Chile Travel Budget: Daily Costs, Prices & Money-Saving Tips

What a trip to Chile costs

Chile is one of South America's more expensive countries, but it stays affordable if you plan. Prices are in Chilean pesos (CLP); at the time of writing roughly 1,000 CLP is about 1 USD. Carry small notes for buses and markets.

Daily budgets

• Backpacker: 40,000-55,000 CLP a day (hostel dorm, cooking or set-menu lunches, local buses)
• Mid-range: 75,000-120,000 CLP a day (private room or hotel, restaurant meals, some tours)
• Comfort: 180,000 CLP and up (boutique hotels, wine tours, domestic flights, car hire)

Patagonia and Easter Island cost noticeably more than Santiago or the central valley.

Sample prices

• Set-menu lunch (menu del dia): 5,000-8,000 CLP
• Completo (loaded hot dog): 2,000-3,500 CLP
• Empanada de pino: 1,800-3,000 CLP
• Domestic beer in a bar: 3,000-5,000 CLP
• Santiago Metro ride: about 800 CLP
• Hostel dorm bed: 15,000-25,000 CLP
• Long-distance bus Santiago-Valparaiso: 4,000-7,000 CLP
• Entry to a national park (e.g. Torres del Paine): around 35,000 CLP for foreigners

Money and cards

Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted in cities, hotels and supermarkets. Carry cash for markets, small towns and rural Patagonia. ATMs (Redbanc) work but often charge a fee around 3,500-6,000 CLP per withdrawal, so take out larger amounts. Tipping is typically 10% in restaurants and is often added as a suggested line on the bill.

Ways to save

• Eat the menu del dia at lunch, the best-value hot meal of the day.
• Take long-distance buses (Turbus, Pullman) instead of flying where time allows.
• Buy a Bip! card for cheap metro and bus travel in Santiago.
• Shop at La Vega Central market in Santiago for cheap fruit and produce.
• Travel in shoulder season (spring or autumn) for lower lodging prices.
• Book Patagonia refugios and Easter Island stays well ahead to avoid surge pricing.

Stay connected in Chile

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