Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,163 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,163

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Santiago

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,163 in Santiago.

Phuket $1,278
Santiago $1,163

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,844 in Santiago.

Phuket $2,216
Santiago $1,844

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,525 in Santiago.

Phuket $3,154
Santiago $2,525

Living in Phuket is roughly 10% more expensive than in Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Santiago 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$9.93 CLP 9,866

-54.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$49.88 CLP 49.5K

-35.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.64 CLP 8,585

1.97%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.16 CLP 3,140

-10.44%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$1.65 CLP 1,642

-47.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$1.24 CLP 1,235

-60.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$4.12 CLP 4,091

-37.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.60 CLP 4,574

-20.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.22 CLP 1,214

36.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.82 CLP 1,803

-19.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.58 CLP 1,572

-5.06%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.04 CLP 4,014

-48.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$10.96 CLP 10.9K

74.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.66 CLP 6,616

-50.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.32 CLP 10.3K

5.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.02 CLP 2,002

45.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.49 CLP 1,479

13.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.58 CLP 1,568

42.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.72 CLP 1,704

20.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.04 CLP 1,037

45.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.51 CLP 1,499

-8.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.22 CLP 1,210

-12.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.10 CLP 1,093

-52.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.10 CLP 5,063

-17.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$5.93 CLP 5,891

216.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.48 CLP 1,470

22.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.25 CLP 2,232

26.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.84 CLP 832

72.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$40.64 CLP 40.4K

39.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.38 CLP 378

694.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.82 CLP 813

24.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$11.53 CLP 11.5K

-68.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.52 CLP 1,514

-3.29%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$16.8K CLP 16.7M

59.10%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$24.9K CLP 24.8M

7.10%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$146 CLP 144.7K

-33.87%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$12.20 CLP 12.1K

-7.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$18.80 CLP 18.7K

-10.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$32.41 CLP 32.2K

107.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$11.68 CLP 11.6K

-8.13%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.58 CLP 7,534

-1.06%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$440 CLP 436.9K

8.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$10.7K CLP 10.6M

5.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$48.81 CLP 48.5K

27.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$28.87 CLP 28.7K

-1.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$64.4 CLP 63.9K

46.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$80.9 CLP 80.4K

6.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$497 CLP 493.6K

44.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$373 CLP 370.9K

31.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$989 CLP 982.1K

94.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$750 CLP 745.0K

90.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,960 CLP 2.9M

41.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,517 CLP 2.5M

20.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$771 CLP 765.9K

-34.86%

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: October 26, 2026

Last update for Santiago: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Santiago

$373 32.1% 23.9% $117

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Santiago

$232 19.9% 12.9% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Santiago

$177 15.2% 42% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Santiago

$100 8.6% 17.7% $22

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Santiago

$185 15.9% 51.8% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Santiago

$48 4.1% 42.2% $35

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Santiago

$48 4.2% 31.3% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $497 in Santiago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santiago pays 54% 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 $50 in Santiago. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $232, with Santiago cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

18:09 6:09 PM

08:09 8:09 AM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

6,139,087 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 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 Santiago 16,960 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Santiago

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: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santiago is about 9% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 35% 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: $716 in Phuket versus $497 in Santiago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $440 in Santiago. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Santiago gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.