Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scarborough and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,190 a month against $2,466 in Scarborough, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Scarborough
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Scarborough Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index

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Scarborough

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,466

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Scarborough and in Santiago

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Scarborough and in Santiago actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,466 per month in Scarborough vs $1,190 in Santiago, rent included.

Scarborough $2,466
Santiago $1,190

A couple spends around $3,385 per month in Scarborough vs $1,892 in Santiago, rent included.

Scarborough $3,385
Santiago $1,892

A family of three spends $4,304 per month in Scarborough vs $2,595 in Santiago, rent included.

Scarborough $4,304
Santiago $2,595

Scarborough costs about 107% more than Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Scarborough sits 83% above the global median, while Santiago is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.49 CA$23.31

$10.37 CLP 10.2K

59.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.8 CA$97.2

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

33.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 CA$14.93

$8.94 CLP 8,805

18.12%

Cappuccino

$3.87 CA$5.47

$3.26 CLP 3,211

18.71%

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

$2.07 CA$2.92

$1.67 CLP 1,640

23.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 CA$1.94

$1.23 CLP 1,212

11.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.24 CA$8.82

$3.98 CLP 3,914

56.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.08 CA$10.01

$4.54 CLP 4,465

55.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.51 CA$3.56

$1.28 CLP 1,263

96.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.68 CA$3.78

$1.85 CLP 1,817

44.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 CA$3.01

$1.59 CLP 1,567

33.96%

Eggs

$3.45 CA$4.88

$4.10 CLP 4,031

-15.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.94 CA$12.63

$11.41 CLP 11.2K

-21.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.01 CA$15.56

$6.69 CLP 6,586

64.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 CA$17.77

$10.81 CLP 10.6K

16.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.22 CA$4.56

$1.94 CLP 1,905

65.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.71

$1.52 CLP 1,497

-20.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.39 CA$4.79

$1.60 CLP 1,577

111.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.00 CA$5.65

$1.69 CLP 1,668

136.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 CA$2.33

$1.10 CLP 1,084

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 CA$2.24

$1.52 CLP 1,500

3.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 CA$3.22

$1.18 CLP 1,164

93.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 CA$1.68

$1.08 CLP 1,061

10.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.74 CA$19.43

$5.07 CLP 4,995

171.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.75 CA$18.03

$5.95 CLP 5,858

114.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 CA$2.99

$1.49 CLP 1,470

41.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 CA$3.55

$2.38 CLP 2,342

5.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 CA$3.32

$0.83 CLP 821

183.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$103 CA$146

$40.14 CLP 39.5K

157.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 CA$4.17

$0.40 CLP 393

637.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 CA$1.79

$0.91 CLP 897

38.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.32 CA$30.14

$11.63 CLP 11.5K

83.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$1.51 CLP 1,486

-19.87%

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

$27.5K CA$38.8K

$17.6K CLP 17.3M

56.21%

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

$19.9K CA$28.1K

$22.0K CLP 21.6M

-9.62%

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

$141 CA$199

$151 CLP 149.0K

-7.17%

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

$34.98 CA$49.45

$12.34 CLP 12.1K

183.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.92 CA$67.7

$18.73 CLP 18.4K

155.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.43 CA$50.1

$33.71 CLP 33.2K

5.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.38 CA$50.0

$11.80 CLP 11.6K

199.83%

Cinema Ticket

$12.45 CA$17.60

$7.45 CLP 7,334

67.11%

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

$808 CA$1,142

$430 CLP 423.7K

87.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K CA$14.7K

$10.8K CLP 10.6M

-3.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 CA$72.9

$49.65 CLP 48.9K

3.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.00 CA$55.1

$28.94 CLP 28.5K

34.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.4 CA$119

$65.7 CLP 64.6K

28.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 CA$146

$80.7 CLP 79.4K

27.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 CA$2,396

$559 CLP 550.4K

203.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 CA$1,898

$384 CLP 377.8K

249.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,130 CA$3,011

$1,004 CLP 988.4K

112.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,736 CA$2,454

$780 CLP 767.9K

122.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,564 CA$10.7K

$2,640 CLP 2.6M

186.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,121 CA$8,653

$2,546 CLP 2.5M

140.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,908 CA$4,111

$804 CLP 791.0K

261.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.55

5.39

-15.58%

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

Last update for Scarborough: October 13, 2026

Last update for Santiago: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Scarborough

$1.3K 54.4%

Santiago

$384 32.3% 71.4% $959

Groceries & Markets

Scarborough

$323 13.1%

Santiago

$236 19.8% 27% $87

Eating Out

Scarborough

$269 10.9%

Santiago

$189 15.9% 29.6% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scarborough

$223 9.1%

Santiago

$182 15.3% 18.3% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Scarborough

$125 5.1%

Santiago

$101 8.5% 19.1% $24

Getting Around

Scarborough

$122 5%

Santiago

$48 4.1% 60.3% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Scarborough

$60 2.5%

Santiago

$49 4.1% 19.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,695 in Scarborough versus $559 in Santiago. 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 262% higher in Scarborough, 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 $69.0 in Scarborough versus $52.0 in Santiago. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $323 vs $236 – making Santiago the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Scarborough

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

16:28 4:28 PM

17:28 5:28 PM

1 h ahead of Scarborough

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,960

6,139,087 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Scarborough Santiago 8,630 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Scarborough
Santiago

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

Scarborough vs Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Scarborough is pricier by about 107%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,699 per month in Scarborough and $1,785 in Santiago. 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 158% less in Santiago. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $808 per month in Scarborough and $430 in Santiago. 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 Scarborough at $2,466. In Santiago it covers expenses comfortably, while in Scarborough 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, Scarborough makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.