Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Santiago City

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago City: $862 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Santiago City
Learn more

Santiago City Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Santiago City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$862

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Santiago City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $862 in Santiago City.

Phuket $1,278
Santiago City $862

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,309 in Santiago City.

Phuket $2,216
Santiago City $1,309

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,755 in Santiago City.

Phuket $3,154
Santiago City $1,755

Living in Phuket is roughly 48% more expensive than in Santiago City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Santiago City 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.21 ₱396

-28.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$38.94 ₱2,486

-16.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.56 ₱291

93.20%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.2

$2.51 ₱161

12.75%

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

$0.87 ฿29.36

$1.10 ₱69.9

-20.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.63

$0.53 ₱33.53

-7.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$2.30 ₱147

11.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.06 ₱195

20.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.87 ₱119

-11.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.24

$1.26 ₱80.7

15.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.04 ₱66.7

44.23%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$1.36 ₱87.0

53.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$7.00 ₱447

172.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.95 ₱316

-33.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.67 ₱426

63.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$2.34 ₱150

25.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.90 ₱121

-11.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$3.21 ₱205

-29.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿69.9

$2.31 ₱147

-9.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$3.44 ₱220

-56.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.45

$3.39 ₱217

-59.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.90

$1.07 ₱68.2

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.48

$0.54 ₱34.42

-3.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.52 ₱161

66.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$7.77 ₱496

141.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.35 ₱86.3

34.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$1.93 ₱123

47.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.91

$0.23 ₱14.67

530.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$12.07 ₱771

369.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.65 ₱41.25

364.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.28

$0.21 ₱13.40

385.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$1.86 ₱119

98.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.69

$1.24 ₱79.4

18.55%

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

$26.8K ฿902.1K

$20.6K ₱1.3M

30.25%

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

$26.7K ฿899.2K

$18.6K ₱1.2M

43.73%

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

$96.4 ฿3,246

$155 ₱9,891

-37.81%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$15.75 ₱1,006

-28.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$31.94 ₱2,039

-47.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,265

$32.85 ₱2,097

104.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$4.44 ₱284

141.67%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.89 ₱440

8.85%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$131 ₱8,373

262.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.5K

$7,238 ₱462.1K

55.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,101

$32.32 ₱2,063

92.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$18.96 ₱1,210

49.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,177

$80.0 ₱5,107

17.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,891

$54.2 ₱3,460

58.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$251 ₱16.0K

185.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$189 ₱12.1K

159.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$538 ₱34.3K

258.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$307 ₱19.6K

366.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$2,648 ₱169.1K

57.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$1,225 ₱78.2K

148.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

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 26, 2026

Last update for Santiago City: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Santiago City

$189 21.9% 61.5% $302

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Santiago City

$208 24.2% 21.8% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Santiago City

$203 23.5% 62.8% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Santiago City

$83 9.7% 31.5% $38

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Santiago City

$118 13.6% 3.4% $4.1

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Santiago City

$47 5.4% 43.3% $36

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Santiago City

$15 1.7% 79.2% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $251 in Santiago City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $39 in Santiago City. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $208, with Santiago City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Santiago City

🕒 Local time

15:06 3:06 PM

16:06 4:06 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

108,414

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 33.69 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 63.85 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.41 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Santiago City 2,700 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Santiago City

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 Santiago City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santiago City is about 33% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,293 in Santiago City 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 $251 in Santiago City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $131 in Santiago City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $862 in Santiago City versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Santiago City but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Santiago City 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 Santiago City are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.