Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago and Santa Teresa

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,183 a month against $1,546 in Santa Teresa, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Santa Teresa
Learn more

Santa Teresa Living Index

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Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,183

/mo nomad

Santa Teresa

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,546

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santiago and in Santa Teresa

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

A single person spends $1,183 per month in Santiago vs $1,546 in Santa Teresa, rent included.

Santiago $1,183
Santa Teresa $1,546

A couple spends around $1,882 per month in Santiago vs $2,318 in Santa Teresa, rent included.

Santiago $1,882
Santa Teresa $2,318

A family of three spends $2,581 per month in Santiago vs $3,090 in Santa Teresa, rent included.

Santiago $2,581
Santa Teresa $3,090

Santiago is about 23% cheaper than Santa Teresa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Santiago sits 13% below the global median, while Santa Teresa is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.15 CLP 9,995

$10.08 ₡4,519

0.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.9 CLP 51.1K

$43.44 ₡19.5K

19.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.56 CLP 8,423

$9.24 ₡4,144

-7.36%

Cappuccino

$3.15 CLP 3,101

$3.73 ₡1,673

-15.55%

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

$1.71 CLP 1,685

$1.97 ₡883

-13.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 CLP 1,255

$1.66 ₡745

-22.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.18 CLP 4,118

$3.00 ₡1,344

39.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 CLP 4,390

$4.58 ₡2,055

-2.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 CLP 1,269

$1.98 ₡887

-34.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 CLP 1,737

$2.90 ₡1,301

-39.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 CLP 1,630

$2.21 ₡990

-24.89%

Eggs

$4.21 CLP 4,140

$2.93 ₡1,312

43.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.08 CLP 10.9K

$9.91 ₡4,446

11.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.75 CLP 6,641

$9.31 ₡4,173

-27.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.76 CLP 10.6K

$13.64 ₡6,116

-21.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.96 CLP 1,927

$4.61 ₡2,068

-57.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 CLP 1,518

$1.52 ₡681

1.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 CLP 1,560

$4.23 ₡1,898

-62.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 CLP 1,713

$3.07 ₡1,377

-43.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 CLP 1,075

$3.20 ₡1,437

-65.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 CLP 1,509

$2.63 ₡1,180

-41.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 CLP 1,163

$1.04 ₡466

13.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 CLP 1,060

$2.81 ₡1,258

-61.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 CLP 5,101

$5.08 ₡2,277

1.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.17 CLP 6,070

$14.20 ₡6,368

-56.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 CLP 1,511

$2.36 ₡1,058

-35.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 CLP 2,325

$2.56 ₡1,149

-7.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 CLP 824

$1.00 ₡449

-16.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.44 CLP 40.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.42 CLP 416

$1.81 ₡810

-76.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 CLP 869

$1.87 ₡837

-52.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.49 CLP 11.3K

$8.00 ₡3,589

43.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 CLP 1,462

$1.45 ₡652

2.76%

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

$17.2K CLP 17.0M

$37.2K ₡16.7M

-53.61%

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

$25.6K CLP 25.2M

$32.8K ₡14.7M

-21.93%

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

$149 CLP 146.3K

$84.7 ₡38.0K

75.55%

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

$12.11 CLP 11.9K

$26.18 ₡11.7K

-53.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.13 CLP 18.8K

$49.65 ₡22.3K

-61.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.30 CLP 32.8K

$50.6 ₡22.7K

-34.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.51 CLP 11.3K

$23.98 ₡10.8K

-52.00%

Cinema Ticket

$7.32 CLP 7,208

$8.87 ₡3,976

-17.47%

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

$436 CLP 429.2K

$573 ₡256.9K

-23.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K CLP 10.8M

$12.6K ₡5.6M

-12.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.17 CLP 48.4K

$62.9 ₡28.2K

-21.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.11 CLP 28.7K

$51.1 ₡22.9K

-43.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.5 CLP 64.5K

$127 ₡56.9K

-48.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.1 CLP 78.9K

$107 ₡47.9K

-25.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$554 CLP 545.8K

$700 ₡314.1K

-20.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$383 CLP 376.6K

$605 ₡271.4K

-36.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,002 CLP 986.5K

$1,462 ₡655.5K

-31.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$775 CLP 762.5K

$970 ₡435.0K

-20.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,708 CLP 2.7M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,613 CLP 2.6M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$778 CLP 766.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

10.17

-47.00%

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

Last update for Santiago: October 17, 2026

Last update for Santa Teresa: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santiago

$383 32.3%

Santa Teresa

$605 39.1% 58.2% $222

Groceries & Markets

Santiago

$236 20%

Santa Teresa

$349 22.6% 47.9% $113

Eating Out

Santiago

$186 15.8%

Santa Teresa

$192 12.4% 2.8% $5.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago

$180 15.2%

Santa Teresa

$160 10.4% 10.8% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago

$101 8.5%

Santa Teresa

$156 10.1% 55.3% $56

Getting Around

Santiago

$50 4.2%

Santa Teresa

$15 * 1% 69.5% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago

$48 4.1%

Santa Teresa

$68 4.4% 42.5% $20

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 $700 in Santa Teresa. 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 $43.00 in Santa Teresa. Groceries tell a different story – $236 in Santiago vs $349 in Santa Teresa – so Santiago wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Santiago

🇨🇷 Santa Teresa

🕒 Local time

15:06 3:06 PM

12:06 12:06 PM

3 h behind Santiago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,139,087 Capital

3,099

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santiago Santa Teresa 5,030 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Santiago
Santa Teresa

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 Santa Teresa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Santa Teresa is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,775 per month in Santiago and $2,319 in Santa Teresa. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52.0 in Santiago and $43.00 in Santa Teresa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 48% more in Santa Teresa, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Santiago, where all-in costs run around $1,183, than in Santa Teresa at $1,546. In Santiago it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Teresa 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.

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 Santiago. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Santa Teresa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.