Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
Both cities are about equally easy to travel. Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ La Fortuna 3 vs San Pedro de Atacama 2. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
| Item | La Fortuna | San Pedro de Atacama | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | โก 4,000$8.74 | CLP$ 12,000$12.6 | La Fortuna โ31% |
| Street food1 item | โก 2,500$5.46 | CLP$ 3,000$3.16 | San Pedro de Atacama โ42% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | โก 10,000$21.9 | CLP$ 28,000$29.5 | La Fortuna โ26% |
| Coffeeone cup | โก 2,800$6.12 | CLP$ 3,500$3.68 | San Pedro de Atacama โ40% |
| Beerone bottle | โก 2,000$4.37 | CLP$ 4,500$4.74 | La Fortuna โ8% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | โก 5,500$12 | CLP$ 8,000$8.42 | San Pedro de Atacama โ30% |
| Bottled water | โก 600$1.31 | CLP$ 1,200$1.26 | similar |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | โก 1,000$2.19 | CLP$ 1,200$1.26 | San Pedro de Atacama โ42% |
| Taxi5 km in town | โก 5,000$10.9 | CLP$ 5,000$5.26 | San Pedro de Atacama โ52% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | โก 2,000$4.37 | CLP$ 3,000$3.16 | San Pedro de Atacama โ28% |
| Transitone ride | โก 1,000$2.19 | CLP$ 6,000$6.32 | La Fortuna โ65% |
| Scooter rentalper day | โก 20,000$43.7 | CLP$ 10,000$10.5 | San Pedro de Atacama โ76% |
| Hotel night3-star | โก 36,000$78.7 | CLP$ 100,000$105 | La Fortuna โ25% |
| Studio rent (month) | โก 280,000$612 | CLP$ 550,000$579 | San Pedro de Atacama โ5% |
| Laundry | โก 1,500$3.28 | CLP$ 3,000$3.16 | similar |
| SIM card1 week data | โก 5,000$10.9 | CLP$ 15,000$15.8 | La Fortuna โ31% |
| Haircutcut | โก 6,500$14.2 | CLP$ 10,000$10.5 | San Pedro de Atacama โ26% |
| Massage1 hour | โก 16,000$35 | CLP$ 35,000$36.8 | La Fortuna โ5% |
| Half-day tourper person | โก 23,000$50.3 | CLP$ 30,000$31.6 | San Pedro de Atacama โ37% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | โก 7,800$17 | CLP$ 11,000$11.6 | San Pedro de Atacama โ32% |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
La Fortuna is 8% cheaper than San Pedro de Atacama. Daily budget $168 vs $197; a month $3,001 vs $3,006.
About the same: La Fortuna 2.6/5, San Pedro de Atacama 2.6/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
With a short-term studio and living costs, La Fortuna is about $3,001 and San Pedro de Atacama about $3,006 per month.
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.