Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bariloche and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,646 in Bariloche, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Bariloche
Learn more

Bariloche Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Bariloche

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,646

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,646 in Bariloche versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Bariloche $1,646
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,531 in Bariloche versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Bariloche $2,531
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,416 in Bariloche versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Bariloche $3,416
Phuket $2,867

Living in Bariloche is roughly 36% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bariloche is 22% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.33 ARS 30.8K

$4.58 ฿153

343.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.1 ARS 89.7K

$32.48 ฿1,086

82.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.16 ARS 21.5K

$8.55 ฿286

65.61%

Cappuccino

$3.93 ARS 5,968

$2.72 ฿91.0

44.49%

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

$1.68 ARS 2,548

$0.94 ฿31.25

78.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ARS 2,786

$0.49 ฿16.39

275.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.36 ARS 8,131

$2.59 ฿86.6

106.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 ARS 6,916

$3.83 ฿128

19.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 ARS 2,097

$1.74 ฿58.1

-20.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 ARS 3,223

$1.43 ฿47.82

48.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ARS 2,317

$1.53 ฿51.0

Eggs

$2.67 ARS 4,052

$2.17 ฿72.7

23.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.14 ARS 23.0K

$19.15 ฿640

-20.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ARS 15.7K

$3.30 ฿110

213.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$11.14 ฿372

19.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ARS 3,632

$2.95 ฿98.5

-18.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 ARS 3,934

$1.68 ฿56.1

54.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 ARS 2,931

$2.30 ฿76.8

-16.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.64 ARS 4,002

$2.13 ฿71.3

23.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 ARS 1,492

$1.53 ฿51.1

-35.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 ARS 1,148

$1.36 ฿45.55

-44.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 ARS 3,115

$1.12 ฿37.44

83.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 ARS 1,947

$0.55 ฿18.24

132.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.92 ARS 4,430

$4.26 ฿142

-31.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 ARS 11.3K

$18.19 ฿608

-58.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ARS 2,761

$1.74 ฿58.2

4.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 ARS 6,017

$2.79 ฿93.3

42.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 ARS 1,539

$2.22 ฿74.1

-54.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.99 ARS 1,505

$2.91 ฿97.3

-65.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ARS 1,597

$1.49 ฿49.85

-29.53%

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

$20.0K ARS 30.3M

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-25.11%

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

$32.3K ARS 49.1M

$26.7K ฿892.7K

21.09%

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

$84.0 ARS 127.4K

$99.4 ฿3,321

-15.50%

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

$16.75 ARS 25.4K

$11.28 ฿377

48.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.11 ARS 36.6K

$17.36 ฿580

38.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.66 ARS 75.4K

$52.3 ฿1,747

-5.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.87 ARS 60.5K

$10.85 ฿362

267.47%

Cinema Ticket

$8.25 ARS 12.5K

$7.57 ฿253

8.98%

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

$296 ARS 449.9K

$558 ฿18.7K

-46.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,242 ARS 6.4M

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-63.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.2 ARS 112.5K

$62.9 ฿2,102

17.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.27 ARS 59.6K

$28.58 ฿955

37.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 ARS 170.0K

$96.1 ฿3,213

16.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.3 ARS 146.2K

$88.1 ฿2,943

9.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,278 ARS 1.9M

$729 ฿24.4K

75.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$706 ARS 1.1M

$460 ฿15.4K

53.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,195 ARS 1.8M

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-42.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,171 ARS 1.8M

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-4.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,030 ARS 4.6M

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-12.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,498 ARS 3.8M

$2,489 ฿83.2K

0.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$953 ARS 1.4M

$493 ฿16.5K

93.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

1515.80%

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

Last update for Bariloche: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bariloche

$706 42.9%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 34.8% $246

Eating Out

Bariloche

$302 18.4%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 59.9% $181

Groceries & Markets

Bariloche

$297 18.1%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 10% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Bariloche

$145 8.8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 14.3% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bariloche

$125 7.6%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 2.6% $3.2

Sport & Entertainment

Bariloche

$66 4%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 1.9% $1.3

Getting Around

Bariloche

$5.1 * 0.3%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 670% $34

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 $1,278 in Bariloche and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bariloche pays 93% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $59.0 in Bariloche vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Bariloche

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

19:36 7:36 PM

05:36 5:36 AM

10 h ahead of Bariloche

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

135,755

79,308

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bariloche Phuket 16,180 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Bariloche
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

Bariloche vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 36% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 93% higher in Bariloche, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,278 in Bariloche versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $296 in Bariloche versus $558 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 $32.00 versus $59.0 in Bariloche. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,646 in Bariloche, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Bariloche. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Bariloche, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Bariloche and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Bariloche. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.