Chile faces widening gender wage gap amid high living costs

Official figures show that the median monthly salary in Chile is about 680,000 pesos, while the average wage stands at roughly 962,000 pesos and the minimum wage is just over 553,000 pesos. A typical two‑bedroom rent in a modest neighbourhood costs around 300,000 pesos, utilities add another 100,000 pesos, daily public transport expenses are 2‑3,000 pesos and food for one person exceeds 80,000 pesos. Analysts note that many Chilean households struggle to cover these costs, contributing to a decline in marriages and a birth‑rate that rivals the lowest levels worldwide.

In the Antofagasta region, average monthly earnings are the highest in the country at about 1,196,754 pesos, driven by mining and energy projects. However, the gender wage gap in the region has widened to 38%, the largest disparity nationwide, with men earning around 1.43 million pesos on average compared with considerably lower earnings for women. Experts attribute the gap partly to special shift work prevalent in the mining sector, which limits women's access to higher‑paying jobs.