Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Vina del Mar

For one person, living is cheaper in Vina del Mar: $1,042 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Vina del Mar
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Vina del Mar Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Vina del Mar

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Vina del Mar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,042 in Vina del Mar.

Phuket $1,278
Vina del Mar $1,042

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,685 in Vina del Mar.

Phuket $2,216
Vina del Mar $1,685

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,327 in Vina del Mar.

Phuket $3,154
Vina del Mar $2,327

Living in Phuket is roughly 23% more expensive than in Vina del Mar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Vina del Mar 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$7.91 CLP 7,806

-43.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$57.3 CLP 56.5K

-43.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.81 CLP 7,701

12.80%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.38 CLP 3,330

-16.27%

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

$0.87 ฿29.40

$1.42 CLP 1,402

-38.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.08 CLP 1,065

-54.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.58 CLP 3,532

-28.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.21 CLP 3,162

14.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.30 CLP 1,282

27.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$1.23 CLP 1,218

18.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.64 CLP 1,613

-8.54%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.58 CLP 3,529

-41.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$9.64 CLP 9,510

97.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.95 CLP 4,881

-33.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$12.33 CLP 12.2K

-11.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$1.43 CLP 1,410

104.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.78 CLP 1,760

-5.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.27 CLP 1,257

77.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.06 CLP 1,045

96.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.50 CLP 1,482

0.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$1.25 CLP 1,234

10.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$0.97 CLP 953

10.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$1.28 CLP 1,267

-59.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.72 CLP 4,655

-11.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.16 CLP 7,068

162.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.74 CLP 1,721

4.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.11 CLP 2,080

34.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.97

$0.53 CLP 527

173.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

$38.28 CLP 37.8K

48.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.50 CLP 1,481

101.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.32

$1.23 CLP 1,210

-17.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$12.31 CLP 12.1K

-70.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

$1.29 CLP 1,268

13.95%

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

$26.8K ฿903.2K

$18.0K CLP 17.8M

48.43%

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

$26.7K ฿900.3K

$17.1K CLP 16.8M

56.34%

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

$96.4 ฿3,250

$108 CLP 106.4K

-10.70%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$14.49 CLP 14.3K

-22.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$17.45 CLP 17.2K

-3.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$42.19 CLP 41.6K

59.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$24.03 CLP 23.7K

-55.35%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.02 CLP 5,942

24.58%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$495 CLP 488.2K

-3.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

$5,053 CLP 5.0M

122.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$42.10 CLP 41.5K

48.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$33.15 CLP 32.7K

-14.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$55.4 CLP 54.7K

70.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$86.2 CLP 85.0K

-0.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$460 CLP 454.2K

55.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$322 CLP 317.3K

52.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$817 CLP 805.6K

135.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$614 CLP 606.1K

132.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.8K

$2,313 CLP 2.3M

80.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,507 CLP 1.5M

102.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,062 CLP 1.0M

-52.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.83

15.32%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Vina del Mar: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Vina del Mar

$322 30.9% 34.5% $169

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Vina del Mar

$219 21% 17.9% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Vina del Mar

$140 13.4% 12.3% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Vina del Mar

$98 9.4% 20% $24

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Vina del Mar

$162 15.5% 32.7% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Vina del Mar

$54 5.2% 34% $28

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Vina del Mar

$48 4.6% 31.9% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $460 in Vina del Mar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vina del Mar pays about 2.1 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 $57 in Vina del Mar. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $219, with Vina del Mar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇱 Vina del Mar

🕒 Local time

04:40 4:40 AM

18:40 6:40 PM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

332,875

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.14 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 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 = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 986 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.01 USD). 1 EUR = 1,106 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Vina del Mar 17,030 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Vina del Mar

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 Vina del Mar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vina del Mar is about 19% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 53% 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 $460 in Vina del Mar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $495 in Vina del Mar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Vina del Mar 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.