Moving to Chile from Peru

moving to

What to Expect

A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Peru to Chile — from daily expenses to quality of life.

If you moved from Peru to Chile, you would find that Chile is 23.6% more expensive than Peru overall. A PEN260,000 salary in Peru would need to be roughly CLF2,320 in Chile to maintain the same lifestyle.

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How Far Will Your Money Go?

How your spending power changes when you relocate from Peru to Chile.

What does your salary buy?

PEN260,000 → CLF2,320

To maintain the same standard of living in Chile

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 70.5% more

Groceries

pay 20.4% more

Transportation

pay 4.5% less

Housing

pay 28.0% more

Childcare

pay 61.7% more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 20.3% more

See full cost of living breakdown
Exchange rate: 1 PEN = 0.0072 CLF (October 2026)

Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.

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Who Else Is Making This Move?

Real numbers on people moving from Peru to Chile, and how the trend has changed.

Moved in 2023
10,802 ↓ 69% vs 2022

people moved from Peru to Chile · OECD (latest data available)

Who's moving to Chile?

Top countries of origin for Chile's foreign-born residents.

Foreign-born population · UN DESA (2020)

Key Indicator Comparison

How Peru and Chile stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Homicide rate World Bank, 2023

per 100,000 people per year

PE
8.6
CL
6.3
Feel safe walking at night United Nations SDG Indicators, 2022

of residents who feel safe walking alone at night

PE
39%
CL
32%

Chile generally does better on safety, though Peru leads in feel safe walking at night.

How's the healthcare?

Healthcare spending per person World Bank, 2024

annual government + private spending per person

PE
$956
CL
$3,612
Doctors per 10,000 people World Bank, 2023

affects wait times and access to care

PE
16.9
CL
33.3

Peru generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Chile leads in doctors per 10,000 people.

What about the environment?

Air pollution deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2019

deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people

PE
26.0
CL
18.0
CO₂ emissions per capita World Bank, 2024

tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year

PE
2.0t
CL
3.9t

Peru generally does better on environment, though Chile leads in air pollution deaths.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Broadband per 100 people World Bank, 2024

fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work

PE
11.7
CL
23.7
Water stress level World Bank, 2022

higher means greater strain on freshwater supply

PE
4.8%
CL
9.0%

Chile generally does better on infrastructure, though Peru leads in water stress level.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate World Bank, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

PE
5.1%
CL
9.0%
GDP per capita World Bank, 2025

a broad measure of economic output per person

PE
$9,684
CL
$17,995

Peru generally does better on employment & economy, though Chile leads in gdp per capita.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy World Bank, 2024

average years of life at birth

PE
77.9 yrs
CL
81.4 yrs
Infant mortality World Bank, 2024

deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better

PE
11.0
CL
5.8

Chile performs significantly better than Peru across all family life metrics.

Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), Superintendencia Nacional de Aduanas y de Administración Tributaria (2016), Chilean Tax Administration (2016), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

What's the Climate Like?

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

Lima Rain: 0.5 in/yr (13 mm)
72° / 62°F

Avg. annual high / low

Santiago Rain: 13.5 in/yr (342 mm)
73° / 48°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Lima Santiago
Jan–Mar 79°/67°F (26°/19°C) 84°/55°F (29°/12°C)
Apr–Jun 71°/62°F (22°/16°C) 66°/44°F (19°/7°C)
Jul–Sep 66°/58°F (19°/15°C) 63°/41°F (17°/5°C)
Oct–Dec 71°/62°F (22°/16°C) 79°/51°F (26°/10°C)
View all months
Month Lima Santiago
Jan 78°/66°F (25.8°/19.1°C) 86°/56°F (30.1°/13.3°C)
Feb 80°/67°F (26.5°/19.4°C) 85°/55°F (29.5°/12.8°C)
Mar 79°/67°F (26.0°/19.2°C) 81°/53°F (27.4°/11.4°C)
Apr 76°/64°F (24.3°/17.6°C) 74°/47°F (23.1°/8.6°C)
May 71°/61°F (21.7°/16.1°C) 65°/44°F (18.5°/6.4°C)
Jun 67°/60°F (19.7°/15.3°C) 60°/41°F (15.7°/5.0°C)
Jul 66°/59°F (18.7°/15.0°C) 60°/39°F (15.3°/3.9°C)
Aug 65°/58°F (18.4°/14.6°C) 63°/41°F (17.1°/5.1°C)
Sep 66°/58°F (18.7°/14.6°C) 67°/44°F (19.4°/6.8°C)
Oct 68°/59°F (19.9°/15.2°C) 73°/47°F (22.9°/8.6°C)
Nov 71°/62°F (21.9°/16.4°C) 79°/51°F (26.1°/10.3°C)
Dec 75°/64°F (23.9°/17.7°C) 84°/54°F (28.8°/12.2°C)

Data: Servicio Nacional de Meteorología e Hidrología del Perú Servicio Nacional de Meteorología e Hidrología del Perú, Dirección Meteorológica de Chile Dirección Meteorológica de Chile

Visitor Visa Requirements

Short-stay tourist visa rules between Peru and Chile. To live, work, or study long-term in Chile, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Chile's immigration authority.

Peru passport

Peru passport holder visiting Chile

Visa Free
Peru passport holders can enter Chile without a visa.
Chile passport

Chile passport holder visiting Peru

Visa Free
Chile passport holders can enter Peru without a visa.

Data: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in Chile than Peru?

Day-to-day costs in Chile run about 24% higher than Peru on average; specific cities can swing further.

How much money do I need to move to Chile?

A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a PEN260,000 comparable salary, that's around CLF580 in Chile for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.

Can I work remotely from Chile?

With 23.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Chile can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Peru and Chile.

Is Chile safe for expats?

Chile generally does better on safety, though Peru leads in feel safe walking at night. The homicide rate in Chile is 6.3 per 100,000 people, compared to 8.6 in Peru. About 32% of people in Chile feel safe walking alone at night.

How is healthcare in Chile compared to Peru?

Peru generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Chile leads in doctors per 10,000 people. There are 33.3 doctors per 10,000 people in Chile, compared to 16.9 in Peru. Chile scores 82 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Peru: 71).

What's the weather like in Chile compared to Peru?

The average high temperature in Santiago is 73°F, compared to 72°F in Lima. Santiago receives around 13.5 in of rainfall per year, while Lima gets 0.5 in.

What language do they speak in Chile?

The official language in Chile is Spanish. In Peru, the official languages are Aymara, Quechua and Spanish.

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At a Glance

PE CL
Population 34,576,665 19,859,921
Currency Peruvian Nuevo Sol (PEN) Chilean Unit of Account (UF) (CLF)
Languages Aymara, Quechua, Spanish Spanish
Driving side Right Right
Calling code +51 +56
Time zones 1 2
Emergency number 105 131