Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago and Marabella

For one person, living is cheaper in Marabella: $766 a month against $1,190 in Santiago, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Santiago outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

57

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Marabella
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Marabella Living Index

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Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,190

/mo nomad

Marabella

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$766

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santiago and in Marabella

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Santiago versus $766 in Marabella.

Santiago $1,190
Marabella $766

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,892 in Santiago versus $1,313 in Marabella.

Santiago $1,892
Marabella $1,313

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,595 in Santiago versus $1,860 in Marabella.

Santiago $2,595
Marabella $1,860

Living in Santiago is roughly 55% more expensive than in Marabella, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Santiago 12% lower, Marabella 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.37 CLP 10.2K

$10.15 TTD 68.3

2.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

$58.8 TTD 395

-12.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 CLP 8,805

$8.24 TTD 55.4

8.50%

Cappuccino

$3.26 CLP 3,211

$3.77 TTD 25.36

-13.53%

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

$1.67 CLP 1,640

$1.01 TTD 6.77

65.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 CLP 1,212

$0.71 TTD 4.78

73.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.98 CLP 3,914

$1.80 TTD 12.10

121.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 CLP 4,465

$2.61 TTD 17.57

73.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 CLP 1,263

$2.05 TTD 13.77

-37.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 CLP 1,817

$2.34 TTD 15.72

-20.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 CLP 1,567

$2.92 TTD 19.62

-45.55%

Eggs

$4.10 CLP 4,031

$3.81 TTD 25.61

7.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.41 CLP 11.2K

$6.74 TTD 45.36

69.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.69 CLP 6,586

$10.22 TTD 68.8

-34.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.81 CLP 10.6K

$8.91 TTD 59.9

21.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 CLP 1,905

$5.60 TTD 37.66

-65.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 CLP 1,497

$2.50 TTD 16.81

-39.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 CLP 1,577

$3.67 TTD 24.69

-56.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 CLP 1,668

$4.17 TTD 28.03

-59.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 CLP 1,084

$0.75 TTD 5.06

46.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 CLP 1,500

$0.77 TTD 5.15

97.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 CLP 1,164

$1.44 TTD 9.70

-18.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 CLP 1,061

$1.17 TTD 7.85

-7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.07 CLP 4,995

$5.46 TTD 36.76

-7.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.95 CLP 5,858

$17.68 TTD 119

-66.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 CLP 1,470

$1.48 TTD 9.93

0.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 CLP 2,342

$2.93 TTD 19.74

-18.77%

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

$0.87 TTD 5.87

-54.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 CLP 897

$0.87 TTD 5.83

4.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.63 CLP 11.5K

$14.57 TTD 98.0

-20.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 CLP 1,486

$1.15 TTD 7.74

31.30%

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

$17.6K CLP 17.3M

$37.3K TTD 250.6K

-52.82%

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

$22.0K CLP 21.6M

$42.0K TTD 282.2K

-47.60%

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

$151 CLP 149.0K

$43.38 TTD 292

249.03%

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

$12.34 CLP 12.1K

$41.83 TTD 281

-70.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.73 CLP 18.4K

$45.32 TTD 305

-58.67%

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

$8.76 TTD 58.9

-14.95%

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

$430 CLP 423.7K

$405 TTD 2,724

6.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K CLP 10.6M

$10.7K TTD 71.9K

1.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.65 CLP 48.9K

$53.7 TTD 361

-7.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.94 CLP 28.5K

$36.47 TTD 245

-20.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.7 CLP 64.6K

$89.7 TTD 603

-26.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.7 CLP 79.4K

$90.0 TTD 606

-10.38%

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

5.75

-6.26%

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

Last update for Santiago: October 11, 2026

Last update for Marabella: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santiago

$384 32.3%

Marabella

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Santiago

$236 19.8%

Marabella

$319 41.7% 35.4% $83

Eating Out

Santiago

$189 15.9%

Marabella

$172 22.5% 9.1% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago

$182 15.3%

Marabella

$131 17% 28.5% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago

$101 8.5%

Marabella

$121 15.9% 20% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago

$49 4.1%

Marabella

$18 * 2.3% 64% $31

Getting Around

Santiago

$48 4.1%

Marabella

$5.2 * 0.7% 89.3% $43

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $52.0 in Santiago vs $59.0 in Marabella for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $236 vs $319 per month, with Santiago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Santiago

🇹🇹 Marabella

🕒 Local time

08:02 8:02 AM

07:02 7:02 AM

1 h behind Santiago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,139,087 Capital

26,700

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.132 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TTD, 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).

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.73 TTD (1 TTD = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.56 TTD (1 TTD = 0.132 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Santiago Marabella 4,960 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Santiago
Marabella

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 Marabella: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santiago and Marabella differ by about 55% in total monthly costs ($1,190 vs $766 including rent). Marabella is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,785 in Santiago and $1,150 in Marabella to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Shoppers in Santiago pay roughly 35% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,190 per month in Santiago versus $766 in Marabella – a 55% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $766 in Marabella versus $1,190 in Santiago, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Marabella but tight or insufficient in Santiago. The gap between the two cities makes Marabella 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 Marabella gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Santiago. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.