Abstract Adaptive comfort plays an important role in defining comfort standards when considering comfort in buildings in free-running mode, including adaptation to external temperatures, opening windows and changing clothing. In this regard, two international standards provide the fundamental basis to model the necessary equations: EN 16798 (formerly 15251) and ASHRAE 55–2017. This research intends on assessing the feasibility of applying these standards to the Chilean context, where a legal framework has begun to be implemented to regulate the occupant's comfort in social housing. Extensive monitoring of inhabitants in existing units under free-running mode has been undertaken in several social housing projects in the city of Concepcion (Chile) and the collected data has been contrasted against the international standards. Results show that users in these houses show more tolerance to cold temperatures, thus, despite being allocated below the standards' lower limits, they are considered to be in thermal comfort. As a result, the outcomes of this research can shed light on the feasibility of applying international standards to social housing and low-income families in Chile. The study presents a proposal for a novel adaptive comfort model for Chile. The new model proposes adapting the thermal comfort threshold's lower limit in order to develop a national standard that better reflects the inhabitants' needs and socio-economic culture. The study demonstrates how the proposed model best fits the thermal comfort conditions in social housing in Chile.