Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and San Bernardo

For one person, living is cheaper in San Bernardo: $895 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in San Bernardo
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San Bernardo Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

San Bernardo

🇨🇱 Chile

$895

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in San Bernardo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $895 in San Bernardo.

Phuket $1,294
San Bernardo $895

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,397 in San Bernardo.

Phuket $2,204
San Bernardo $1,397

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,899 in San Bernardo.

Phuket $3,115
San Bernardo $1,899

Living in Phuket is roughly 44% more expensive than in San Bernardo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, San Bernardo 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$7.39 CLP 7,244

-40.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$25.03 CLP 24.5K

29.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$6.67 CLP 6,536

30.43%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$2.60 CLP 2,549

4.62%

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

$0.93 ฿31.39

$0.95 CLP 929

-2.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$1.00 CLP 980

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$3.93 CLP 3,851

-35.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$4.52 CLP 4,427

-19.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.08 CLP 1,057

61.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.95

$1.29 CLP 1,264

12.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.61 CLP 1,582

-6.83%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$3.92 CLP 3,845

-44.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$11.06 CLP 10.8K

72.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$4.40 CLP 4,309

-22.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$10.44 CLP 10.2K

4.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$1.86 CLP 1,822

58.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.48 CLP 1,448

14.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$1.42 CLP 1,393

54.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.7

$1.69 CLP 1,655

25.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.21

$0.83 CLP 812

75.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.15

$0.79 CLP 777

73.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.30

$1.16 CLP 1,141

-6.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.41

$1.06 CLP 1,040

-48.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$3.25 CLP 3,185

36.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$5.87 CLP 5,752

210.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.53 CLP 1,500

15.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$2.31 CLP 2,266

24.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.84

$0.84 CLP 826

72.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.38 CLP 373

297.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.18

$0.90 CLP 880

-13.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

$11.63 CLP 11.4K

-66.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.36 CLP 1,334

9.56%

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

$26.9K ฿907.0K

$16.9K CLP 16.5M

59.27%

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

$26.3K ฿888.9K

$25.1K CLP 24.6M

5.16%

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

$97.8 ฿3,300

$124 CLP 121.2K

-20.89%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$11.82 CLP 11.6K

-4.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$16.26 CLP 15.9K

5.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$19.36 CLP 19.0K

252.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$7.32 CLP 7,171

1.50%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$442 CLP 433.2K

20.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.7K

$10.7K CLP 10.5M

75.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,081

$35.97 CLP 35.3K

71.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$26.70 CLP 26.2K

5.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,239

$66.6 CLP 65.3K

44.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,929

$81.0 CLP 79.4K

7.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$267 CLP 261.9K

169.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$250 CLP 244.9K

103.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$697 CLP 682.9K

179.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$536 CLP 525.2K

160.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$1,858 CLP 1.8M

125.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$1,374 CLP 1.3M

140.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$1,333 CLP 1.3M

-63.12%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Bernardo: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

San Bernardo

$250 27.9% 50.9% $259

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

San Bernardo

$210 23.5% 21.3% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

San Bernardo

$152 17% 20.1% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

San Bernardo

$95 10.6% 22.9% $28

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

San Bernardo

$147 16.4% 22.8% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

San Bernardo

$34 3.8% 59.1% $49

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

San Bernardo

$8.2 * 0.9% 87.5% $58

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 $721 in Phuket and $267 in San Bernardo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Bernardo pays about 2.7 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $25 in San Bernardo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $210 per month, with San Bernardo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇱 San Bernardo

🕒 Local time

00:48 12:48 AM

14:48 2:48 PM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

290,912

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.2 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.11 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 980 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,097 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.11 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket San Bernardo 16,940 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
San Bernardo

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 San Bernardo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Bernardo is about 31% cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 63% lower in Phuket. 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: $721 in Phuket versus $267 in San Bernardo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $442 in San Bernardo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Bernardo – a meal for two runs $25 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. San Bernardo is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.