Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago and Matamoros

For one person, living is cheaper in Matamoros: $1,090 a month against $1,190 in Santiago, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Santiago outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

57

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
Learn more

Santiago Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Matamoros
Learn more

Matamoros Living Index

Jump to prices

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,190

/mo nomad

Matamoros

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,090

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santiago and in Matamoros

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Santiago versus $1,090 in Matamoros.

Santiago $1,190
Matamoros $1,090

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,892 in Santiago versus $1,832 in Matamoros.

Santiago $1,892
Matamoros $1,832

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,595 in Santiago versus $2,573 in Matamoros.

Santiago $2,595
Matamoros $2,573

Living in Santiago is roughly 9% more expensive than in Matamoros, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Santiago 12% lower, Matamoros 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.37 CLP 10.2K

$12.38 MX$229

-16.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

$37.67 MX$696

37.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 CLP 8,805

$9.06 MX$167

-1.32%

Cappuccino

$3.26 CLP 3,211

$3.29 MX$60.8

-0.91%

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

$1.67 CLP 1,640

$1.47 MX$27.18

13.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 CLP 1,212

$1.05 MX$19.40

17.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.98 CLP 3,914

$2.26 MX$41.81

76.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 CLP 4,465

$4.48 MX$82.8

1.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 CLP 1,263

$1.63 MX$30.12

-21.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 CLP 1,817

$2.40 MX$44.43

-22.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 CLP 1,567

$1.70 MX$31.43

-6.47%

Eggs

$4.10 CLP 4,031

$2.57 MX$47.54

59.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.41 CLP 11.2K

$9.01 MX$167

26.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.69 CLP 6,586

$7.82 MX$144

-14.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.81 CLP 10.6K

$11.74 MX$217

-7.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 CLP 1,905

$2.70 MX$49.81

-28.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 CLP 1,497

$1.73 MX$31.92

-12.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 CLP 1,577

$1.67 MX$30.82

-4.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 CLP 1,668

$2.05 MX$37.92

-17.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 CLP 1,084

$2.17 MX$40.01

-49.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 CLP 1,500

$2.09 MX$38.70

-27.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 CLP 1,164

$1.61 MX$29.73

-26.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 CLP 1,061

$1.22 MX$22.48

-11.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.07 CLP 4,995

$4.72 MX$87.2

7.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.95 CLP 5,858

$10.79 MX$199

-44.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 CLP 1,470

$2.02 MX$37.32

-26.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 CLP 2,342

$3.18 MX$58.8

-25.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 CLP 821

$0.65 MX$12.03

27.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.14 CLP 39.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 CLP 393

$2.71 MX$50.0

-85.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 CLP 897

$2.25 MX$41.49

-59.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.63 CLP 11.5K

$11.47 MX$212

1.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 CLP 1,486

$1.34 MX$24.72

12.69%

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

$17.6K CLP 17.3M

$23.5K MX$435.0K

-25.34%

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

$22.0K CLP 21.6M

$23.9K MX$441.3K

-7.95%

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

$151 CLP 149.0K

$56.2 MX$1,038

169.65%

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

$12.34 CLP 12.1K

$25.44 MX$470

-51.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.73 CLP 18.4K

$26.61 MX$492

-29.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.71 CLP 33.2K

$32.88 MX$608

2.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.80 CLP 11.6K

$22.40 MX$414

-47.32%

Cinema Ticket

$7.45 CLP 7,334

$4.48 MX$82.7

66.29%

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

$430 CLP 423.7K

$223 MX$4,114

93.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K CLP 10.6M

$4,650 MX$85.9K

132.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.65 CLP 48.9K

$53.3 MX$986

-6.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.94 CLP 28.5K

$38.50 MX$711

-24.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.7 CLP 64.6K

$99.1 MX$1,832

-33.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.7 CLP 79.4K

$79.4 MX$1,467

1.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$559 CLP 550.4K

$646 MX$11.9K

-13.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$384 CLP 377.8K

$337 MX$6,220

14.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,004 CLP 988.4K

$901 MX$16.7K

11.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 CLP 767.9K

$826 MX$15.3K

-5.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,640 CLP 2.6M

$2,039 MX$37.7K

29.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,546 CLP 2.5M

$1,054 MX$19.5K

141.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$804 CLP 791.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

11.3

-52.30%

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

Last update for Santiago: October 11, 2026

Last update for Matamoros: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santiago

$384 32.3%

Matamoros

$337 30.9% 12.3% $47

Groceries & Markets

Santiago

$236 19.8%

Matamoros

$269 24.7% 14.1% $33

Eating Out

Santiago

$189 15.9%

Matamoros

$196 18% 3.4% $6.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago

$182 15.3%

Matamoros

$108 9.9% 40.7% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago

$101 8.5%

Matamoros

$122 11.2% 20.2% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago

$49 4.1%

Matamoros

$42 3.8% 13.9% $6.8

Getting Around

Santiago

$48 4.1%

Matamoros

$17 * 1.5% 65.8% $32

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 $646 in Matamoros. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52.0 in Santiago vs $38.00 in Matamoros. Groceries flip the comparison at $236 vs $269, with Santiago cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Santiago

🇲🇽 Matamoros

🕒 Local time

01:17 1:17 AM

23:17 11:17 PM

2 h behind Santiago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,139,087 Capital

510,739

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santiago Matamoros 7,180 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Santiago
Matamoros

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 Matamoros: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Matamoros wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Santiago. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Matamoros the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,785 in Santiago and $1,635 in Matamoros 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $559 in Santiago versus $646 in Matamoros. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $430 in Santiago versus $223 in Matamoros. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Matamoros – a meal for two runs $38.00 versus $52.0 in Santiago. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,090 in Matamoros versus $1,190 in Santiago, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Matamoros but tight or insufficient in Santiago. The gap between the two cities makes Matamoros 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 Matamoros gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Santiago. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.