLP 17.7M

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

-18.36%

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

$21.6K CLP 21.1M

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

-15.81%

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

$151 CLP 147.7K

$73.0 PEN 251

106.86%

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

$12.04 CLP 11.8K

$16.26 PEN 55.9

-25.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.93 CLP 18.5K

$27.60 PEN 94.9

-31.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.81 CLP 33.0K

$33.07 PEN 114

2.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.72 CLP 11.5K

$19.49 PEN 67.1

-39.87%

Cinema Ticket

$7.37 CLP 7,202

$7.39 PEN 25.41

-0.27%

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

$434 CLP 424.3K

$182 PEN 626

138.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K CLP 10.7M

$13.3K PEN 45.8K

-17.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 CLP 49.7K

$52.6 PEN 181

-3.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.16 CLP 28.5K

$34.23 PEN 118

-14.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.4 CLP 65.8K

$83.8 PEN 288

-19.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 CLP 78.4K

$79.0 PEN 272

1.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$555 CLP 542.0K

$723 PEN 2,488

-23.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$372 CLP 364.0K

$340 PEN 1,170

9.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 CLP 986.6K

$1,184 PEN 4,074

-14.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$779 CLP 760.9K

$635 PEN 2,183

22.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,671 CLP 2.6M

$2,449 PEN 8,423

9.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,622 CLP 2.6M

$1,372 PEN 4,718

91.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$791 CLP 773.5K

$653 PEN 2,245

21.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

8.94

-39.71%

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

Last update for Santiago: October 4, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santiago

$372 31.6%

Lima

$340 33.6% 8.7% $32

Groceries & Markets

Santiago

$236 20%

Lima

$226 22.4% 4.2% $9.9

Eating Out

Santiago

$187 15.9%

Lima

$124 12.3% 33.8% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago

$182 15.5%

Lima

$117 11.6% 35.8% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago

$102 8.7%

Lima

$112 11.1% 9.6% $9.9

Getting Around

Santiago

$50 4.2%

Lima

$43 4.3% 12.2% $6

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago

$49 4.1%

Lima

$48 4.7% 1.4% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $555 in Santiago and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santiago pays 21% 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 $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $236 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Santiago

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

03:22 3:22 AM

01:22 1:22 AM

2 h behind Santiago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,139,087 Capital

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.23 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.12 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 977 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,096 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.12 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santiago Lima 2,460 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Santiago
Lima

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 Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santiago and Lima differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($1,206 vs $996 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 21% 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: $555 in Santiago versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $434 in Santiago versus $182 in Lima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Santiago. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $996 in Lima versus $1,206 in Santiago, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Santiago. The gap between the two cities makes Lima 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 Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Santiago. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.