Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,646 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,646

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,646 in Buenos Aires versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Buenos Aires $1,646
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,680 in Buenos Aires versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Buenos Aires $2,680
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,714 in Buenos Aires versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Buenos Aires $3,714
Phuket $2,845

Living in Buenos Aires 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: Buenos Aires is 21% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.81 ARS 27.0K

$4.40 ฿147

304.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.2 ARS 98.9K

$32.26 ฿1,078

101.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.12 ARS 19.9K

$8.76 ฿293

49.77%

Cappuccino

$3.86 ARS 5,863

$2.83 ฿94.5

36.40%

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

$2.06 ARS 3,133

$0.90 ฿30.14

128.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ARS 2,542

$0.47 ฿15.56

257.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.10 ARS 6,218

$2.55 ฿85.2

60.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 ARS 7,181

$3.83 ฿128

23.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ARS 2,285

$1.73 ฿57.7

-12.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 ARS 3,950

$1.47 ฿49.11

76.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 ARS 2,380

$1.51 ฿50.6

3.97%

Eggs

$2.73 ARS 4,144

$2.17 ฿72.7

25.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.86 ARS 16.5K

$19.70 ฿658

-44.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.07 ARS 15.3K

$3.34 ฿112

201.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.22 ARS 20.1K

$11.16 ฿373

18.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 ARS 4,255

$2.85 ฿95.1

-1.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 ARS 3,170

$1.70 ฿56.9

22.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,194

$2.19 ฿73.3

-33.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 ARS 3,040

$2.05 ฿68.4

-2.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,826

$1.45 ฿48.57

-17.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,821

$1.38 ฿46.16

-13.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 ARS 2,569

$1.07 ฿35.69

57.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ARS 2,711

$0.51 ฿16.91

250.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 ARS 6,074

$4.26 ฿142

-6.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 ARS 8,388

$18.58 ฿621

-70.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 ARS 3,219

$1.78 ฿59.7

19.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ARS 4,212

$2.85 ฿95.2

-2.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ARS 1,049

$2.26 ฿75.6

-69.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.90 ARS 42.3K

$22.10 ฿738

26.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.63 ARS 2,471

$3.01 ฿101

-45.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 ARS 1,478

$1.06 ฿35.34

-8.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.89 ARS 12.0K

$3.86 ฿129

104.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,156

$1.45 ฿48.45

-2.07%

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

$23.3K ARS 35.4M

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-11.36%

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

$31.9K ARS 48.5M

$26.9K ฿900.4K

18.55%

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

$199 ARS 302.7K

$96.4 ฿3,221

106.94%

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

$23.36 ARS 35.4K

$11.04 ฿369

111.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.44 ARS 47.7K

$17.14 ฿573

83.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.81 ARS 75.6K

$52.2 ฿1,744

-4.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.63 ARS 25.2K

$11.16 ฿373

49.01%

Cinema Ticket

$10.80 ARS 16.4K

$7.81 ฿261

38.28%

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

$462 ARS 701.7K

$556 ฿18.6K

-16.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,790 ARS 13.3M

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-24.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.6K

$64.2 ฿2,146

86.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$94.6 ARS 143.6K

$28.69 ฿959

229.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ARS 176.4K

$95.4 ฿3,187

21.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 ARS 208.6K

$88.0 ฿2,940

56.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$750 ARS 1.1M

$737 ฿24.6K

1.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$514 ARS 780.5K

$462 ฿15.5K

11.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,567 ARS 2.4M

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-25.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 ARS 1.8M

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-0.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,632 ARS 4.0M

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-24.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,874 ARS 2.8M

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-25.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$924 ARS 1.4M

$501 ฿16.7K

84.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

5.57

927.83%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 19, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$514 31.3%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 10.1% $52

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$285 17.3%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 5.6% $16

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$273 16.6%

Phuket

$121 10% 55.6% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$254 15.5%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 51% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 41% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 5.1% $3.6

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.3%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 6.1% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $750 in Buenos Aires and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 85% 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: $65.0 in Buenos Aires vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $285 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

08:21 8:21 AM

18:21 6:21 PM

10 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

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 21, 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 21, 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

Buenos Aires Phuket 16,220 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
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

Buenos Aires vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Phuket differ by about 36% in total monthly costs ($1,646 vs $1,208 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 85% higher in Buenos Aires, 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: $750 in Buenos Aires versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $462 in Buenos Aires versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,646 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket 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.

Safety-wise, Buenos Aires 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 Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.