Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Virginia Beach, VA and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,206 a month against $2,790 in Virginia Beach, VA, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

135

Cost of Living Index in Virginia Beach, VA
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Virginia Beach, VA Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index

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Virginia Beach, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,790

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,790 per month in Virginia Beach, VA vs $1,206 in Santiago, rent included.

Virginia Beach, VA $2,790
Santiago $1,206

A couple spends around $3,973 per month in Virginia Beach, VA vs $1,885 in Santiago, rent included.

Virginia Beach, VA $3,973
Santiago $1,885

A family of three spends $5,156 per month in Virginia Beach, VA vs $2,564 in Santiago, rent included.

Virginia Beach, VA $5,156
Santiago $2,564

Virginia Beach, VA costs about 131% more than Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Virginia Beach, VA sits 108% above the global median, while Santiago is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.76 $17.76

$10.19 CLP 9,931

74.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.6 $89.6

$52.2 CLP 50.9K

71.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.14 $12.14

$8.54 CLP 8,323

42.15%

Cappuccino

$5.75 $5.75

$3.19 CLP 3,115

80.25%

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

$2.78 $2.78

$1.68 CLP 1,637

65.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.22 CLP 1,191

72.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.11 $6.11

$4.21 CLP 4,101

45.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.21 $7.21

$4.66 CLP 4,539

54.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.32 CLP 1,283

-21.97%

White Bread (500g)

$3.09 $3.09

$1.80 CLP 1,756

71.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.44 $5.44

$1.58 CLP 1,543

244.30%

Eggs

$4.66 $4.66

$4.25 CLP 4,141

9.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.14 $10.14

$11.19 CLP 10.9K

-9.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 $9.65

$6.75 CLP 6,580

42.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.11 $18.11

$10.67 CLP 10.4K

69.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 $2.59

$2.04 CLP 1,991

26.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.53 CLP 1,497

1.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.19 $5.19

$1.59 CLP 1,549

226.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.65 $5.65

$1.75 CLP 1,708

222.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.08 CLP 1,051

116.67%

Onion (1kg)

$4.62 $4.62

$1.51 CLP 1,476

205.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.17 CLP 1,145

58.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.07 CLP 1,041

108.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.02 $9.02

$5.14 CLP 5,015

75.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.02 $12.02

$5.88 CLP 5,732

104.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.55 CLP 1,513

17.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$2.27 CLP 2,218

-7.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.85 CLP 829

141.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.0 $69.0

$41.50 CLP 40.5K

66.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.70 $4.70

$0.39 CLP 383

1105.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.29 $1.29

$0.84 CLP 820

53.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.10 $20.10

$11.94 CLP 11.6K

68.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.50 CLP 1,467

-30.67%

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

$35.9K $35.9K

$18.1K CLP 17.7M

98.22%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$21.6K CLP 21.1M

17.73%

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

$205 $205

$151 CLP 147.3K

35.91%

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

$59.1 $59.1

$12.04 CLP 11.7K

391.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.6 $66.6

$18.93 CLP 18.5K

251.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.34 $44.34

$33.81 CLP 33.0K

31.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.48 $34.48

$11.72 CLP 11.4K

194.20%

Cinema Ticket

$11.89 $11.89

$7.37 CLP 7,185

61.33%

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

$1,586 $1,586

$434 CLP 423.3K

265.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K $16.3K

$11.0K CLP 10.7M

48.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 $60.2

$50.9 CLP 49.6K

18.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.89 $47.89

$29.16 CLP 28.4K

64.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 $116

$67.4 CLP 65.7K

72.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 $111

$80.3 CLP 78.2K

38.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,823 $1,823

$555 CLP 540.8K

228.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,425 $1,425

$372 CLP 363.2K

282.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,785 $2,785

$1,009 CLP 984.3K

175.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,150 $2,150

$779 CLP 759.1K

176.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,287 $2,287

$2,671 CLP 2.6M

-14.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,308 $2,308

$2,622 CLP 2.6M

-11.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,203 $4,203

$791 CLP 771.7K

431.12%

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 Virginia Beach, VA: 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

Virginia Beach, VA

$1.4K 51.8%

Santiago

$372 31.6% 73.9% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Virginia Beach, VA

$374 13.6%

Santiago

$236 20% 36.8% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Virginia Beach, VA

$331 12%

Santiago

$182 15.5% 45% $149

Eating Out

Virginia Beach, VA

$312 11.4%

Santiago

$187 15.9% 40% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Virginia Beach, VA

$151 5.5%

Santiago

$102 8.7% 32.1% $48

Getting Around

Virginia Beach, VA

$88 3.2%

Santiago

$50 4.2% 44% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Virginia Beach, VA

$68 2.5%

Santiago

$49 4.1% 28.7% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,823 in Virginia Beach, VA 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 431% higher in Virginia Beach, VA, 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 $90.0 in Virginia Beach, VA versus $52.0 in Santiago. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $374 vs $236 – making Santiago the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Virginia Beach, VA

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

11:31 11:31 AM

12:31 12:31 PM

1 h ahead of Virginia Beach, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

459,470

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Virginia Beach, VA Santiago 7,840 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Virginia Beach, VA
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

Virginia Beach, VA vs Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Virginia Beach, VA is pricier by about 131%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,185 per month in Virginia Beach, VA 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 66% less in Santiago. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,586 per month in Virginia Beach, VA 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 Virginia Beach, VA at $2,790. In Santiago it covers expenses comfortably, while in Virginia Beach, VA 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, Virginia Beach, VA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.