Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zacatecas and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Zacatecas: $738 a month against $1,190 in Santiago, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Zacatecas
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Zacatecas Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index

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Zacatecas

🇲🇽 Mexico

$738

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $738 per month in Zacatecas vs $1,190 in Santiago, rent included.

Zacatecas $738
Santiago $1,190

A couple spends around $1,170 per month in Zacatecas vs $1,892 in Santiago, rent included.

Zacatecas $1,170
Santiago $1,892

A family of three spends $1,602 per month in Zacatecas vs $2,595 in Santiago, rent included.

Zacatecas $1,602
Santiago $2,595

Zacatecas is about 38% cheaper than Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Zacatecas and Santiago are more affordable than the global median – Zacatecas 45% lower, Santiago 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.12 MX$113

$10.37 CLP 10.2K

-40.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.70 MX$586

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

-38.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 MX$139

$8.94 CLP 8,805

-16.11%

Cappuccino

$2.96 MX$54.7

$3.26 CLP 3,211

-9.20%

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

$1.21 MX$22.31

$1.67 CLP 1,640

-27.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 MX$13.31

$1.23 CLP 1,212

-41.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.86 MX$34.45

$3.98 CLP 3,914

-53.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 MX$75.4

$4.54 CLP 4,465

-10.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 MX$25.41

$1.28 CLP 1,263

7.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 MX$40.91

$1.85 CLP 1,817

19.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 MX$28.52

$1.59 CLP 1,567

-3.14%

Eggs

$2.29 MX$42.31

$4.10 CLP 4,031

-44.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 MX$135

$11.41 CLP 11.2K

-35.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.12 MX$113

$6.69 CLP 6,586

-8.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.25 MX$171

$10.81 CLP 10.6K

-14.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.75 MX$32.31

$1.94 CLP 1,905

-9.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 MX$30.63

$1.52 CLP 1,497

9.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.30

$1.60 CLP 1,577

26.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 MX$27.05

$1.69 CLP 1,668

-13.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.98

$1.10 CLP 1,084

81.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 MX$32.50

$1.52 CLP 1,500

15.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.04

$1.18 CLP 1,164

28.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.60

$1.08 CLP 1,061

-22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 MX$79.4

$5.07 CLP 4,995

-15.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.67 MX$197

$5.95 CLP 5,858

79.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 MX$30.90

$1.49 CLP 1,470

12.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$2.38 CLP 2,342

42.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.88

$0.83 CLP 821

-36.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.52 MX$305

$40.14 CLP 39.5K

-58.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.21 MX$40.77

$0.40 CLP 393

452.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 MX$19.91

$0.91 CLP 897

18.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.28 MX$227

$11.63 CLP 11.5K

5.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.79

$1.51 CLP 1,486

-3.97%

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

$21.1K MX$390.6K

$17.6K CLP 17.3M

20.26%

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

$24.5K MX$452.6K

$22.0K CLP 21.6M

11.40%

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

$23.16 MX$428

$151 CLP 149.0K

-84.70%

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

$8.38 MX$155

$12.34 CLP 12.1K

-32.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.17 MX$465

$18.73 CLP 18.4K

34.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.02 MX$462

$33.71 CLP 33.2K

-25.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.17 MX$151

$11.80 CLP 11.6K

-30.76%

Cinema Ticket

$4.39 MX$81.1

$7.45 CLP 7,334

-41.07%

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

$256 MX$4,736

$430 CLP 423.7K

-40.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,234 MX$59.8K

$10.8K CLP 10.6M

-70.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.26 MX$836

$49.65 CLP 48.9K

-8.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.19 MX$743

$28.94 CLP 28.5K

38.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 MX$1,692

$65.7 CLP 64.6K

39.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$43.08 MX$796

$80.7 CLP 79.4K

-46.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$242 MX$4,467

$559 CLP 550.4K

-56.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$162 MX$2,994

$384 CLP 377.8K

-57.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$383 MX$7,074

$1,004 CLP 988.4K

-61.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$249 MX$4,606

$780 CLP 767.9K

-68.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,640 CLP 2.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$571 MX$10.5K

$2,546 CLP 2.5M

-77.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$407 MX$7,527

$804 CLP 791.0K

-49.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.8

5.39

100.37%

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

Last update for Zacatecas: October 10, 2026

Last update for Santiago: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zacatecas

$228 30.9%

Santiago

$236 19.8% 3.6% $8.2

Accommodation & Living

Zacatecas

$162 22%

Santiago

$384 32.3% 137% $222

Eating Out

Zacatecas

$132 17.9%

Santiago

$189 15.9% 43.3% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Zacatecas

$99 13.4%

Santiago

$101 8.5% 2.2% $2.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zacatecas

$57 7.7%

Santiago

$182 15.3% 222% $126

Sport & Entertainment

Zacatecas

$34 4.6%

Santiago

$49 4.1% 43.8% $15

Getting Around

Zacatecas

$26 3.6%

Santiago

$48 4.1% 84.5% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $242 in Zacatecas 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 97% higher in Santiago, 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 $32.00 in Zacatecas versus $52.0 in Santiago. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $228 vs $236 – making Zacatecas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Zacatecas

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

00:57 12:57 AM

03:57 3:57 AM

3 h ahead of Zacatecas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

138,444

6,139,087 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

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).

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).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zacatecas Santiago 7,110 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Zacatecas
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

Zacatecas vs Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Santiago is pricier by about 61%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,107 per month in Zacatecas 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 Zacatecas, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 143% less in Zacatecas. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $256 per month in Zacatecas and $430 in Santiago. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Zacatecas, where all-in costs run around $738, than in Santiago at $1,190. In Zacatecas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santiago it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zacatecas – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Zacatecas. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Santiago makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.