Cost of Living · CL vs KR
🇨🇱 Santiago vs 🇰🇷 Seoul: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,011 in Chile vs $1,390 in South Korea — 37.44% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in South Korea
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: 9.72%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 10.95%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 11%
Closest to Chile prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +44.1%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +44.1%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +44.1%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Chile | South Korea | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $650 | $937 (1,332,671 KRW) | +44.1% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $520 | $750 (1,066,134 KRW) | +44.1% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,189 | $1,713 (2,436,897 KRW) | +44.1% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $8.27 | $11.02 (15,675 KRW) | +33.25% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $34.45 | $45.90 (65,290 KRW) | +33.24% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $5.42 | $7.04 (10,014 KRW) | +29.89% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.62 | $0.77 (1,095 KRW) | +24.19% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.82 | $2.24 (3,186 KRW) | +23.08% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.93 | $2.38 (3,385 KRW) | +23.32% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $5.68 | $7.00 (9,957 KRW) | +23.24% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.27 | $2.80 (3,983 KRW) | +23.35% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.73 | $3.36 (4,779 KRW) | +23.08% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $6.81 | $8.40 (11,949 KRW) | +23.35% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.14 | $1.40 (1,991 KRW) | +22.81% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $2.76 | $3.67 (5,220 KRW) | +32.97% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.03 | $6.69 (9,516 KRW) | +10.95% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $2.30 | $3.06 (4,353 KRW) | +33.04% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.31 | $1.61 (2,290 KRW) | +22.9% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $32.05 | $41.60 (59,174 KRW) | +29.8% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.36 | $1.76 (2,504 KRW) | +29.41% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.84 | $2.45 (3,485 KRW) | +33.15% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.83 | $1.10 (1,565 KRW) | +32.53% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.72 | $0.79 (1,124 KRW) | +9.72% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $98.60 | $128 (182,072 KRW) | +29.82% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $34.51 | $44.80 (63,725 KRW) | +29.82% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $22.19 | $28.80 (40,966 KRW) | +29.79% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $22.97 | $30.60 (43,527 KRW) | +33.22% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $6.43 | $8.57 (12,190 KRW) | +33.28% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $13.78 | $18.36 (26,116 KRW) | +33.24% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $41.45 | $46.01 (65,447 KRW) | +11% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $67.82 | $75.29 (107,096 KRW) | +11.01% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $115 | $153 (217,662 KRW) | +33.26% |
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 South Korea than Chile?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,390 in South Korea versus $1,011 in Chile — 37.44% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in South Korea?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $3.67 in South Korea (≈ 5220.36 KRW), versus about $2.76 in Chile.
- How much is rent in South Korea compared to Chile?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $937/month in South Korea versus $650/month in Chile (+44.1%). 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.