Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Santiago City Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Santiago City

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Phuket versus $870 in Santiago City.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,089 in Phuket versus $1,357 in Santiago City.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,913 in Phuket versus $1,844 in Santiago City.

Living in Phuket is roughly 46% more expensive than in Santiago City, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Santiago City 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.66 ฿153

$6.39 ₱398

-27.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.22 ฿1,059

$39.81 ₱2,483

-19.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.68 ฿285

$4.56 ₱284

90.35%

Cappuccino

$2.90 ฿95.3

$2.65 ₱165

9.43%

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

$0.84 ฿27.75

$1.12 ₱70.0

-25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.08

$0.49 ₱30.37

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 ฿81.6

$2.34 ₱146

5.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿123

$3.14 ₱196

18.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 ฿62.0

$1.83 ₱114

3.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿46.31

$1.30 ₱81.1

8.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 ฿53.3

$1.06 ₱66.3

52.83%

Eggs

$2.24 ฿73.7

$1.43 ₱89.3

56.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.84 ฿652

$7.27 ₱453

172.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 ฿114

$4.82 ₱301

-27.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.37 ฿374

$6.95 ₱433

63.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 ฿95.3

$2.33 ₱145

24.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ฿56.7

$1.98 ₱123

-13.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 ฿74.7

$3.29 ₱205

-31.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿70.1

$2.30 ₱143

-7.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 ฿48.49

$3.48 ₱217

-57.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 ฿46.69

$3.59 ₱224

-60.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ฿36.08

$1.07 ₱67.0

2.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ฿19.66

$0.53 ₱32.83

13.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿142

$2.59 ₱162

66.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.60 ฿612

$7.98 ₱498

133.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ฿59.2

$1.38 ₱85.9

30.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 ฿97.5

$2.07 ₱129

43.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 ฿73.8

$0.27 ₱16.91

733.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.49 ฿772

$11.15 ₱695

110.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 ฿102

$0.66 ₱41.45

369.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 ฿35.39

$0.23 ₱14.37

369.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.87 ฿127

$1.96 ₱122

97.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿46.93

$1.24 ₱77.6

15.32%

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

$27.8K ฿913.6K

$21.6K ₱1.3M

28.72%

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

$27.0K ฿887.2K

$19.8K ₱1.2M

36.22%

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

$105 ฿3,446

$153 ₱9,540

-31.50%

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

$11.39 ฿375

$16.42 ₱1,024

-30.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.54 ฿577

$31.65 ₱1,973

-44.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 ฿1,787

$32.63 ₱2,035

66.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.44 ฿376

$4.83 ₱301

136.85%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 ฿256

$7.07 ₱441

10.04%

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

$576 ฿19.0K

$135 ₱8,394

328.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿380.8K

$7,574 ₱472.3K

52.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.6 ฿2,092

$32.56 ₱2,030

95.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.10 ฿957

$19.82 ₱1,236

46.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 ฿3,164

$80.9 ₱5,044

18.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 ฿2,960

$56.4 ₱3,516

59.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 ฿24.1K

$266 ₱16.6K

175.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 ฿16.5K

$175 ₱10.9K

185.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,126 ฿69.9K

$505 ₱31.5K

321.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,252 ฿41.2K

$354 ₱22.1K

253.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,534 ฿116.2K

$2,628 ₱163.9K

34.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,622 ฿86.2K

$1,058 ₱66.0K

147.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.7K

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: September 6, 2026

Last update for Santiago City: September 8, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $733 in Phuket and $266 in Santiago City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $40.00 in Santiago City. Groceries flip the comparison at $275 vs $212, with Santiago City cheaper for home cooking.

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 cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Getting Around. The 46% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,898 in Phuket and $1,304 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: $733 in Phuket versus $266 in Santiago City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $576 in Phuket versus $135 in Santiago City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $870 in Santiago City versus $1,265 in Phuket, a $2,000 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.

For families, Santiago City is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Santiago City 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 Santiago City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.