Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago and San Felipe

For one person, living is cheaper in San Felipe: $1,106 a month against $1,183 in Santiago, rent and utilities included – about $920 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Santiago outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

57

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in San Felipe
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San Felipe Living Index

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Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,183

/mo nomad

San Felipe

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,106

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santiago and in San Felipe

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

A single person spends $1,183 per month in Santiago vs $1,106 in San Felipe, rent included.

Santiago $1,183
San Felipe $1,106

A couple spends around $1,882 per month in Santiago vs $1,777 in San Felipe, rent included.

Santiago $1,882
San Felipe $1,777

A family of three spends $2,581 per month in Santiago vs $2,448 in San Felipe, rent included.

Santiago $2,581
San Felipe $2,448

Santiago costs about 7% more than San Felipe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Santiago and San Felipe are more affordable than the global median – Santiago 13% lower, San Felipe 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.15 CLP 9,995

$7.35 MX$136

38.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.9 CLP 51.1K

$43.63 MX$806

18.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.56 CLP 8,423

$8.27 MX$153

3.51%

Cappuccino

$3.15 CLP 3,101

$3.49 MX$64.4

-9.74%

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

$1.71 CLP 1,685

$1.35 MX$24.91

26.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 CLP 1,255

$1.05 MX$19.41

21.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.18 CLP 4,118

$2.45 MX$45.34

70.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 CLP 4,390

$4.10 MX$75.8

8.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 CLP 1,269

$1.64 MX$30.38

-21.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 CLP 1,737

$2.54 MX$46.89

-30.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 CLP 1,630

$1.72 MX$31.80

-3.49%

Eggs

$4.21 CLP 4,140

$2.53 MX$46.82

66.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.08 CLP 10.9K

$8.42 MX$156

31.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.75 CLP 6,641

$8.46 MX$156

-20.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.76 CLP 10.6K

$11.72 MX$217

-8.19%

Apples (1kg)

$1.96 CLP 1,927

$2.67 MX$49.26

-26.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 CLP 1,518

$1.53 MX$28.23

0.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 CLP 1,560

$1.89 MX$35.02

-16.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 CLP 1,713

$1.83 MX$33.76

-4.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 CLP 1,075

$1.99 MX$36.84

-45.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 CLP 1,509

$1.87 MX$34.64

-18.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 CLP 1,163

$1.43 MX$26.39

-17.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 CLP 1,060

$1.08 MX$20.02

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 CLP 5,101

$4.50 MX$83.1

15.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.17 CLP 6,070

$10.26 MX$190

-39.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 CLP 1,511

$1.75 MX$32.42

-12.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 CLP 2,325

$3.07 MX$56.8

-23.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 CLP 824

$0.63 MX$11.65

33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.44 CLP 40.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.42 CLP 416

$2.63 MX$48.65

-84.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 CLP 869

$1.93 MX$35.73

-54.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.49 CLP 11.3K

$11.06 MX$204

3.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 CLP 1,462

$1.45 MX$26.73

2.76%

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

$17.2K CLP 17.0M

$21.4K MX$395.3K

-19.39%

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

$25.6K CLP 25.2M

$24.5K MX$452.2K

4.62%

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

$149 CLP 146.3K

$57.9 MX$1,070

156.65%

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

$12.11 CLP 11.9K

$23.12 MX$427

-47.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.13 CLP 18.8K

$29.50 MX$545

-35.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.30 CLP 32.8K

$33.66 MX$622

-1.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.51 CLP 11.3K

$20.47 MX$378

-43.77%

Cinema Ticket

$7.32 CLP 7,208

$5.36 MX$99.0

36.57%

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

$436 CLP 429.2K

$219 MX$4,051

98.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K CLP 10.8M

$4,580 MX$84.6K

139.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.17 CLP 48.4K

$54.2 MX$1,002

-9.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.11 CLP 28.7K

$40.18 MX$742

-27.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.5 CLP 64.5K

$99.7 MX$1,842

-34.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.1 CLP 78.9K

$90.0 MX$1,662

-10.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$554 CLP 545.8K

$617 MX$11.4K

-10.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$383 CLP 376.6K

$389 MX$7,184

-1.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,002 CLP 986.5K

$1,059 MX$19.6K

-5.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$775 CLP 762.5K

$757 MX$14.0K

2.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,708 CLP 2.7M

$1,934 MX$35.7K

40.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,613 CLP 2.6M

$1,147 MX$21.2K

127.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$778 CLP 766.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

11.3

-52.30%

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

Last update for Santiago: October 17, 2026

Last update for San Felipe: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santiago

$383 32.3%

San Felipe

$389 35.1% 1.6% $6.2

Groceries & Markets

Santiago

$236 20%

San Felipe

$265 23.9% 12.1% $29

Eating Out

Santiago

$186 15.8%

San Felipe

$156 14.1% 16.6% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago

$180 15.2%

San Felipe

$111 10% 38.5% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago

$101 8.5%

San Felipe

$128 11.6% 26.9% $27

Getting Around

Santiago

$50 4.2%

San Felipe

$15 * 1.3% 70.1% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago

$48 4.1%

San Felipe

$44 4% 7.5% $3.6

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $554 in Santiago versus $617 in San Felipe. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52.0 in Santiago versus $44.00 in San Felipe. Groceries tell a different story – $236 in Santiago vs $265 in San Felipe – so Santiago wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Santiago

🇲🇽 San Felipe

🕒 Local time

23:29 11:29 PM

20:29 8:29 PM

3 h behind Santiago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,139,087 Capital

28,452

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santiago San Felipe 6,910 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Santiago
San Felipe

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 San Felipe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Santiago is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,775 per month in Santiago and $1,660 in San Felipe. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52.0 in Santiago and $44.00 in San Felipe. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 12% cheaper in Santiago – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in San Felipe, where all-in costs run around $1,106, than in Santiago at $1,183. In San Felipe it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santiago it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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