Cost of Living · CL vs SA
🇨🇱 Santiago vs 🇸🇦 Riyadh: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,011 in Chile vs $1,033 in Saudi Arabia — 2.19% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Saudi Arabia
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: 0%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 0.66%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 0.72%
Closest to Chile prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +2.57%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +2.56%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +2.56%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Chile | Saudi Arabia | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $650 | $667 (2,501 SAR) | +2.56% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $520 | $533 (2,001 SAR) | +2.56% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,189 | $1,219 (4,573 SAR) | +2.57% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $8.27 | $8.43 (32 SAR) | +1.93% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $34.45 | $35.14 (132 SAR) | +2% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $5.42 | $5.52 (21 SAR) | +1.85% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.62 | $0.63 (2 SAR) | +1.61% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.82 | $1.84 (7 SAR) | +1.1% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.93 | $1.96 (7 SAR) | +1.55% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $5.68 | $5.76 (22 SAR) | +1.41% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.27 | $2.30 (9 SAR) | +1.32% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.73 | $2.77 (10 SAR) | +1.47% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $6.81 | $6.91 (26 SAR) | +1.47% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.14 | $1.15 (4 SAR) | +0.88% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $2.76 | $2.81 (11 SAR) | +1.81% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.03 | $6.07 (23 SAR) | +0.66% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $2.30 | $2.34 (9 SAR) | +1.74% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.31 | $1.33 (5 SAR) | +1.53% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $32.05 | $32.63 (122 SAR) | +1.81% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.36 | $1.38 (5 SAR) | +1.47% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.84 | $1.87 (7 SAR) | +1.63% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.83 | $0.84 (3 SAR) | +1.2% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.72 | $0.72 (3 SAR) | 0% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $98.60 | $100 (377 SAR) | +1.83% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $34.51 | $35.14 (132 SAR) | +1.83% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $22.19 | $22.59 (85 SAR) | +1.8% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $22.97 | $23.43 (88 SAR) | +2% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $6.43 | $6.56 (25 SAR) | +2.02% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $13.78 | $14.06 (53 SAR) | +2.03% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $41.45 | $41.75 (157 SAR) | +0.72% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $67.82 | $68.32 (256 SAR) | +0.74% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $115 | $117 (439 SAR) | +2.01% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much more expensive is Saudi Arabia than Chile?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,033 in Saudi Arabia versus $1,011 in Chile — 2.19% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Saudi Arabia?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $2.81 in Saudi Arabia (≈ 10.54 SAR), versus about $2.76 in Chile.
- How much is rent in Saudi Arabia compared to Chile?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $667/month in Saudi Arabia versus $650/month in Chile (+2.56%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.