Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago and Palma Soriano

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,190 a month against $1,552 in Palma Soriano, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 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
76

Cost of Living Index in Palma Soriano
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Palma Soriano Living Index

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Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,190

/mo nomad

Palma Soriano

🇨🇺 Cuba

$1,552

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santiago and in Palma Soriano

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Santiago versus $1,552 in Palma Soriano.

Santiago $1,190
Palma Soriano $1,552

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,892 in Santiago versus $1,866 in Palma Soriano.

Santiago $1,892
Palma Soriano $1,866

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,595 in Santiago versus $2,180 in Palma Soriano.

Santiago $2,595
Palma Soriano $2,180

Living in Santiago costs roughly 23% less than in Palma Soriano, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santiago is 12% below, Palma Soriano is 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.37 CLP 10.2K

$5.05 CUP 121

105.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

$25.36 CUP 609

103.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 CLP 8,805

$5.15 CUP 124

73.59%

Cappuccino

$3.26 CLP 3,211

$3.11 CUP 74.6

4.82%

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

$1.67 CLP 1,640

$1.29 CUP 30.86

29.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 CLP 1,212

$0.91 CUP 21.94

35.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.98 CLP 3,914

$3.04 CUP 72.9

30.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 CLP 4,465

$2.42 CUP 58.0

87.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 CLP 1,263

$1.98 CUP 47.48

-35.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 CLP 1,817

$1.49 CUP 35.65

24.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 CLP 1,567

$0.98 CUP 23.44

62.24%

Eggs

$4.10 CLP 4,031

$1.17 CUP 28.04

250.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.41 CLP 11.2K

$6.12 CUP 147

86.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.69 CLP 6,586

$6.09 CUP 146

9.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.81 CLP 10.6K

$11.06 CUP 266

-2.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 CLP 1,905

$1.83 CUP 43.94

6.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 CLP 1,497

$1.19 CUP 28.45

27.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 CLP 1,577

$1.48 CUP 35.60

8.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 CLP 1,668

$1.47 CUP 35.35

14.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 CLP 1,084

$0.98 CUP 23.44

12.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 CLP 1,500

$0.97 CUP 23.33

56.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 CLP 1,164

$1.01 CUP 24.33

16.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 CLP 1,061

$1.08 CUP 25.83

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.07 CLP 4,995

$2.95 CUP 70.9

71.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.95 CLP 5,858

$10.08 CUP 242

-40.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 CLP 1,470

$3.08 CUP 73.9

-51.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 CLP 2,342

$2.03 CUP 48.75

17.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 CLP 821

$0.26 CUP 6.26

219.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.14 CLP 39.5K

$29.79 CUP 715

34.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 CLP 393

$1.85 CUP 44.30

-78.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 CLP 897

$0.36 CUP 8.74

152.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.63 CLP 11.5K

$13.10 CUP 314

-11.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 CLP 1,486

$1.18 CUP 28.37

27.97%

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

$17.6K CLP 17.3M

$66.0K CUP 1.6M

-73.36%

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

$22.0K CLP 21.6M

$47.3K CUP 1.1M

-53.56%

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

$151 CLP 149.0K

$55.4 CUP 1,331

173.11%

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

$12.34 CLP 12.1K

$10.01 CUP 240

23.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.73 CLP 18.4K

$150 CUP 3,590

-87.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.71 CLP 33.2K

$40.30 CUP 967

-16.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.80 CLP 11.6K

$10.06 CUP 242

17.30%

Cinema Ticket

$7.45 CLP 7,334

$1.03 CUP 24.64

623.30%

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

$430 CLP 423.7K

$100 CUP 2,402

330.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K CLP 10.6M

$12.2K CUP 292.6K

-11.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.65 CLP 48.9K

$63.7 CUP 1,530

-22.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.94 CLP 28.5K

$35.61 CUP 855

-18.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.7 CLP 64.6K

$84.1 CUP 2,019

-21.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.7 CLP 79.4K

$110 CUP 2,647

-26.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$559 CLP 550.4K

$896 CUP 21.5K

-37.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$384 CLP 377.8K

$790 CUP 18.9K

-51.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,004 CLP 988.4K

$744 CUP 17.9K

34.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 CLP 767.9K

$647 CUP 15.5K

20.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,640 CLP 2.6M

$323 CUP 7,745

718.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,546 CLP 2.5M

$326 CUP 7,826

680.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$804 CLP 791.0K

$40.28 CUP 967

1894.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

8.33

-35.29%

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

Last update for Santiago: October 11, 2026

Last update for Palma Soriano: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santiago

$384 32.3%

Palma Soriano

$790 50.9% 106% $406

Groceries & Markets

Santiago

$236 19.8%

Palma Soriano

$216 13.9% 8.4% $20

Eating Out

Santiago

$189 15.9%

Palma Soriano

$122 7.9% 35.6% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago

$182 15.3%

Palma Soriano

$215 13.9% 17.8% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago

$101 8.5%

Palma Soriano

$132 8.5% 30.6% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago

$49 4.1%

Palma Soriano

$42 2.7% 12.9% $6.3

Getting Around

Santiago

$48 4.1%

Palma Soriano

$35 2.2% 28.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $559 in Santiago and $896 in Palma Soriano. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santiago pays 1895% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $52.0 in Santiago vs $25.00 in Palma Soriano for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $236 vs $216 per month, with Palma Soriano cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Santiago

🇨🇺 Palma Soriano

🕒 Local time

14:42 2:42 PM

13:42 1:42 PM

1 h behind Santiago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,139,087 Capital

74,930

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Cuban Peso CUP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.71 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CUP, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.98 CUP (100 CUP = 3.71 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santiago Palma Soriano 5,990 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Santiago
Palma Soriano

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 Palma Soriano: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santiago wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Palma Soriano. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Santiago the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1895% higher in Santiago, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $559 in Santiago versus $896 in Palma Soriano. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Santiago runs roughly 35% less than in Palma Soriano. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $430 in Santiago versus $100 in Palma Soriano. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,190 in Santiago versus $1,552 in Palma Soriano, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santiago but tight or insufficient in Palma Soriano. 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.

Expats usually find Santiago gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Palma Soriano. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.