Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St Thomas and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,190 a month against $4,408 in St Thomas, rent and utilities included – about $38,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

213

Cost of Living Index in St Thomas
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St Thomas Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index

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St Thomas

🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands

$4,408

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,408 per month in St Thomas vs $1,190 in Santiago, rent included.

St Thomas $4,408
Santiago $1,190

A couple spends around $7,220 per month in St Thomas vs $1,892 in Santiago, rent included.

St Thomas $7,220
Santiago $1,892

A family of three spends $10.0K per month in St Thomas vs $2,595 in Santiago, rent included.

St Thomas $10.0K
Santiago $2,595

St Thomas costs about 270% more than Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

St Thomas sits 227% above the global median, while Santiago is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.30 $22.30

$10.37 CLP 10.2K

115.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$170 $170

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

229.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.55 $13.55

$8.94 CLP 8,805

51.57%

Cappuccino

$5.90 $5.90

$3.26 CLP 3,211

80.98%

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

$3.95 $3.95

$1.67 CLP 1,640

136.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 $3.39

$1.23 CLP 1,212

175.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.12 $5.12

$3.98 CLP 3,914

28.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 $6.81

$4.54 CLP 4,465

50.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.28 CLP 1,263

125.00%

White Bread (500g)

$6.67 $6.67

$1.85 CLP 1,817

260.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$18.54 $18.54

$1.59 CLP 1,567

1066.04%

Eggs

$8.87 $8.87

$4.10 CLP 4,031

116.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.12 $11.12

$11.41 CLP 11.2K

-2.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.44 $28.44

$6.69 CLP 6,586

325.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.72 $39.72

$10.81 CLP 10.6K

267.44%

Apples (1kg)

$11.91 $11.91

$1.94 CLP 1,905

513.92%

Banana (1kg)

$10.89 $10.89

$1.52 CLP 1,497

616.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$12.30 $12.30

$1.60 CLP 1,577

668.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$19.99 $19.99

$1.69 CLP 1,668

1082.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.10 CLP 1,084

77.27%

Onion (1kg)

$8.76 $8.76

$1.52 CLP 1,500

476.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$8.18 $8.18

$1.18 CLP 1,164

593.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$5.39 $5.39

$1.08 CLP 1,061

399.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.07 CLP 4,995

Wine (Bottle)

$24.57 $24.57

$5.95 CLP 5,858

312.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 CLP 1,470

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.18 $6.18

$2.38 CLP 2,342

159.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$0.83 CLP 821

138.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.7 $60.7

$40.14 CLP 39.5K

51.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$19.61 $19.61

$0.40 CLP 393

4802.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.08 $3.08

$0.91 CLP 897

238.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.63 CLP 11.5K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.51 CLP 1,486

-7.95%

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

$55.2K $55.2K

$17.6K CLP 17.3M

213.97%

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

$49.0K $49.0K

$22.0K CLP 21.6M

122.82%

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

$451 $451

$151 CLP 149.0K

197.70%

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

$100 $100

$12.34 CLP 12.1K

713.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$151 $151

$18.73 CLP 18.4K

707.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$164 $164

$33.71 CLP 33.2K

386.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.80 CLP 11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$10.04 $10.04

$7.45 CLP 7,334

34.77%

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

$1,487 $1,487

$430 CLP 423.7K

245.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K $21.9K

$10.8K CLP 10.6M

102.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 $113

$49.65 CLP 48.9K

127.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$148 $148

$28.94 CLP 28.5K

409.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$202 $202

$65.7 CLP 64.6K

208.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 $151

$80.7 CLP 79.4K

87.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 $1,586

$559 CLP 550.4K

183.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,827 $1,827

$384 CLP 377.8K

376.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,187 $3,187

$1,004 CLP 988.4K

217.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,229 $4,229

$780 CLP 767.9K

442.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,896 $4,896

$2,640 CLP 2.6M

85.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.9K $10.9K

$2,546 CLP 2.5M

328.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,726 $2,726

$804 CLP 791.0K

239.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

5.39

75.32%

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

Last update for St Thomas: October 11, 2026

Last update for Santiago: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St Thomas

$1.8K 41.5%

Santiago

$384 32.3% 79% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

St Thomas

$956 * 21.7%

Santiago

$236 19.8% 75.3% $720

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St Thomas

$702 15.9%

Santiago

$182 15.3% 74% $520

Eating Out

St Thomas

$358 8.1%

Santiago

$189 15.9% 47.1% $169

Clothing & Footwear

St Thomas

$276 6.3%

Santiago

$101 8.5% 63.4% $175

Sport & Entertainment

St Thomas

$184 4.2%

Santiago

$49 4.1% 73.6% $136

Getting Around

St Thomas

$104 2.4%

Santiago

$48 4.1% 53.3% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,586 in St Thomas 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 239% higher in St Thomas, 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 $170 in St Thomas versus $52.0 in Santiago. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $956 vs $236 – making Santiago the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇮 St Thomas

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

10:49 10:49 AM

11:49 11:49 AM

1 h ahead of St Thomas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,000

6,139,087 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

CLP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

St Thomas Santiago 5,790 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

St Thomas
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

St Thomas vs Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – St Thomas is pricier by about 270%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,612 per month in St Thomas 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 51% less in Santiago. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,487 per month in St Thomas 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 St Thomas at $4,408. In Santiago it covers expenses comfortably, while in St Thomas 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, St Thomas makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.