Currency Exchange Offices
There are several exchange houses on Toconao Street and Caracoles Street. However, to get better rates, we recommend exchanging your money in Santiago, where you may get a better value for your dollars or foreign currency than in the town.
As a reference for the value of your dollars, we recommend visiting the página del Banco Central.
ATMs
When you visit San Pedro de Atacama, ou will notice that many agencies, shops, and restaurants only accept cash, which can lead to congestion at the only four ATMs (Automatic Teller Machines) in town. For this reason, we recommend having enough cash for your trip and withdrawing money before arriving in town, for example, at the ATMs located inside Aeropuerto El Loa de Calama.
ATMs in San Pedro de Atacama:
- Salcobrand Pharmacy (BCI): Caracoles 241, corner of Tocopilla.
- Cruz Verde Pharmacy (BCI): Caracoles 359, corner of Toconao.
- Banco BCI: Vilama 425-D, corner of Caracoles (Bank hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.).
- Banco Estado: Gustavo Le Paige s/n, opposite the former Archaeological Museum (Bank hours: Thursday, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.)