Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sioux City, IA and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,206 a month against $2,192 in Sioux City, IA, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Sioux City, IA
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Sioux City, IA Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index

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Sioux City, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,192

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sioux City, IA 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 Sioux City, IA and in Santiago actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,192 per month in Sioux City, IA vs $1,206 in Santiago, rent included.

Sioux City, IA $2,192
Santiago $1,206

A couple spends around $3,334 per month in Sioux City, IA vs $1,885 in Santiago, rent included.

Sioux City, IA $3,334
Santiago $1,885

A family of three spends $4,477 per month in Sioux City, IA vs $2,564 in Santiago, rent included.

Sioux City, IA $4,477
Santiago $2,564

Sioux City, IA costs about 82% more than Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sioux City, IA sits 64% above the global median, while Santiago is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.27 $20.27

$10.19 CLP 9,931

98.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.2 $54.2

$52.2 CLP 50.9K

3.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.45 $10.45

$8.54 CLP 8,323

22.37%

Cappuccino

$6.02 $6.02

$3.19 CLP 3,115

88.71%

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

$2.15 $2.15

$1.68 CLP 1,637

27.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.22 CLP 1,191

45.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.98 $4.98

$4.21 CLP 4,101

18.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.90 $5.90

$4.66 CLP 4,539

26.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.32 CLP 1,283

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 $2.97

$1.80 CLP 1,756

65.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.23 $3.23

$1.58 CLP 1,543

104.43%

Eggs

$3.52 $3.52

$4.25 CLP 4,141

-17.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.35 $8.35

$11.19 CLP 10.9K

-25.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.58 $7.58

$6.75 CLP 6,580

12.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.89 $16.89

$10.67 CLP 10.4K

58.29%

Apples (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$2.04 CLP 1,991

135.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.53 CLP 1,497

3.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$1.59 CLP 1,549

164.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 $3.95

$1.75 CLP 1,708

125.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.08 CLP 1,051

74.07%

Onion (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$1.51 CLP 1,476

216.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 $2.32

$1.17 CLP 1,145

98.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.07 CLP 1,041

102.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.13 $9.13

$5.14 CLP 5,015

77.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.11 $15.11

$5.88 CLP 5,732

156.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.55 CLP 1,513

8.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.27 CLP 2,218

30.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.85 $1.85

$0.85 CLP 829

117.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.11 $47.11

$41.50 CLP 40.5K

13.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.99 $1.99

$0.39 CLP 383

410.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 $1.26

$0.84 CLP 820

50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.21 $20.21

$11.94 CLP 11.6K

69.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.50 CLP 1,467

-42.00%

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

$36.3K $36.3K

$18.1K CLP 17.7M

100.28%

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

$24.9K $24.9K

$21.6K CLP 21.1M

15.01%

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

$165 $165

$151 CLP 147.3K

9.19%

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

$52.4 $52.4

$12.04 CLP 11.7K

334.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.9 $68.9

$18.93 CLP 18.5K

264.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.8 $98.8

$33.81 CLP 33.0K

192.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.20 $20.20

$11.72 CLP 11.4K

72.35%

Cinema Ticket

$15.17 $15.17

$7.37 CLP 7,185

105.83%

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

$1,089 $1,089

$434 CLP 423.3K

150.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K $11.8K

$11.0K CLP 10.7M

7.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.23 $43.23

$50.9 CLP 49.6K

-15.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.84 $21.84

$29.16 CLP 28.4K

-25.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.7 $76.7

$67.4 CLP 65.7K

13.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.8 $88.8

$80.3 CLP 78.2K

10.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$947 $947

$555 CLP 540.8K

70.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$945 $945

$372 CLP 363.2K

153.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,480 $1,480

$1,009 CLP 984.3K

46.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,690 $1,690

$779 CLP 759.1K

117.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,540 $1,540

$2,671 CLP 2.6M

-42.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,535 $1,535

$2,622 CLP 2.6M

-41.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,593 $3,593

$791 CLP 771.7K

353.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

5.39

21.89%

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

Last update for Sioux City, IA: October 6, 2026

Last update for Santiago: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sioux City, IA

$945 43.2%

Santiago

$372 31.6% 60.6% $572

Groceries & Markets

Sioux City, IA

$344 15.7%

Santiago

$236 20% 31.4% $108

Eating Out

Sioux City, IA

$318 14.5%

Santiago

$187 15.9% 41.1% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sioux City, IA

$286 13.1%

Santiago

$182 15.5% 36.4% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Sioux City, IA

$129 5.9%

Santiago

$49 4.1% 62.4% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Sioux City, IA

$104 4.7%

Santiago

$102 8.7% 1.2% $1.3

Getting Around

Sioux City, IA

$63 2.9%

Santiago

$50 4.2% 21.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $947 in Sioux City, IA versus $555 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 354% higher in Sioux City, IA, 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 $54.0 in Sioux City, IA versus $52.0 in Santiago. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $344 vs $236 – making Santiago the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Sioux City, IA

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

01:52 1:52 AM

03:52 3:52 AM

2 h ahead of Sioux City, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,797

6,139,087 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.26 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.15 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 975 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 1,093 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.15 EUR).

CLP to USD in detail →

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Sioux City, IA Santiago 8,840 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Sioux City, IA
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

Sioux City, IA vs Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sioux City, IA is pricier by about 82%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,288 per month in Sioux City, IA and $1,809 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 14% less in Santiago. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,089 per month in Sioux City, IA and $434 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 $1,206, than in Sioux City, IA at $2,192. In Santiago it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sioux City, IA 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, Sioux City, IA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.