Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Puerto Montt

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Montt: $450 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Puerto Montt

🇨🇱 Chile

$450

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Puerto Montt

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $450 in Puerto Montt.

Phuket $1,278
Puerto Montt $450

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $754 in Puerto Montt.

Phuket $2,216
Puerto Montt $754

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,057 in Puerto Montt.

Phuket $3,154
Puerto Montt $1,057

Living in Phuket is roughly 184% more expensive than in Puerto Montt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Puerto Montt 67% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$8.20 CLP 8,150

-45.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$35.00 CLP 34.8K

-7.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.24 CLP 7,192

21.69%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.76 CLP 2,742

2.54%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.87 CLP 867

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.87 CLP 869

-43.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.09 CLP 1,080

52.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$2.55 CLP 2,537

-42.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.38 CLP 1,370

8.70%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.09 CLP 3,070

-32.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$11.01 CLP 10.9K

73.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.70 CLP 5,660

-42.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.04 CLP 6,991

54.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.03 CLP 1,026

184.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.40 CLP 1,389

20.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.65 CLP 2,634

-15.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.74 CLP 1,726

19.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.54 CLP 1,531

-10.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.28 CLP 1,269

-16.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.49 CLP 1,485

-65.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.46 CLP 4,433

-5.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$5.40 CLP 5,360

247.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.34 CLP 1,332

35.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.48 CLP 1,468

91.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.94 CLP 933

54.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.28 CLP 1,267

14.84%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$61.6 CLP 61.2K

56.41%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$11.32 CLP 11.2K

-0.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$29.80 CLP 29.6K

-43.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$143 CLP 142.2K

232.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$502 CLP 498.3K

42.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Puerto Montt: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Puerto Montt

–

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Puerto Montt

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Puerto Montt

–

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Puerto Montt

–

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Puerto Montt

–

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Puerto Montt

–

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Puerto Montt

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $502 in Puerto Montt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $35 in Puerto Montt. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $216, with Puerto Montt cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇱 Puerto Montt

🕒 Local time

12:23 12:23 PM

02:23 2:23 AM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

169,736

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.07 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.02 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Puerto Montt 16,180 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Puerto Montt

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 Puerto Montt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Puerto Montt is about 65% cheaper overall, especially in transport and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $675 in Puerto Montt 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $502 in Puerto Montt. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $143 in Puerto Montt. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $35 in Puerto Montt. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $450 in Puerto Montt versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Puerto Montt but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Puerto Montt 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.