Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,206 a month against $2,312 in London, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Santiago
🇨🇱 Chile
$1,206
/mo nomad
London
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,312
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santiago and in London

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,206 in Santiago versus $2,312 in London.

  • Santiago $1,206
  • London $2,312

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,885 in Santiago versus $3,278 in London.

  • Santiago $1,885
  • London $3,278

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,564 in Santiago versus $4,243 in London.

  • Santiago $2,564
  • London $4,243

Living in Santiago costs roughly 48% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santiago is 10% below, London is 73% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Santiago
London
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.19 CLP 9,931
$21.22 CA$30.24
-51.98%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$52.2 CLP 50.9K
$62.6 CA$89.3
-16.62%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.54 CLP 8,323
$12.36 CA$17.61
-30.91%
Cappuccino
$3.19 CLP 3,115
$3.65 CA$5.20
-12.60%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 CLP 1,637
$2.18 CA$3.10
-22.94%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.22 CLP 1,191
$2.06 CA$2.94
-40.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.21 CLP 4,101
$6.47 CA$9.22
-34.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.66 CLP 4,539
$6.47 CA$9.23
-27.98%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Santiago
London
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.32 CLP 1,283
$1.95 CA$2.78
-32.31%
White Bread (500g)
$1.80 CLP 1,756
$2.61 CA$3.72
-31.03%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.58 CLP 1,543
$3.94 CA$5.62
-59.90%
Eggs
$4.25 CLP 4,141
$3.74 CA$5.34
13.64%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.19 CLP 10.9K
$9.83 CA$14.02
13.84%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.75 CLP 6,580
$11.28 CA$16.08
-40.16%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.67 CLP 10.4K
$15.02 CA$21.40
-28.96%
Apples (1kg)
$2.04 CLP 1,991
$4.24 CA$6.04
-51.89%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 CLP 1,497
$1.29 CA$1.84
18.60%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.59 CLP 1,549
$3.85 CA$5.49
-58.70%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.75 CLP 1,708
$4.06 CA$5.79
-56.90%
Potato (1kg)
$1.08 CLP 1,051
$3.17 CA$4.53
-65.93%
Onion (1kg)
$1.51 CLP 1,476
$3.02 CA$4.31
-50.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 CLP 1,145
$2.58 CA$3.68
-54.65%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 CLP 1,041
$1.46 CA$2.09
-26.71%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.14 CLP 5,015
$11.98 CA$17.08
-57.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.88 CLP 5,732
$12.50 CA$17.82
-52.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.55 CLP 1,513
$2.40 CA$3.43
-35.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 CLP 2,218
$2.87 CA$4.09
-20.91%
🚌 Getting Around
Santiago
London
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.85 CLP 829
$2.26 CA$3.22
-62.39%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$41.50 CLP 40.5K
$77.4 CA$110
-46.38%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.39 CLP 383
$2.51 CA$3.58
-84.46%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.84 CLP 820
$1.60 CA$2.29
-47.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.94 CLP 11.6K
$21.83 CA$31.11
-45.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.50 CLP 1,467
$1.17 CA$1.67
28.21%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.1K CLP 17.7M
$27.8K CA$39.6K
-34.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.6K CLP 21.1M
$22.7K CA$32.4K
-5.01%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santiago
London
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$151 CLP 147.3K
$135 CA$193
11.87%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.04 CLP 11.7K
$39.06 CA$55.7
-69.18%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.93 CLP 18.5K
$56.4 CA$80.3
-66.41%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Santiago
London
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$33.81 CLP 33.0K
$37.00 CA$52.7
-8.62%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.72 CLP 11.4K
$28.27 CA$40.29
-58.54%
Cinema Ticket
$7.37 CLP 7,185
$10.41 CA$14.84
-29.20%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Santiago
London
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$434 CLP 423.3K
$407 CA$579
6.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.0K CLP 10.7M
$20.2K CA$28.8K
-45.61%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Santiago
London
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.9 CLP 49.6K
$52.0 CA$74.1
-2.19%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.16 CLP 28.4K
$38.12 CA$54.3
-23.50%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$67.4 CLP 65.7K
$82.8 CA$118
-18.60%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$80.3 CLP 78.2K
$90.7 CA$129
-11.50%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Santiago
London
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$555 CLP 540.8K
$1,270 CA$1,810
-56.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$372 CLP 363.2K
$1,148 CA$1,636
-67.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,009 CLP 984.3K
$2,013 CA$2,870
-49.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$779 CLP 759.1K
$1,703 CA$2,428
-54.29%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,671 CLP 2.6M
$3,440 CA$4,904
-22.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,622 CLP 2.6M
$3,519 CA$5,015
-25.49%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Santiago
London
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$791 CLP 771.7K
$2,882 CA$4,108
-72.54%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.39
4.72
14.19%

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

Last update for Santiago: October 4, 2026

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Santiago
$372
London
$1.1K 208% $775
Groceries & Markets
Santiago
$236
London
$358 51.6% $122
Eating Out
Santiago
$187
London
$313 67% $125
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santiago
$182
London
$230 26.6% $48
Clothing & Footwear
Santiago
$102
London
$119 15.8% $16
Getting Around
Santiago
$50
London
$97 95.8% $47
Sport & Entertainment
Santiago
$49
London
$58 19.1% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $555 in Santiago and $1,270 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 264% 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 London 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
🇨🇦 London
🕒 Local time
08:42 8:42 AM
07:42 7:42 AM
1 h behind Santiago
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
6,139,087 Capital
383,822
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 975 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 1,093 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.15 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Santiago London 8,570 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Santiago
  • London

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 London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is London cheaper than Santiago?
Santiago is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 92% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Santiago or London?
On paper, salaries run 264% lower in London. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Santiago and London?
Rent for a central apartment: $555 in Santiago versus $1,270 in London. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Santiago and in London?
All in, you'll spend $1,206 per month in Santiago versus $2,312 in London – a 92% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Santiago runs roughly 86% less than in London. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Santiago or in London?
At $1,206 in Santiago versus $2,312 in London, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santiago but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Santiago the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Santiago or London more family-friendly?
For families, Santiago is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in London, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Santiago or London?
Safety-wise, Santiago and London are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Santiago gentler on the wallet – expenses run 92% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Santiago vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?