Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calama and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Calama: $595 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Calama
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Calama Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Calama

🇨🇱 Chile

$595

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calama and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Calama and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $595 in Calama versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Calama $595
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,203 in Calama versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Calama $1,203
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,812 in Calama versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Calama $1,812
Phuket $2,867

Living in Calama costs roughly 51% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Calama 56% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.95 CLP 6,841

$4.58 ฿153

51.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.49 CLP 31.0K

$32.48 ฿1,086

-3.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

Cappuccino

$2.05 CLP 2,018

$2.72 ฿91.0

-24.63%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 CLP 916

$0.94 ฿31.25

-1.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 CLP 929

$0.49 ฿16.39

91.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.12 CLP 3,074

$2.59 ฿86.6

20.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 CLP 5,149

$3.83 ฿128

36.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 CLP 1,087

$1.74 ฿58.1

-36.78%

White Bread (500g)

$0.84 CLP 825

$1.43 ฿47.82

-41.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.62 CLP 2,575

$1.53 ฿51.0

71.24%

Eggs

$4.95 CLP 4,876

$2.17 ฿72.7

128.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.36 CLP 9,217

$19.15 ฿640

-51.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.22 CLP 6,119

$3.30 ฿110

88.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.53 CLP 7,413

$11.14 ฿372

-32.41%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 CLP 1,242

$2.95 ฿98.5

-57.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 CLP 1,029

$1.68 ฿56.1

-37.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 CLP 1,523

$2.30 ฿76.8

-32.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 CLP 1,081

$2.13 ฿71.3

-48.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 CLP 884

$1.53 ฿51.1

-41.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 CLP 916

$1.36 ฿45.55

-31.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.25 CLP 5,170

$4.26 ฿142

23.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.19 CLP 4,128

$18.19 ฿608

-76.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 CLP 990

$1.74 ฿58.2

-41.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 CLP 1,235

$2.79 ฿93.3

-55.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 CLP 931

$2.22 ฿74.1

-57.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 CLP 1,412

$1.01 ฿33.79

41.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 CLP 1,415

$1.49 ฿49.85

-3.36%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$26.7K ฿891.6K

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.7K ฿892.7K

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$40.05 CLP 39.4K

$99.4 ฿3,321

-59.70%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$11.28 ฿377

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.28 CLP 13.1K

$17.36 ฿580

-23.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

$52.3 ฿1,747

-1.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.74 CLP 20.4K

$10.85 ฿362

91.15%

Cinema Ticket

$4.69 CLP 4,617

$7.57 ฿253

-38.04%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$306 CLP 301.6K

$558 ฿18.7K

-45.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.08 CLP 35.5K

$62.9 ฿2,102

-42.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.38 CLP 27.9K

$28.58 ฿955

-0.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.82 CLP 45.1K

$96.1 ฿3,213

-52.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.8 CLP 60.9K

$88.1 ฿2,943

-29.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$327 CLP 322.3K

$729 ฿24.4K

-55.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$102 CLP 100.6K

$460 ฿15.4K

-77.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$807 CLP 794.0K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-61.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$608 CLP 599.0K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-50.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,403 CLP 1.4M

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-59.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,229 CLP 1.2M

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-50.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,110 CLP 1.1M

$493 ฿16.5K

125.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-10.23%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Calama: October 13, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Calama

$176 * 29.6%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 51.8% $91

Eating Out

Calama

$114 * 19.1%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 6.6% $7.5

Accommodation & Living

Calama

$102 17.2%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 350% $358

Clothing & Footwear

Calama

$77 13%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 60.2% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Calama

$61 10.3%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 10.3% $6.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calama

$53 * 9%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 140% $75

Getting Around

Calama

$11 * 1.8%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 255% $28

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $327 in Calama and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calama pays 125% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $31.00 in Calama vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $176 vs $268 per month, with Calama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Calama

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

00:57 12:57 AM

10:57 10:57 AM

10 h ahead of Calama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

157,575

79,308

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Calama Phuket 17,900 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Calama
Phuket

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Calama vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calama wins on cost – living expenses run 103% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Calama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 125% higher in Calama, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $327 in Calama versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 52% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $595 per month in Calama versus $1,207 in Phuket – a 103% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $595 in Calama versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Calama but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Calama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Calama delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $595 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Calama hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Calama and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Calama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 103% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.