Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Iquique

For one person, living is cheaper in Iquique: $1,009 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Iquique
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Iquique Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Iquique

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Iquique

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 Iquique actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,009 in Iquique.

Phuket $1,208
Iquique $1,009

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,595 in Iquique.

Phuket $2,027
Iquique $1,595

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $2,181 in Iquique.

Phuket $2,845
Iquique $2,181

Living in Phuket is roughly 20% more expensive than in Iquique, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Iquique 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$7.52 CLP 7,405

-41.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$40.89 CLP 40.3K

-21.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$7.09 CLP 6,979

23.55%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$3.45 CLP 3,400

-17.97%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.24 CLP 1,219

-27.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$1.02 CLP 1,002

-53.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$3.19 CLP 3,141

-20.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.62 CLP 3,562

5.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.12 CLP 1,102

54.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.17 CLP 1,148

25.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.30 CLP 1,275

16.15%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.97 CLP 2,928

-26.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$10.38 CLP 10.2K

89.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$10.13 CLP 9,973

-67.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.30 CLP 2,263

23.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$2.24 CLP 2,205

-24.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.49 CLP 1,466

46.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.09 CLP 1,071

88.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.73 CLP 722

98.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.58 CLP 574

137.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.05 CLP 1,030

1.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$1.35 CLP 1,328

-62.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$7.01 CLP 6,904

-39.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$7.60 CLP 7,477

144.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$0.81 CLP 793

251.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.68 CLP 666

232.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.44 CLP 1,419

0.69%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$85.7 CLP 84.4K

12.48%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$15.04 CLP 14.8K

-26.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$23.18 CLP 22.8K

-26.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$50.1 CLP 49.3K

4.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$6.87 CLP 6,764

13.68%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$251 CLP 247.1K

121.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$30.07 CLP 29.6K

113.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$22.86 CLP 22.5K

25.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$45.02 CLP 44.3K

111.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$57.8 CLP 56.9K

52.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$413 CLP 406.6K

78.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$394 CLP 388.3K

17.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$690 CLP 679.5K

203.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$781 CLP 769.1K

53.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$1,709 CLP 1.7M

104.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,902 CLP 1.9M

32.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$934 CLP 919.7K

-46.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.5

-25.73%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Iquique: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Iquique

$394 39.1% 14.7% $68

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Iquique

$199 * 19.7% 26.1% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Iquique

$124 12.3% 0.5% $0.7

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Iquique

$70 7% 43.6% $54

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Iquique

$155 15.4% 27.9% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Iquique

$64 6.3% 5.9% $4

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Iquique

$2.7 * 0.3% 93.1% $37

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 $737 in Phuket and $413 in Iquique. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iquique pays 87% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $41.00 in Iquique. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $199, with Iquique cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇱 Iquique

🕒 Local time

23:05 11:05 PM

13:05 1:05 PM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

188,003

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Iquique 18,170 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Iquique

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 Iquique: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Iquique differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($1,208 vs $1,009 including rent). Iquique is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 87% lower in Iquique. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $737 in Phuket versus $413 in Iquique. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,208 per month in Phuket versus $1,009 in Iquique – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,009 in Iquique versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Iquique but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Iquique the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Iquique 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 Iquique gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.