Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Montt and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Montt: $450 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Puerto Montt

🇨🇱 Chile

$450

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Puerto Montt and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Puerto Montt and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $450 in Puerto Montt versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Puerto Montt $450
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $754 in Puerto Montt versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Puerto Montt $754
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,057 in Puerto Montt versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Puerto Montt $1,057
Phuket $3,154

Living in Puerto Montt costs roughly 65% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Puerto Montt 67% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.20 CLP 8,150

$4.47 ฿151

83.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.00 CLP 34.8K

$32.41 ฿1,094

7.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.24 CLP 7,192

$8.81 ฿297

-17.82%

Cappuccino

$2.76 CLP 2,742

$2.83 ฿95.4

-2.47%

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

$0.87 CLP 867

$0.87 ฿29.42

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 CLP 869

$0.49 ฿16.66

77.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 CLP 1,080

$1.66 ฿56.0

-34.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 CLP 2,537

$1.46 ฿49.32

74.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 CLP 1,370

$1.50 ฿50.5

-8.00%

Eggs

$3.09 CLP 3,070

$2.09 ฿70.5

47.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.01 CLP 10.9K

$19.07 ฿643

-42.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.70 CLP 5,660

$3.30 ฿111

72.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.04 CLP 6,991

$10.91 ฿368

-35.47%

Apples (1kg)

$1.03 CLP 1,026

$2.93 ฿98.9

-64.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 CLP 1,389

$1.69 ฿57.0

-17.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 CLP 2,634

$2.25 ฿75.8

17.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 CLP 1,726

$2.08 ฿70.1

-16.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 CLP 1,531

$1.38 ฿46.54

11.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 CLP 1,269

$1.07 ฿35.97

19.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 CLP 1,485

$0.52 ฿17.51

186.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.46 CLP 4,433

$4.20 ฿142

6.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.40 CLP 5,360

$18.79 ฿634

-71.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 CLP 1,332

$1.82 ฿61.5

-26.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 CLP 1,468

$2.84 ฿95.9

-47.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 CLP 933

$1.45 ฿49.00

-35.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 CLP 1,267

$1.47 ฿49.78

-12.93%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

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

$61.6 CLP 61.2K

$96.4 ฿3,252

-36.07%

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

$11.32 CLP 11.2K

$11.26 ฿380

0.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.80 CLP 29.6K

$16.85 ฿569

76.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

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

$143 CLP 142.2K

$476 ฿16.1K

-69.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$502 CLP 498.3K

$716 ฿24.2K

-29.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Puerto Montt: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Puerto Montt

–

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Groceries & Markets

Puerto Montt

–

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puerto Montt

–

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Clothing & Footwear

Puerto Montt

–

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Eating Out

Puerto Montt

–

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sport & Entertainment

Puerto Montt

–

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Getting Around

Puerto Montt

–

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $502 in Puerto Montt and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35 in Puerto Montt vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $216 vs $266, with Puerto Montt cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Puerto Montt

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

23:35 11:35 PM

09:35 9:35 AM

10 h ahead of Puerto Montt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

169,736

79,308

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.07 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.02 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

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).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Puerto Montt Phuket 16,180 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Puerto Montt
Phuket

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

Puerto Montt vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Puerto Montt is about 65% cheaper overall, especially in transport and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $675 in Puerto Montt and $1,917 in Phuket 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: $502 in Puerto Montt versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $143 in Puerto Montt versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $35 in Puerto Montt. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $450 in Puerto Montt versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Puerto Montt but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Puerto Montt 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.