Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Calafate and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in El Calafate: $961 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

47

Cost of Living Index in El Calafate
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El Calafate Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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El Calafate

🇦🇷 Argentina

$961

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $961 in El Calafate versus $1,207 in Phuket.

El Calafate $961
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,574 in El Calafate versus $2,037 in Phuket.

El Calafate $1,574
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,187 in El Calafate versus $2,867 in Phuket.

El Calafate $2,187
Phuket $2,867

Living in El Calafate costs roughly 20% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: El Calafate 29% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.66 ARS 16.2K

$4.58 ฿153

132.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.87 ARS 51.4K

$32.48 ฿1,086

4.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.85 ARS 13.4K

$8.55 ฿286

3.51%

Cappuccino

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$2.72 ฿91.0

1.84%

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

$1.64 ARS 2,484

$0.94 ฿31.25

74.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 ARS 2,268

$0.49 ฿16.39

204.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.08 ARS 3,157

$2.59 ฿86.6

-19.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 ARS 4,452

$3.83 ฿128

-23.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ARS 1,887

$1.74 ฿58.1

-28.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 ARS 2,446

$1.43 ฿47.82

12.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 ARS 2,930

$1.53 ฿51.0

26.14%

Eggs

$2.20 ARS 3,346

$2.17 ฿72.7

1.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.29 ARS 15.6K

$19.15 ฿640

-46.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.07 ARS 9,209

$3.30 ฿110

83.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.50 ARS 14.4K

$11.14 ฿372

-14.72%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 ARS 2,963

$2.95 ฿98.5

-33.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 ARS 3,205

$1.68 ฿56.1

25.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 ARS 2,015

$2.30 ฿76.8

-42.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.62 ARS 3,973

$2.13 ฿71.3

23.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 ARS 1,808

$1.53 ฿51.1

-22.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,821

$1.36 ฿45.55

-11.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ARS 1,973

$1.12 ฿37.44

16.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 ARS 2,245

$0.55 ฿18.24

169.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.16 ARS 4,800

$4.26 ฿142

-25.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.97 ARS 7,536

$18.19 ฿608

-72.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 ARS 3,133

$1.74 ฿58.2

18.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 ARS 4,799

$2.79 ฿93.3

13.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 ARS 1,159

$2.22 ฿74.1

-65.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ARS 2,293

$2.91 ฿97.3

-48.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 ARS 1,322

$1.01 ฿33.79

-13.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.89 ARS 8,934

$3.83 ฿128

53.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ARS 1,600

$1.49 ฿49.85

-29.53%

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

$27.4K ARS 41.6M

$26.7K ฿891.6K

2.83%

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

$30.2K ARS 45.9M

$26.7K ฿892.7K

13.16%

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

$66.5 ARS 100.9K

$99.4 ฿3,321

-33.09%

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

$16.85 ARS 25.6K

$11.28 ฿377

49.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.42 ARS 34.0K

$17.36 ฿580

29.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.64 ARS 40.4K

$52.3 ฿1,747

-49.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.53 ARS 20.5K

$10.85 ฿362

24.70%

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 ARS 9,617

$7.57 ฿253

-16.25%

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

$224 ARS 340.0K

$558 ฿18.7K

-59.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,679 ARS 4.1M

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-76.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 ARS 110.3K

$62.9 ฿2,102

15.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.7 ARS 107.3K

$28.58 ฿955

147.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.7K

$96.1 ฿3,213

19.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 ARS 172.2K

$88.1 ฿2,943

28.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$342 ARS 518.6K

$729 ฿24.4K

-53.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ARS 357.2K

$460 ฿15.4K

-48.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ARS 1.1M

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-66.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$533 ARS 809.3K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-56.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-46.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,600 ARS 2.4M

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-35.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

58.5

5.57

950.27%

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

Last update for El Calafate: 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

El Calafate

$235 24.5%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 95.4% $225

Groceries & Markets

El Calafate

$231 24%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 15.8% $36

Eating Out

El Calafate

$174 18.1%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 30.2% $52

Clothing & Footwear

El Calafate

$167 17.4%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 25.8% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Calafate

$106 11%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 21% $22

Sport & Entertainment

El Calafate

$39 4.1%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 71.5% $28

Getting Around

El Calafate

$8.9 * 0.9%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 336% $30

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 $342 in El Calafate and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $34.00 in El Calafate vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $231 vs $268, with El Calafate cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 El Calafate

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

10:22 10:22 AM

20:22 8:22 PM

10 h ahead of El Calafate

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,844

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 19, 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 19, 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

El Calafate Phuket 15,220 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

El Calafate
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

El Calafate vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

El Calafate and Phuket differ by about 26% in total monthly costs ($961 vs $1,207 including rent). El Calafate is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,442 in El Calafate and $1,811 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: $342 in El Calafate versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $224 in El Calafate 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 El Calafate – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $961 in El Calafate versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in El Calafate but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes El Calafate 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, El Calafate 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 El Calafate gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.