Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago and Oaxaca de Juarez

For one person, living costs are similar in Santiago and in Oaxaca de Juarez: $1,190 and $1,154 a month, rent and utilities included.

Santiago
🇨🇱 Chile
$1,190
/mo nomad
Oaxaca de Juarez
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,154
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santiago and in Oaxaca de Juarez

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 Oaxaca de Juarez actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Santiago versus $1,154 in Oaxaca de Juarez.

  • Santiago $1,190
  • Oaxaca de Juarez $1,154

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,892 in Santiago versus $1,781 in Oaxaca de Juarez.

  • Santiago $1,892
  • Oaxaca de Juarez $1,781

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,595 in Santiago versus $2,408 in Oaxaca de Juarez.

  • Santiago $2,595
  • Oaxaca de Juarez $2,408

Living in Santiago is roughly 3% more expensive than in Oaxaca de Juarez, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Santiago 12% lower, Oaxaca de Juarez 15% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Santiago
Oaxaca de Juarez
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.37 CLP 10.2K
$6.48 MX$120
60.03%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$51.7 CLP 50.9K
$32.81 MX$606
57.51%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.94 CLP 8,805
$8.33 MX$154
7.32%
Cappuccino
$3.26 CLP 3,211
$2.82 MX$52.1
15.60%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 CLP 1,640
$1.51 MX$27.83
10.60%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.23 CLP 1,212
$0.79 MX$14.59
55.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.98 CLP 3,914
$2.48 MX$45.90
60.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.54 CLP 4,465
$3.79 MX$70.0
19.79%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Santiago
Oaxaca de Juarez
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.28 CLP 1,263
$1.33 MX$24.59
-3.76%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 CLP 1,817
$3.13 MX$57.8
-40.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.59 CLP 1,567
$1.12 MX$20.62
41.96%
Eggs
$4.10 CLP 4,031
$1.74 MX$32.21
135.63%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.41 CLP 11.2K
$6.44 MX$119
77.17%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.69 CLP 6,586
$5.49 MX$101
21.86%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.81 CLP 10.6K
$11.27 MX$208
-4.08%
Apples (1kg)
$1.94 CLP 1,905
$2.14 MX$39.46
-9.35%
Banana (1kg)
$1.52 CLP 1,497
$1.23 MX$22.80
23.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 CLP 1,577
$1.90 MX$35.14
-15.79%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.69 CLP 1,668
$0.53 MX$9.81
218.87%
Potato (1kg)
$1.10 CLP 1,084
$2.01 MX$37.18
-45.27%
Onion (1kg)
$1.52 CLP 1,500
$2.00 MX$36.93
-24.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.18 CLP 1,164
$1.11 MX$20.58
6.31%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 CLP 1,061
$0.94 MX$17.46
14.89%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.07 CLP 4,995
$4.24 MX$78.3
19.58%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.95 CLP 5,858
$9.40 MX$174
-36.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.49 CLP 1,470
$1.47 MX$27.11
1.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.38 CLP 2,342
$2.63 MX$48.64
-9.51%
🚌 Getting Around
Santiago
Oaxaca de Juarez
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.83 CLP 821
$0.53 MX$9.81
56.60%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$40.14 CLP 39.5K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.40 CLP 393
$3.89 MX$71.9
-89.72%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.91 CLP 897
$1.95 MX$36.12
-53.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.63 CLP 11.5K
$10.89 MX$201
6.80%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.51 CLP 1,486
$1.36 MX$25.17
11.03%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$17.6K CLP 17.3M
$21.4K MX$396.0K
-17.98%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.0K CLP 21.6M
$24.4K MX$450.4K
-9.81%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santiago
Oaxaca de Juarez
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$151 CLP 149.0K
$62.5 MX$1,155
142.18%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.34 CLP 12.1K
$11.03 MX$204
11.88%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.73 CLP 18.4K
$24.19 MX$447
-22.57%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Santiago
Oaxaca de Juarez
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$33.71 CLP 33.2K
$44.34 MX$819
-23.97%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.80 CLP 11.6K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.45 CLP 7,334
$5.58 MX$103
33.51%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Santiago
Oaxaca de Juarez
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$430 CLP 423.7K
$422 MX$7,795
2.04%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.8K CLP 10.6M
$20.0K MX$369.3K
-45.98%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Santiago
Oaxaca de Juarez
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.65 CLP 48.9K
$53.5 MX$988
-7.14%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.94 CLP 28.5K
$61.6 MX$1,138
-53.02%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$65.7 CLP 64.6K
$102 MX$1,887
-35.71%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$80.7 CLP 79.4K
$98.3 MX$1,816
-17.90%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Santiago
Oaxaca de Juarez
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$559 CLP 550.4K
$696 MX$12.9K
-19.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$384 CLP 377.8K
$481 MX$8,885
-20.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,004 CLP 988.4K
$1,208 MX$22.3K
-16.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$780 CLP 767.9K
$892 MX$16.5K
-12.56%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,640 CLP 2.6M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,546 CLP 2.5M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Santiago
Oaxaca de Juarez
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$804 CLP 791.0K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.39
10.96
-50.82%

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

Last update for Santiago: October 11, 2026

Last update for Oaxaca de Juarez: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Santiago
$384
Oaxaca de Juarez
$481 25.3% $97
Groceries & Markets
Santiago
$236
Oaxaca de Juarez
$222 5.8% $14
Eating Out
Santiago
$189
Oaxaca de Juarez
$140 26.2% $50
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santiago
$182
Oaxaca de Juarez
$98 46.4% $85
Clothing & Footwear
Santiago
$101
Oaxaca de Juarez
$142 40.2% $41
Sport & Entertainment
Santiago
$49
Oaxaca de Juarez
$56 14.2% $6.9
Getting Around
Santiago
$48
Oaxaca de Juarez
$16 * 67.4% $33

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 $696 in Oaxaca de Juarez. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52.0 in Santiago vs $33.00 in Oaxaca de Juarez for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $236 vs $222 per month, with Oaxaca de Juarez cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇱 Santiago
🇲🇽 Oaxaca de Juarez
🕒 Local time
08:41 8:41 AM
05:41 5:41 AM
3 h behind Santiago
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
6,139,087 Capital
258,913
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

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).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Santiago Oaxaca de Juarez 6,260 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Santiago
  • Oaxaca de Juarez

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 Oaxaca de Juarez: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Santiago or Oaxaca de Juarez?
Oaxaca de Juarez wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Santiago. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Oaxaca de Juarez the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Santiago and in Oaxaca de Juarez?
You'd need roughly $1,785 in Santiago and $1,731 in Oaxaca de Juarez 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Santiago compared to Oaxaca de Juarez?
Rent for a central apartment: $559 in Santiago versus $696 in Oaxaca de Juarez. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Santiago or in Oaxaca de Juarez?
Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Santiago. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How much does it cost to live in Santiago compared to Oaxaca de Juarez?
All in, you'll spend $1,190 per month in Santiago versus $1,154 in Oaxaca de Juarez – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Santiago or in Oaxaca de Juarez?
At $1,154 in Oaxaca de Juarez versus $1,190 in Santiago, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Oaxaca de Juarez but tight or insufficient in Santiago. The gap between the two cities makes Oaxaca de Juarez the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Santiago or Oaxaca de Juarez?
Both work as nomad bases, but Oaxaca de Juarez delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,154 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Oaxaca de Juarez hard to pass up.
How safe is Santiago compared to Oaxaca de Juarez?
Safety-wise, Santiago and Oaxaca de Juarez 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 more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Oaxaca de Juarez gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Santiago. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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