Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago and Portsmouth

For one person, living is cheaper in Portsmouth: $929 a month against $1,206 in Santiago, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Santiago outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index

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Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,206

/mo nomad

Portsmouth

🇩🇲 Dominica

$929

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santiago and in Portsmouth

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,206 in Santiago versus $929 in Portsmouth.

Santiago $1,206
Portsmouth $929

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,885 in Santiago versus $1,626 in Portsmouth.

Santiago $1,885
Portsmouth $1,626

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,564 in Santiago versus $2,323 in Portsmouth.

Santiago $2,564
Portsmouth $2,323

Living in Santiago is roughly 30% more expensive than in Portsmouth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Santiago 10% lower, Portsmouth 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.19 CLP 9,931

$5.50 EC$14.84

85.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.2 CLP 50.9K

$56.2 EC$152

-7.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.54 CLP 8,323

$6.83 EC$18.44

25.04%

Cappuccino

$3.19 CLP 3,115

$2.67 EC$7.20

19.48%

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

$1.68 CLP 1,637

$2.19 EC$5.91

-23.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 CLP 1,191

$1.87 EC$5.05

-34.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.21 CLP 4,101

$2.53 EC$6.84

66.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.66 CLP 4,539

$3.73 EC$10.07

24.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 CLP 1,283

$2.86 EC$7.72

-53.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 CLP 1,756

$2.23 EC$6.03

-19.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 CLP 1,543

$2.01 EC$5.43

-21.39%

Eggs

$4.25 CLP 4,141

$6.50 EC$17.55

-34.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.19 CLP 10.9K

$2.66 EC$7.17

320.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.75 CLP 6,580

$5.48 EC$14.80

23.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.67 CLP 10.4K

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 CLP 1,991

$7.21 EC$19.46

-71.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 CLP 1,497

$2.57 EC$6.93

-40.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.59 CLP 1,549

$4.00 EC$10.81

-60.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 CLP 1,708

$4.14 EC$11.17

-57.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 CLP 1,051

$2.90 EC$7.84

-62.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 CLP 1,476

$2.78 EC$7.51

-45.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 CLP 1,145

$1.82 EC$4.91

-35.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 CLP 1,041

$1.90 EC$5.13

-43.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.14 CLP 5,015

Wine (Bottle)

$5.88 CLP 5,732

$11.32 EC$30.56

-48.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CLP 1,513

$1.87 EC$5.06

-17.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 CLP 2,218

$2.67 EC$7.20

-14.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 CLP 829

$0.75 EC$2.03

13.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.50 CLP 40.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 CLP 383

$3.67 EC$9.90

-89.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.84 CLP 820

$3.68 EC$9.93

-77.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.94 CLP 11.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 CLP 1,467

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

$18.1K CLP 17.7M

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

$21.6K CLP 21.1M

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

$151 CLP 147.3K

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

$12.04 CLP 11.7K

$40.78 EC$110

-70.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.93 CLP 18.5K

$63.9 EC$172

-70.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.81 CLP 33.0K

$36.97 EC$99.8

-8.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.72 CLP 11.4K

Cinema Ticket

$7.37 CLP 7,185

$11.11 EC$30.01

-33.66%

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

$434 CLP 423.3K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K CLP 10.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 CLP 49.6K

$55.9 EC$151

-9.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.16 CLP 28.4K

$23.90 EC$64.5

22.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.4 CLP 65.7K

$56.0 EC$151

20.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 CLP 78.2K

$65.9 EC$178

21.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$555 CLP 540.8K

$258 EC$696

115.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$372 CLP 363.2K

$223 EC$602

66.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 CLP 984.3K

$670 EC$1,808

50.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$779 CLP 759.1K

$617 EC$1,667

26.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,671 CLP 2.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,622 CLP 2.6M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$791 CLP 771.7K

$626 EC$1,691

26.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

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

Last update for Santiago: October 4, 2026

Last update for Portsmouth: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santiago

$372 31.6%

Portsmouth

–

Groceries & Markets

Santiago

$236 20%

Portsmouth

–

Eating Out

Santiago

$187 15.9%

Portsmouth

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago

$182 15.5%

Portsmouth

–

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago

$102 8.7%

Portsmouth

–

Getting Around

Santiago

$50 4.2%

Portsmouth

–

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago

$49 4.1%

Portsmouth

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $555 in Santiago and $258 in Portsmouth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santiago pays 26% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $52.0 in Santiago vs $56.0 in Portsmouth for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $236 vs $290 per month, with Santiago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Santiago

🇩🇲 Portsmouth

🕒 Local time

06:58 6:58 AM

05:58 5:58 AM

1 h behind Santiago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,139,087 Capital

3,633

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.26 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.15 EUR

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.331 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XCD, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 975 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 1,093 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.15 EUR).

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.03 XCD (1 XCD = 0.331 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santiago Portsmouth 5,540 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Santiago
Portsmouth

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 Portsmouth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Portsmouth is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. The 30% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 26% 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: $555 in Santiago versus $258 in Portsmouth. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Santiago pay roughly 23% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Portsmouth – a meal for two runs $56.0 versus $52.0 in Santiago. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $929 in Portsmouth versus $1,206 in Santiago, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Portsmouth but tight or insufficient in Santiago. The gap between the two cities makes Portsmouth 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.

Safety-wise, Santiago and Portsmouth are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

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