Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Pedro de Atacama and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in San Pedro de Atacama: $1,078 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in San Pedro de Atacama
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San Pedro de Atacama Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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San Pedro de Atacama

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,078

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Pedro de Atacama 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 San Pedro de Atacama and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,078 in San Pedro de Atacama versus $1,294 in Phuket.

San Pedro de Atacama $1,078
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,628 in San Pedro de Atacama versus $2,204 in Phuket.

San Pedro de Atacama $1,628
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,178 in San Pedro de Atacama versus $3,115 in Phuket.

San Pedro de Atacama $2,178
Phuket $3,115

Living in San Pedro de Atacama costs roughly 17% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: San Pedro de Atacama 20% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.15 CLP 6,903

$4.39 ฿147

62.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.87 CLP 43.3K

$32.31 ฿1,085

38.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.20 CLP 7,919

$8.70 ฿292

-5.75%

Cappuccino

$2.80 CLP 2,704

$2.72 ฿91.5

2.94%

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

$1.58 CLP 1,525

$0.93 ฿31.25

69.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 CLP 1,133

$0.50 ฿16.78

134.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.46 CLP 3,340

$2.53 ฿85.0

36.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 CLP 3,759

$3.63 ฿122

7.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 CLP 1,139

$1.74 ฿58.4

-32.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 CLP 1,424

$1.45 ฿48.73

1.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 CLP 1,582

$1.50 ฿50.5

9.33%

Eggs

$3.70 CLP 3,577

$2.17 ฿73.0

70.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.32 CLP 9,967

$19.09 ฿641

-45.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.68 CLP 6,453

$3.40 ฿114

96.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.69 CLP 11.3K

$10.90 ฿366

7.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 CLP 1,919

$2.94 ฿98.8

-32.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 CLP 1,513

$1.69 ฿56.8

-7.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 CLP 1,708

$2.19 ฿73.7

-19.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 CLP 1,675

$2.12 ฿71.4

-18.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 CLP 1,604

$1.46 ฿48.99

13.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 CLP 1,491

$1.37 ฿45.95

12.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 CLP 1,309

$1.08 ฿36.14

25.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 CLP 1,183

$0.55 ฿18.32

123.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 CLP 5,006

$4.43 ฿149

16.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.22 CLP 5,044

$18.25 ฿613

-71.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 CLP 1,561

$1.77 ฿59.5

-8.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 CLP 2,091

$2.88 ฿96.8

-24.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 CLP 603

$1.45 ฿48.62

-57.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 CLP 672

$1.51 ฿50.8

-53.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.06

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 CLP 1,330

$1.49 ฿49.96

-7.38%

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

$17.9K CLP 17.3M

$26.9K ฿902.9K

-33.47%

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

$19.3K CLP 18.6M

$26.3K ฿884.9K

-26.79%

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

$134 CLP 129.7K

$97.8 ฿3,285

37.30%

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

$13.70 CLP 13.2K

$11.29 ฿379

21.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.72 CLP 21.0K

$17.19 ฿577

26.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.10 CLP 36.8K

$68.3 ฿2,295

-44.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.29 CLP 22.5K

$10.92 ฿367

113.28%

Cinema Ticket

$5.32 CLP 5,140

$7.43 ฿250

-28.40%

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

$386 CLP 372.5K

$530 ฿17.8K

-27.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,304 CLP 8.0M

$18.8K ฿630.9K

-55.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.49 CLP 45.9K

$61.7 ฿2,072

-22.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.06 CLP 24.2K

$28.25 ฿949

-11.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.7 CLP 58.6K

$96.0 ฿3,225

-36.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.5 CLP 78.7K

$86.8 ฿2,916

-6.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$484 CLP 467.3K

$721 ฿24.2K

-32.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$375 CLP 361.8K

$509 ฿17.1K

-26.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$889 CLP 858.8K

$1,950 ฿65.5K

-54.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$584 CLP 564.3K

$1,397 ฿46.9K

-58.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,309 CLP 2.2M

$4,192 ฿140.8K

-44.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.01

5.57

-10.05%

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

Last update for San Pedro de Atacama: November 3, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Pedro de Atacama

$375 34.8%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 35.8% $134

Groceries & Markets

San Pedro de Atacama

$234 21.7%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 14.3% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Pedro de Atacama

$170 15.7%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 25.6% $43

Eating Out

San Pedro de Atacama

$152 14.1%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 21.1% $32

Clothing & Footwear

San Pedro de Atacama

$97 9%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 27% $26

Sport & Entertainment

San Pedro de Atacama

$49 4.5%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 70.6% $34

Getting Around

San Pedro de Atacama

$3.2 * 0.3%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 1965% $63

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $484 in San Pedro de Atacama and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45 in San Pedro de Atacama vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $267, with San Pedro de Atacama cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇱 San Pedro de Atacama

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

08:15 8:15 AM

18:15 6:15 PM

10 h ahead of San Pedro de Atacama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,347

79,308

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.36 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.22 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 966 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.04 USD). 1 EUR = 1,085 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.22 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Pedro de Atacama Phuket 17,810 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

San Pedro de Atacama
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

San Pedro de Atacama vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Pedro de Atacama is about 17% cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,617 in San Pedro de Atacama and $1,940 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: $484 in San Pedro de Atacama versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $386 in San Pedro de Atacama versus $530 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 $45 in San Pedro de Atacama. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though San Pedro de Atacama 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.

Safety-wise, San Pedro de Atacama and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.