Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Valdivia and Tulum

For one person, living is cheaper in Valdivia: $1,012 a month against $1,241 in Tulum, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Valdivia
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Valdivia Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tulum
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Tulum Living Index

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Valdivia

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,012

/mo nomad

Tulum

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,241

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Valdivia and in Tulum

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Valdivia versus $1,241 in Tulum.

Valdivia $1,012
Tulum $1,241

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,535 in Valdivia versus $2,085 in Tulum.

Valdivia $1,535
Tulum $2,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,057 in Valdivia versus $2,929 in Tulum.

Valdivia $2,057
Tulum $2,929

Living in Valdivia costs roughly 18% less than in Tulum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Valdivia 25% lower, Tulum 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.37 CLP 6,266

$8.20 MX$152

-22.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.71 CLP 45.0K

$55.1 MX$1,018

-17.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.72 CLP 6,618

$8.25 MX$152

-18.55%

Cappuccino

$2.04 CLP 2,011

$3.82 MX$70.5

-46.60%

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

$2.04 CLP 2,005

$1.12 MX$20.74

82.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 CLP 1,240

$1.17 MX$21.59

7.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.50 CLP 3,448

$2.94 MX$54.4

19.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 CLP 3,468

$3.87 MX$71.5

-9.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 CLP 1,163

$1.54 MX$28.54

-23.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 CLP 1,336

$2.05 MX$37.87

-33.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 CLP 1,534

$1.71 MX$31.69

-8.77%

Eggs

$3.02 CLP 2,971

$1.92 MX$35.49

57.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 CLP 8,658

$5.37 MX$99.2

63.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.24 CLP 6,141

$7.53 MX$139

-17.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.47 CLP 12.3K

$9.09 MX$168

37.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 CLP 2,130

$2.63 MX$48.60

-17.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 CLP 1,799

$1.37 MX$25.35

33.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 CLP 1,765

$1.51 MX$27.83

18.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 CLP 1,785

$1.48 MX$27.32

22.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.32 CLP 2,288

$2.23 MX$41.12

4.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 CLP 1,542

$1.76 MX$32.43

-10.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 CLP 1,413

$1.49 MX$27.58

-3.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 CLP 1,125

$0.85 MX$15.77

34.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.98 CLP 4,900

$4.49 MX$83.0

10.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.63 CLP 4,560

$8.24 MX$152

-43.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 CLP 1,516

$1.32 MX$24.39

16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 CLP 2,062

$1.29 MX$23.76

62.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 CLP 597

$1.40 MX$25.80

-56.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.99 CLP 975

$2.79 MX$51.6

-64.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.48 MX$45.88

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.57 MX$103

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 CLP 1,468

$1.45 MX$26.84

2.76%

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

$14.6K CLP 14.4M

$21.1K MX$389.5K

-30.67%

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

$17.7K CLP 17.4M

$23.5K MX$434.7K

-24.89%

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

$89.4 CLP 88.0K

$106 MX$1,967

-16.08%

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

$13.72 CLP 13.5K

$16.36 MX$302

-16.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.60 CLP 30.1K

$34.32 MX$634

-10.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.49 CLP 39.9K

$34.91 MX$645

15.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.43 CLP 23.1K

Cinema Ticket

$4.57 CLP 4,502

$6.71 MX$124

-31.89%

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

$247 CLP 242.7K

$265 MX$4,900

-7.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,073 CLP 3.0M

$2,902 MX$53.6K

5.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.4 CLP 49.6K

$41.88 MX$774

20.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.42 CLP 17.2K

$32.57 MX$602

-46.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.3 CLP 49.5K

$97.1 MX$1,794

-48.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.7 CLP 74.5K

$58.0 MX$1,072

30.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$564 CLP 555.4K

$607 MX$11.2K

-7.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$377 CLP 371.2K

$526 MX$9,714

-28.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$990 CLP 974.7K

$1,498 MX$27.7K

-33.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$564 CLP 555.1K

$1,273 MX$23.5K

-55.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,404 CLP 4.3M

$3,139 MX$58.0K

40.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,808 MX$33.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$631 CLP 621.1K

$790 MX$14.6K

-20.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

10.8

-58.33%

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

Last update for Valdivia: October 12, 2026

Last update for Tulum: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Valdivia

$377 37.3%

Tulum

$526 42.4% 39.4% $149

Groceries & Markets

Valdivia

$227 22.5%

Tulum

$218 17.6% 4% $9.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Valdivia

$134 13.2%

Tulum

$157 12.7% 17.6% $23

Eating Out

Valdivia

$133 13.2%

Tulum

$168 13.5% 25.8% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Valdivia

$87 8.6%

Tulum

$103 8.3% 18.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Valdivia

$50 4.9%

Tulum

$48 3.9% 2.6% $1.3

Getting Around

Valdivia

$3.4 * 0.3%

Tulum

$21 * 1.7% 508% $17

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $564 in Valdivia and $607 in Tulum. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tulum pays 25% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $46.00 in Valdivia vs $55.0 in Tulum. Groceries flip the comparison at $227 vs $218, with Tulum cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Valdivia

🇲🇽 Tulum

🕒 Local time

19:16 7:16 PM

17:16 5:16 PM

2 h behind Valdivia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

150,048

46,721

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Valdivia Tulum 6,860 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Valdivia
Tulum

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

Valdivia vs Tulum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Valdivia wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Tulum. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Valdivia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Tulum. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $564 in Valdivia versus $607 in Tulum. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $247 in Valdivia versus $265 in Tulum. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Valdivia – a meal for two runs $46.00 versus $55.0 in Tulum. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,012 in Valdivia versus $1,241 in Tulum, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Valdivia but tight or insufficient in Tulum. The gap between the two cities makes Valdivia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Valdivia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Tulum. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.