Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago and Markham

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,190 a month against $2,416 in Markham, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 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
118

Cost of Living Index in Markham
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Markham Living Index

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Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,190

/mo nomad

Markham

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,416

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santiago and in Markham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Santiago versus $2,416 in Markham.

Santiago $1,190
Markham $2,416

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,892 in Santiago versus $3,465 in Markham.

Santiago $1,892
Markham $3,465

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,595 in Santiago versus $4,514 in Markham.

Santiago $2,595
Markham $4,514

Living in Santiago costs roughly 51% less than in Markham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santiago is 12% below, Markham is 79% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.37 CLP 10.2K

$17.37 CA$24.70

-40.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.7 CLP 50.8K

$53.4 CA$76.0

-3.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 CLP 8,795

$10.47 CA$14.89

-14.61%

Cappuccino

$3.26 CLP 3,207

$3.81 CA$5.42

-14.44%

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

$1.67 CLP 1,638

$1.70 CA$2.42

-1.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 CLP 1,211

$1.17 CA$1.67

5.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.98 CLP 3,909

$3.59 CA$5.10

10.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 CLP 4,459

$5.62 CA$7.99

-19.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 CLP 1,261

$1.94 CA$2.76

-34.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 CLP 1,815

$2.22 CA$3.16

-16.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 CLP 1,565

$1.90 CA$2.70

-16.32%

Eggs

$4.10 CLP 4,026

$2.99 CA$4.25

37.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.41 CLP 11.2K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.69 CLP 6,578

$11.70 CA$16.64

-42.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.81 CLP 10.6K

$6.81 CA$9.68

58.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 CLP 1,903

$3.69 CA$5.25

-47.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 CLP 1,495

$1.26 CA$1.80

20.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 CLP 1,575

$2.33 CA$3.31

-31.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 CLP 1,666

$3.26 CA$4.63

-48.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 CLP 1,083

$2.05 CA$2.92

-46.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 CLP 1,498

$1.96 CA$2.79

-22.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 CLP 1,163

$2.87 CA$4.08

-58.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 CLP 1,060

$1.48 CA$2.11

-27.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.07 CLP 4,989

$13.44 CA$19.11

-62.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.95 CLP 5,851

$14.53 CA$20.66

-59.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 CLP 1,469

$2.40 CA$3.41

-37.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 CLP 2,339

$3.19 CA$4.54

-25.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 CLP 820

$3.04 CA$4.32

-72.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.14 CLP 39.5K

$89.3 CA$127

-55.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 CLP 392

$3.31 CA$4.71

-87.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 CLP 895

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.63 CLP 11.4K

$18.60 CA$26.44

-37.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 CLP 1,484

$1.13 CA$1.61

33.63%

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

$17.6K CLP 17.3M

$28.1K CA$40.0K

-37.49%

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

$22.0K CLP 21.6M

$18.1K CA$25.8K

21.30%

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

$151 CLP 148.9K

$125 CA$178

20.74%

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

$12.34 CLP 12.1K

$26.20 CA$37.26

-52.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.73 CLP 18.4K

$45.69 CA$65.0

-59.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.71 CLP 33.1K

$42.62 CA$60.6

-20.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.80 CLP 11.6K

$21.28 CA$30.26

-44.55%

Cinema Ticket

$7.45 CLP 7,325

$10.19 CA$14.49

-26.89%

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

$430 CLP 423.2K

$870 CA$1,237

-50.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K CLP 10.6M

$27.5K CA$39.0K

-60.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.65 CLP 48.8K

$43.21 CA$61.4

14.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.94 CLP 28.5K

$37.22 CA$52.9

-22.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.7 CLP 64.6K

$91.1 CA$130

-27.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.7 CLP 79.3K

$105 CA$149

-23.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$559 CLP 549.7K

$1,554 CA$2,210

-64.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$384 CLP 377.3K

$1,391 CA$1,978

-72.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,004 CLP 987.2K

$2,699 CA$3,838

-62.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 CLP 766.9K

$2,236 CA$3,179

-65.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,640 CLP 2.6M

$5,896 CA$8,382

-55.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,546 CLP 2.5M

$5,309 CA$7,549

-52.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$804 CLP 790.0K

$3,132 CA$4,453

-74.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

4.56

18.20%

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

Last update for Santiago: October 11, 2026

Last update for Markham: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santiago

$384 32.3%

Markham

$1.4K 57.6% 263% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Santiago

$236 19.8%

Markham

$279 * 11.5% 18% $43

Eating Out

Santiago

$189 15.9%

Markham

$257 10.6% 35.6% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago

$182 15.3%

Markham

$197 8.2% 8.1% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago

$101 8.5%

Markham

$124 5.2% 22.9% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago

$49 4.1%

Markham

$63 2.6% 29.6% $14

Getting Around

Santiago

$48 4.1%

Markham

$105 * 4.3% 116% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $559 in Santiago and $1,554 in Markham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Markham pays 290% 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 $53.0 in Markham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $236 vs $279 per month, with Santiago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Santiago

🇨🇦 Markham

🕒 Local time

20:26 8:26 PM

19:26 7:26 PM

1 h behind Santiago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,139,087 Capital

338,503

💱 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 14, 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 14, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santiago Markham 8,640 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Santiago
Markham

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 Markham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santiago wins on cost – living expenses run 103% lower than in Markham. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Santiago the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 290% lower in Markham. 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 $1,554 in Markham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $430 in Santiago versus $870 in Markham. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Markham. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,190 in Santiago versus $2,416 in Markham, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santiago but tight or insufficient in Markham. 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.

Safety-wise, Santiago and Markham are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Santiago gentler on the wallet – expenses run 103% less than in Markham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.