Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago and Medicine Hat

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,190 a month against $1,806 in Medicine Hat, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
88

Cost of Living Index in Medicine Hat
Learn more

Medicine Hat Living Index

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Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,190

/mo nomad

Medicine Hat

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santiago and in Medicine Hat

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

A single person spends $1,190 per month in Santiago vs $1,806 in Medicine Hat, rent included.

Santiago $1,190
Medicine Hat $1,806

A couple spends around $1,892 per month in Santiago vs $2,707 in Medicine Hat, rent included.

Santiago $1,892
Medicine Hat $2,707

A family of three spends $2,595 per month in Santiago vs $3,608 in Medicine Hat, rent included.

Santiago $2,595
Medicine Hat $3,608

Santiago is about 34% cheaper than Medicine Hat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Santiago sits 12% below the global median, while Medicine Hat is 34% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.37 CLP 10.2K

$14.42 CA$20.39

-28.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

$70.9 CA$100

-27.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 CLP 8,805

$9.84 CA$13.91

-9.15%

Cappuccino

$3.26 CLP 3,211

$3.65 CA$5.16

-10.68%

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

$1.67 CLP 1,640

$1.91 CA$2.70

-12.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 CLP 1,212

$1.74 CA$2.46

-29.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.98 CLP 3,914

$4.87 CA$6.88

-18.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 CLP 4,465

$3.81 CA$5.39

19.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 CLP 1,263

$1.52 CA$2.14

-15.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 CLP 1,817

$1.73 CA$2.45

6.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 CLP 1,567

$3.41 CA$4.82

-53.37%

Eggs

$4.10 CLP 4,031

$3.04 CA$4.30

34.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.41 CLP 11.2K

$9.36 CA$13.23

21.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.69 CLP 6,586

$10.75 CA$15.19

-37.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.81 CLP 10.6K

$12.84 CA$18.15

-15.81%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 CLP 1,905

$3.16 CA$4.47

-38.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 CLP 1,497

$1.45 CA$2.05

4.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 CLP 1,577

$2.87 CA$4.06

-44.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 CLP 1,668

$3.57 CA$5.05

-52.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 CLP 1,084

$2.63 CA$3.71

-58.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 CLP 1,500

$1.46 CA$2.07

4.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 CLP 1,164

$2.62 CA$3.71

-54.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 CLP 1,061

$1.54 CA$2.17

-29.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.07 CLP 4,995

$11.29 CA$15.96

-55.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.95 CLP 5,858

$12.62 CA$17.84

-52.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 CLP 1,470

$2.45 CA$3.46

-39.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 CLP 2,342

$3.14 CA$4.44

-24.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 CLP 821

$2.25 CA$3.18

-63.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.14 CLP 39.5K

$49.74 CA$70.3

-19.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 CLP 393

$3.22 CA$4.56

-87.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 CLP 897

$1.33 CA$1.88

-31.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.63 CLP 11.5K

$27.09 CA$38.30

-57.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 CLP 1,486

$1.00 CA$1.42

51.00%

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

$17.6K CLP 17.3M

$27.7K CA$39.2K

-36.58%

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

$22.0K CLP 21.6M

$18.5K CA$26.2K

18.57%

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

$151 CLP 149.0K

$163 CA$231

-7.17%

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

$12.34 CLP 12.1K

$38.36 CA$54.2

-67.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.73 CLP 18.4K

$50.9 CA$71.9

-63.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.71 CLP 33.2K

$53.1 CA$75.1

-36.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.80 CLP 11.6K

$35.70 CA$50.5

-66.95%

Cinema Ticket

$7.45 CLP 7,334

$13.95 CA$19.72

-46.59%

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

$430 CLP 423.7K

$782 CA$1,105

-44.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K CLP 10.6M

$15.6K CA$22.0K

-30.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.65 CLP 48.9K

$50.9 CA$72.0

-2.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.94 CLP 28.5K

$26.16 CA$36.98

10.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.7 CLP 64.6K

$66.9 CA$94.6

-1.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.7 CLP 79.4K

$65.9 CA$93.2

22.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$559 CLP 550.4K

$800 CA$1,131

-30.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$384 CLP 377.8K

$759 CA$1,073

-49.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,004 CLP 988.4K

$1,338 CA$1,891

-24.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 CLP 767.9K

$1,226 CA$1,733

-36.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,640 CLP 2.6M

$1,314 CA$1,858

100.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,546 CLP 2.5M

$1,905 CA$2,693

33.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$804 CLP 791.0K

$2,951 CA$4,171

-72.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

4.51

19.51%

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

Last update for Santiago: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medicine Hat: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santiago

$384 32.3%

Medicine Hat

$759 42% 97.7% $375

Groceries & Markets

Santiago

$236 19.8%

Medicine Hat

$316 17.5% 33.9% $80

Eating Out

Santiago

$189 15.9%

Medicine Hat

$235 13% 24.2% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago

$182 15.3%

Medicine Hat

$252 14% 38.3% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago

$101 8.5%

Medicine Hat

$94 5.2% 6.7% $6.8

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago

$49 4.1%

Medicine Hat

$81 4.5% 66.6% $32

Getting Around

Santiago

$48 4.1%

Medicine Hat

$69 3.8% 41.7% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $559 in Santiago versus $800 in Medicine Hat. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 267% higher in Medicine Hat, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52.0 in Santiago versus $71.0 in Medicine Hat. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $236 vs $316 – making Santiago the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Santiago

🇨🇦 Medicine Hat

🕒 Local time

13:16 1:16 PM

10:16 10:16 AM

3 h behind Santiago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,139,087 Capital

56,997

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santiago Medicine Hat 10,080 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Santiago
Medicine Hat

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 Medicine Hat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medicine Hat costs about 52% more than Santiago, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,785 per month in Santiago and $2,710 in Medicine Hat. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santiago, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,190 in Santiago and $1,806 in Medicine Hat. That's a gap of about 52%.

Public transport costs about 24% less in Santiago. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Santiago, where all-in costs run around $1,190, than in Medicine Hat at $1,806. In Santiago it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medicine Hat it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santiago – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Santiago. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medicine Hat makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.