La Serena at a glance
- La Serena ranks 2nd of 8 priced cities in Chile on cost: $796 a month in essentials, 9% above Antofagasta, the cheapest.
- The average net salary of $729 covers that 0.9×.
- 100.3 men per 100 women aged 20–39, measured at comuna level.
- PM2.5 averages 8.5 µg/m³ a year, 2× the WHO guideline of 5.
Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.
Monthly cost breakdown
Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget. The middle column is the median across the 8 Chile cities we track, so every row says whether La Serena is the cheap side of its own market or the dear one. Green is the better side of each row.
| Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit | $796 | $844 | $48 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $327 | $366 | $38 |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $440 | $468 | $28 |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $126 | $127 | $1 |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $194 | $188 | $6 |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $112 | $134 | $22 |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $37 | $36 | $2 |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $729 | $750 | $21 |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $736 | $668 | $68 |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $933 | $855 | $78 |
Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in La Serena, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $7.92 | $7.92 | same |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $50.16 | $44.88 | $5.28 |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $8.55 | $7.95 | $0.60 |
| Cappuccino, regular | $2.96 | $3.16 | $0.20 |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught | $2.11 | $3.70 | 1.75× as much |
| Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle | $3.96 | $3.75 | $0.21 |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $1.11 | $1.38 | $0.26 |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $0.69 | $1.04 | 1.50× as much |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $1.24 | $1.21 | $0.03 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $2.46 | $1.64 | 1.50× as much |
| White rice, 1 kg | $1.53 | $1.54 | $0.01 |
| Eggs, 12 | $3.91 | $3.69 | $0.23 |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $12.74 | $10.85 | $1.89 |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $6.02 | $6.49 | $0.47 |
| Apples, 1 kg | $1.90 | $1.90 | same |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $1.79 | $1.81 | $0.02 |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $1.47 | $1.46 | $0.01 |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $1.20 | $1.08 | $0.11 |
| Onions, 1 kg | $1.27 | $1.29 | $0.02 |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $0.92 | $1.17 | 1.28× as much |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $1.06 | $0.70 | 1.51× as much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly transit pass | $36.96 | $38.54 | $1.58 |
| Taxi start | $0.74 | $0.84 | $0.10 |
| Taxi, 1 km | $2.11 | $1.43 | 1.48× as much |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $1.43 | $1.42 | $0.01 |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² flat | $90.16 | $111.03 | $20.88 |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $21.79 | $21.13 | $0.66 |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $11.26 | $12.26 | $1.00 |
Leisure
| Gym, monthly | $87.99 | $43.56 | 2.02× as much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinema, one seat | $8.45 | $6.76 | 1.25× as much |
Dating-age sex ratio
La Serena has 100.3 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (comuna level). That is the 8th-highest of 10 Chile cities we track. Chile's national figure is 102.4, so La Serena runs 2 below the country as a whole.
A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.
How La Serena ranks against every city we track
La Serena sits ahead of 74% of the 553 cities we track on city-centre rent. On clean air it is ahead of 70% of 898. Its weakest measure is salary against local costs, ahead of only 30% of 534.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where La Serena sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
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Photo: Emmanuelle (MANZANITAVERDE), CC BY 2.0.
