Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Curico

For one person, living is cheaper in Curico: $958 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Curico, Chile
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Curico
🇨🇱 Chile
$958
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Curico

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $958 in Curico.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Curico $958

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,408 in Curico.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Curico $1,408

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,858 in Curico.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Curico $1,858

Living in Phuket is roughly 33% more expensive than in Curico, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Curico 30% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Curico
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$5.23 CLP 5,199
-14.53%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,094
$46.51 CLP 46.2K
-30.32%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$8.88 CLP 8,822
-0.79%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.4
$3.21 CLP 3,189
-11.84%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.42
$1.69 CLP 1,677
-48.52%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.66
$1.28 CLP 1,267
-61.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.3
$2.86 CLP 2,836
-10.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$2.49 CLP 2,476
47.79%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Curico
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿56.0
$1.18 CLP 1,176
40.68%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.32
$1.76 CLP 1,747
-17.05%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.5
$1.67 CLP 1,656
-10.18%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$2.15 CLP 2,132
-2.79%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿643
$11.04 CLP 11.0K
72.74%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$6.99 CLP 6,939
-52.79%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$10.47 CLP 10.4K
4.20%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿98.9
$1.92 CLP 1,910
52.60%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.0
$1.51 CLP 1,502
11.92%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$1.66 CLP 1,647
35.54%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.1
$1.74 CLP 1,726
19.54%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$1.06 CLP 1,049
42.45%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.54
$1.53 CLP 1,523
-9.80%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.97
$1.19 CLP 1,181
-10.08%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.51
$0.97 CLP 959
-46.39%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$5.10 CLP 5,069
-17.65%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$6.18 CLP 6,142
204.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.5
$1.54 CLP 1,532
18.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.9
$2.27 CLP 2,256
25.11%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Curico
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿49.00
$0.72 CLP 719
101.39%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,912
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$0.42 CLP 419
619.05%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.34
$0.83 CLP 823
22.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
$11.84 CLP 11.8K
-68.83%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.78
$1.34 CLP 1,329
9.70%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿903.7K
$16.7K CLP 16.5M
60.82%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿900.8K
$25.3K CLP 25.1M
5.63%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Curico
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,252
$146 CLP 145.0K
-33.98%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$10.38 CLP 10.3K
8.48%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿569
$19.18 CLP 19.1K
-12.15%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Curico
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,269
$20.51 CLP 20.4K
227.79%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$7.70 CLP 7,644
-2.60%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Curico
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$404 CLP 401.8K
17.66%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.1K
$10.7K CLP 10.7M
4.85%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Curico
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,105
$49.08 CLP 48.8K
27.06%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿959
$29.15 CLP 29.0K
-2.54%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,182
$36.15 CLP 35.9K
160.83%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,896
$45.23 CLP 44.9K
89.70%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Curico
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
$436 CLP 432.6K
64.36%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
$304 CLP 302.2K
61.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.0K
$702 CLP 696.9K
174.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
$404 CLP 401.0K
254.37%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿140.9K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.8K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Curico
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿17.0K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
5.39
3.34%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Curico: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Curico
$304 38% $187
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Curico
$225 15.4% $41
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Curico
$176 41% $51
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Curico
$72 41.1% $50
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Curico
$138 13.5% $16
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Curico
$36 56.3% $46
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Curico
$7.5 * 89.4% $63

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 $716 in Phuket and $436 in Curico. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $47 in Curico. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $225, with Curico cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇨🇱 Curico
🕒 Local time
16:27 4:27 PM
06:27 6:27 AM
10 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
125,275
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Curico 16,820 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Curico

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
Phuket vs Curico: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Curico cheaper than Phuket?
Curico is about 25% cheaper overall, especially in transport, clothing, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,438 in Curico to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Phuket and Curico?
Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $436 in Curico. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $404 in Curico. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Phuket or in Curico?
Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $47 in Curico. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is it better to live in Phuket or in Curico?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

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