Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago and Portmore

For one person, living costs are similar in Santiago and in Portmore: $1,190 and $1,246 a month, rent and utilities included.

57

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Portmore
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Portmore Living Index

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Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,190

/mo nomad

Portmore

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,246

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santiago and in Portmore

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

A single person spends $1,190 per month in Santiago vs $1,246 in Portmore, rent included.

Santiago $1,190
Portmore $1,246

A couple spends around $1,892 per month in Santiago vs $2,073 in Portmore, rent included.

Santiago $1,892
Portmore $2,073

A family of three spends $2,595 per month in Santiago vs $2,900 in Portmore, rent included.

Santiago $2,595
Portmore $2,900

Santiago is about 4% cheaper than Portmore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Santiago and Portmore are more affordable than the global median – Santiago 12% lower, Portmore 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.37 CLP 10.2K

$10.15 JMD 1,603

2.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

$63.3 JMD 10.0K

-18.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 CLP 8,805

$8.04 JMD 1,270

11.19%

Cappuccino

$3.26 CLP 3,211

$5.43 JMD 859

-39.96%

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

$1.67 CLP 1,640

$0.90 JMD 143

85.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 CLP 1,212

$0.66 JMD 104

86.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.98 CLP 3,914

$2.18 JMD 345

82.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 CLP 4,465

$2.16 JMD 342

110.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 CLP 1,263

$3.02 JMD 478

-57.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 CLP 1,817

$3.49 JMD 551

-46.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 CLP 1,567

$1.02 JMD 161

55.88%

Eggs

$4.10 CLP 4,031

$3.61 JMD 571

13.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.41 CLP 11.2K

$11.52 JMD 1,821

-0.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.69 CLP 6,586

$6.30 JMD 996

6.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.81 CLP 10.6K

$9.43 JMD 1,490

14.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 CLP 1,905

$5.99 JMD 946

-67.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 CLP 1,497

$3.93 JMD 620

-61.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 CLP 1,577

$2.96 JMD 468

-45.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 CLP 1,668

$3.01 JMD 476

-43.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 CLP 1,084

$3.30 JMD 521

-66.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 CLP 1,500

$2.60 JMD 411

-41.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 CLP 1,164

$1.59 JMD 251

-25.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 CLP 1,061

$1.26 JMD 199

-14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.07 CLP 4,995

$9.64 JMD 1,523

-47.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.95 CLP 5,858

$11.24 JMD 1,776

-47.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 CLP 1,470

$2.81 JMD 444

-46.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 CLP 2,342

$2.26 JMD 356

5.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 CLP 821

$2.29 JMD 361

-63.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.14 CLP 39.5K

$50.2 JMD 7,931

-20.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 CLP 393

$0.96 JMD 152

-58.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 CLP 897

$3.09 JMD 488

-70.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.63 CLP 11.5K

$6.24 JMD 985

86.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 CLP 1,486

$1.18 JMD 187

27.97%

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

$17.6K CLP 17.3M

$43.1K JMD 6.8M

-59.21%

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

$22.0K CLP 21.6M

$32.3K JMD 5.1M

-31.97%

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

$151 CLP 149.0K

$155 JMD 24.5K

-2.20%

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

$12.34 CLP 12.1K

$29.01 JMD 4,583

-57.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.73 CLP 18.4K

$52.7 JMD 8,322

-64.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.71 CLP 33.2K

$60.2 JMD 9,503

-43.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.80 CLP 11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$7.45 CLP 7,334

$13.38 JMD 2,114

-44.32%

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

$430 CLP 423.7K

$285 JMD 45.1K

50.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K CLP 10.6M

$3,143 JMD 496.5K

243.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.65 CLP 48.9K

$23.25 JMD 3,674

113.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.94 CLP 28.5K

$30.94 JMD 4,889

-6.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.7 CLP 64.6K

$78.7 JMD 12.4K

-16.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.7 CLP 79.4K

$94.5 JMD 14.9K

-14.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$559 CLP 550.4K

$307 JMD 48.6K

81.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$384 CLP 377.8K

$216 JMD 34.1K

77.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,004 CLP 988.4K

$656 JMD 103.7K

52.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 CLP 767.9K

$590 JMD 93.3K

32.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,640 CLP 2.6M

$7,466 JMD 1.2M

-64.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,546 CLP 2.5M

$5,702 JMD 900.9K

-55.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$804 CLP 791.0K

$1,301 JMD 205.5K

-38.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

9.45

-42.96%

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

Last update for Santiago: October 11, 2026

Last update for Portmore: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santiago

$384 32.3%

Portmore

$216 17.3% 43.7% $168

Groceries & Markets

Santiago

$236 19.8%

Portmore

$336 27% 42.4% $100

Eating Out

Santiago

$189 15.9%

Portmore

$192 15.4% 1.4% $2.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago

$182 15.3%

Portmore

$237 19% 29.6% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago

$101 8.5%

Portmore

$102 8.2% 1.1% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago

$49 4.1%

Portmore

$87 7% 78.8% $38

Getting Around

Santiago

$48 4.1%

Portmore

$76 6.1% 56.5% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $559 in Santiago versus $307 in Portmore. 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 62% higher in Portmore, 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 $63.0 in Portmore. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $236 vs $336 – making Santiago the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Santiago

🇯🇲 Portmore

🕒 Local time

19:15 7:15 PM

17:15 5:15 PM

2 h behind Santiago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,139,087 Capital

170,000

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

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).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santiago Portmore 5,750 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Santiago
Portmore

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 Portmore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Portmore costs about 5% 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 $1,868 in Portmore. 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.

Public transport costs about 25% less in Santiago. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $430 per month in Santiago and $285 in Portmore. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Santiago, where all-in costs run around $1,190, than in Portmore at $1,246. In Santiago it covers expenses comfortably, while in Portmore 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, Portmore makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.