Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Serena and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in La Serena: $1,093 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

53

Cost of Living Index in La Serena
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La Serena Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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La Serena

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,093

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in La Serena 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 La Serena and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,093 per month in La Serena vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

La Serena $1,093
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,806 per month in La Serena vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

La Serena $1,806
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $2,518 per month in La Serena vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

La Serena $2,518
Phuket $3,154

La Serena is about 14% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both La Serena and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – La Serena 20% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.54 CLP 7,489

$4.47 ฿151

68.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.87 CLP 47.5K

$32.41 ฿1,093

47.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.24 CLP 8,183

$8.81 ฿297

-6.47%

Cappuccino

$2.91 CLP 2,890

$2.83 ฿95.4

2.83%

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

$1.08 CLP 1,075

$0.87 ฿29.41

24.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 CLP 624

$0.49 ฿16.65

28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.08 CLP 2,062

$2.56 ฿86.3

-18.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 CLP 3,874

$3.68 ฿124

5.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 CLP 1,150

$1.66 ฿55.9

-30.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 CLP 2,361

$1.46 ฿49.31

63.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 CLP 1,488

$1.50 ฿50.5

Eggs

$3.69 CLP 3,663

$2.09 ฿70.5

76.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.25 CLP 12.2K

$19.07 ฿643

-35.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.63 CLP 5,596

$3.30 ฿111

70.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.68 CLP 12.6K

$10.91 ฿368

16.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 CLP 1,847

$2.93 ฿98.9

-36.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 CLP 1,663

$1.69 ฿57.0

-1.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.25 CLP 1,238

$2.25 ฿75.8

-44.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 CLP 1,414

$2.08 ฿70.0

-31.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 CLP 1,149

$1.51 ฿51.0

-23.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 CLP 1,168

$1.38 ฿46.52

-14.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 CLP 996

$1.07 ฿35.96

-6.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 CLP 886

$0.52 ฿17.51

71.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.11 CLP 5,074

$4.20 ฿142

21.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.14 CLP 5,109

$18.79 ฿634

-72.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 CLP 968

$1.82 ฿61.5

-46.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 CLP 2,001

$2.84 ฿95.8

-29.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 CLP 983

$1.45 ฿48.98

-31.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.66 CLP 34.4K

$56.7 ฿1,912

-38.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 CLP 693

$3.02 ฿102

-76.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 CLP 1,982

$1.02 ฿34.33

96.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.35 CLP 12.3K

$3.69 ฿125

234.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 CLP 1,368

$1.47 ฿49.76

-6.12%

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

$19.2K CLP 19.1M

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-28.18%

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

$12.1K CLP 12.0M

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-54.83%

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

$84.7 CLP 84.2K

$96.4 ฿3,251

-12.08%

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

$10.79 CLP 10.7K

$11.26 ฿380

-4.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.76 CLP 20.6K

$16.85 ฿568

23.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$88.4 CLP 87.8K

$67.2 ฿2,268

31.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.59 CLP 20.4K

$10.73 ฿362

91.89%

Cinema Ticket

$7.97 CLP 7,912

$7.50 ฿253

6.27%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.44 CLP 42.2K

$62.4 ฿2,104

-31.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.5 CLP 59.1K

$28.41 ฿958

109.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.1 CLP 89.5K

$94.3 ฿3,181

-4.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 CLP 100.9K

$85.8 ฿2,895

18.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$414 CLP 411.6K

$716 ฿24.2K

-42.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$316 CLP 313.7K

$491 ฿16.6K

-35.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$877 CLP 871.4K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-54.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$696 CLP 690.9K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-51.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,009 CLP 2.0M

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-51.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,298 CLP 1.3M

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-57.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$710 CLP 705.2K

$502 ฿16.9K

41.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

5.57

16.70%

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

Last update for La Serena: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

La Serena

$316 28.9%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 55.4% $175

Groceries & Markets

La Serena

$230 21.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 15.7% $36

Eating Out

La Serena

$145 13.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 16% $23

Clothing & Footwear

La Serena

$132 12.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 7.8% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Serena

$116 10.6%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 7.1% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

La Serena

$104 9.6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 21.2% $22

Getting Around

La Serena

$49 4.5%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 43.2% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $414 in La Serena versus $716 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 41% higher in La Serena, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in La Serena versus $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $230 in La Serena vs $266 in Phuket – so La Serena wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇱 La Serena

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

21:55 9:55 PM

07:55 7:55 AM

10 h ahead of La Serena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

195,382

79,308

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.07 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.02 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 993 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.01 USD). 1 EUR = 1,109 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.02 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

La Serena Phuket 17,340 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

La Serena
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

La Serena vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,640 per month in La Serena and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in La Serena, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $414 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,093 in La Serena and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes La Serena about 14% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in La Serena and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,093 in La Serena and $1,278 in Phuket, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,093 in La Serena to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.