Chile comes closest to South America’s estimated ‘price of happiness’

Main Points

• Chile comes closest to the estimated income linked to higher life satisfaction.
• Uruguay ranks second, while Brazil reaches 36.4% of the estimated level.
• Average wages remain below the estimated happiness threshold in all eight countries.

Chile comes closest among the South American countries in the infographic to reaching the income level that Remitly associates with greater life satisfaction.

Chile’s average annual wage is shown at $13,300, compared with an estimated “price of happiness” of $21,800. That means the average wage reaches 60.9% of the estimated level, the highest share among the countries shown.

Uruguay follows at 43.9%, with an average wage of $15,200 against an estimated threshold of $34,600. Brazil stands at 36.4%, with $7,600 in average wages compared with $20,900.

Bolivia and Argentina are both at 36.1%, followed by Colombia at 34.7%, Paraguay at 33.7% and Ecuador at 32.9%.

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Remitly’s 2026 analysis covers 123 countries and is based on earlier Purdue University research into “income satiation”, the point at which additional income stops being associated with meaningful gains in life satisfaction.

Remitly adjusted the figures for local purchasing power and inflation and compared them with average wage data from the International Labour Organisation.

The figures should not be read as the salary someone literally needs to be happy. The original Purdue research, based on more than 1.7 million people worldwide, found that income and wellbeing are related but that the point where benefits level off varies considerably between regions.

Remitly says its figures were correct as of March 2026, making the infographic broadly consistent with its published methodology.