Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thompson and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,206 a month against $1,808 in Thompson, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Thompson
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Thompson Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index

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Thompson

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,808

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,808 per month in Thompson vs $1,206 in Santiago, rent included.

Thompson $1,808
Santiago $1,206

A couple spends around $2,730 per month in Thompson vs $1,885 in Santiago, rent included.

Thompson $2,730
Santiago $1,885

A family of three spends $3,652 per month in Thompson vs $2,564 in Santiago, rent included.

Thompson $3,652
Santiago $2,564

Thompson costs about 50% more than Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Thompson sits 35% above the global median, while Santiago is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.37 CA$24.76

$10.19 CLP 9,931

70.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.3 CA$90.2

$52.2 CLP 50.9K

21.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$15.15

$8.54 CLP 8,323

24.47%

Cappuccino

$3.62 CA$5.16

$3.19 CLP 3,115

13.48%

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

$1.96 CA$2.79

$1.68 CLP 1,637

16.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.30

$1.22 CLP 1,191

32.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.33 CA$7.59

$4.21 CLP 4,101

26.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.60 CA$7.99

$4.66 CLP 4,539

20.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 CA$3.03

$1.32 CLP 1,283

61.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.49 CA$3.56

$1.80 CLP 1,756

38.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.20 CA$4.57

$1.58 CLP 1,543

102.53%

Eggs

$3.33 CA$4.75

$4.25 CLP 4,141

-21.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.09 CA$14.38

$11.19 CLP 10.9K

-9.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.33

$6.75 CLP 6,580

69.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.70 CA$20.96

$10.67 CLP 10.4K

37.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.65 CA$5.20

$2.04 CLP 1,991

78.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.17 CA$1.67

$1.53 CLP 1,497

-23.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.77 CA$5.38

$1.59 CLP 1,549

137.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 CA$5.93

$1.75 CLP 1,708

137.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.40 CA$3.43

$1.08 CLP 1,051

122.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 CA$3.14

$1.51 CLP 1,476

45.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.42 CA$3.45

$1.17 CLP 1,145

106.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.27

$1.07 CLP 1,041

49.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.73 CA$19.57

$5.14 CLP 5,015

167.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.67 CA$18.06

$5.88 CLP 5,732

115.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 CA$3.83

$1.55 CLP 1,513

73.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 CA$4.33

$2.27 CLP 2,218

33.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 CA$3.14

$0.85 CLP 829

158.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.2 CA$95.7

$41.50 CLP 40.5K

61.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.86 CA$4.08

$0.39 CLP 383

633.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 CA$1.97

$0.84 CLP 820

64.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.69 CA$32.34

$11.94 CLP 11.6K

90.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 CA$1.60

$1.50 CLP 1,467

-25.33%

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

$27.8K CA$39.7K

$18.1K CLP 17.7M

53.74%

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

$20.4K CA$29.1K

$21.6K CLP 21.1M

-5.45%

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

$137 CA$195

$151 CLP 147.3K

-9.29%

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

$37.96 CA$54.1

$12.04 CLP 11.7K

215.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 CA$75.5

$18.93 CLP 18.5K

179.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.03 CA$58.5

$33.81 CLP 33.0K

21.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.67 CA$22.33

$11.72 CLP 11.4K

33.70%

Cinema Ticket

$10.96 CA$15.62

$7.37 CLP 7,185

48.71%

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

$641 CA$913

$434 CLP 423.3K

47.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.8K CA$19.6K

$11.0K CLP 10.7M

25.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 CA$76.2

$50.9 CLP 49.6K

5.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.21 CA$54.5

$29.16 CLP 28.4K

31.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.0 CA$120

$67.4 CLP 65.7K

24.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 CA$146

$80.3 CLP 78.2K

27.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$672 CA$958

$555 CLP 540.8K

21.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$674 CA$960

$372 CLP 363.2K

80.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,090 CA$1,554

$1,009 CLP 984.3K

8.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,116 CA$1,590

$779 CLP 759.1K

43.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,094 CA$5,835

$2,671 CLP 2.6M

53.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,002 CA$5,705

$2,622 CLP 2.6M

52.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,531 CA$2,183

$791 CLP 771.7K

93.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.64

5.39

-13.91%

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

Last update for Thompson: October 5, 2026

Last update for Santiago: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Thompson

$674 37.6%

Santiago

$372 31.6% 44.7% $301

Groceries & Markets

Thompson

$350 19.6%

Santiago

$236 20% 32.6% $114

Eating Out

Thompson

$266 14.9%

Santiago

$187 15.9% 29.7% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thompson

$228 12.7%

Santiago

$182 15.5% 20.2% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Thompson

$125 7%

Santiago

$102 8.7% 18.1% $23

Getting Around

Thompson

$86 4.8%

Santiago

$50 4.2% 42.3% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Thompson

$63 3.5%

Santiago

$49 4.1% 22.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $672 in Thompson 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 93% higher in Thompson, 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 $63.0 in Thompson versus $52.0 in Santiago. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $236 – making Santiago the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Thompson

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

22:46 10:46 PM

00:46 12:46 AM

2 h ahead of Thompson

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,829

6,139,087 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.26 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.14 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 975 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 1,094 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.14 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Thompson Santiago 10,250 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Thompson
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

Thompson vs Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Thompson is pricier by about 50%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,712 per month in Thompson 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 62% less in Santiago. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $641 per month in Thompson 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 Thompson at $1,808. In Santiago it covers expenses comfortably, while in Thompson 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, Thompson makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.