Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mendoza and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,387 in Mendoza, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. The total is higher in Mendoza despite lower rent and utilities.

67

Cost of Living Index in Mendoza
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Mendoza Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Mendoza

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,387

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,387 per month in Mendoza vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Mendoza $1,387
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $2,185 per month in Mendoza vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Mendoza $2,185
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $2,984 per month in Mendoza vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Mendoza $2,984
Phuket $2,867

Mendoza costs about 15% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Mendoza sits 3% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.98 ARS 16.7K

$4.58 ฿153

139.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.80 ARS 75.6K

$32.48 ฿1,086

53.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.36 ARS 21.8K

$8.55 ฿286

67.95%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ARS 6,896

$2.72 ฿91.0

66.91%

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

$2.32 ARS 3,517

$0.94 ฿31.25

146.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ARS 2,949

$0.49 ฿16.39

295.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.08 ARS 6,191

$2.59 ฿86.6

57.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 ARS 6,775

$3.83 ฿128

16.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 ARS 2,102

$1.74 ฿58.1

-20.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 ARS 3,358

$1.43 ฿47.82

54.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 ARS 4,034

$1.53 ฿51.0

73.86%

Eggs

$3.19 ARS 4,836

$2.17 ฿72.7

47.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.72 ARS 22.3K

$19.15 ฿640

-23.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.23 ARS 9,447

$3.30 ฿110

88.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.05 ARS 16.8K

$11.14 ฿372

-0.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ARS 3,478

$2.95 ฿98.5

-22.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 ARS 3,386

$1.68 ฿56.1

32.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 ARS 2,036

$2.30 ฿76.8

-41.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.28 ARS 4,974

$2.13 ฿71.3

53.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 ARS 3,067

$1.53 ฿51.1

32.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 ARS 2,268

$1.36 ฿45.55

9.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 ARS 3,074

$1.12 ฿37.44

81.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 ARS 3,743

$0.55 ฿18.24

349.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.82 ARS 4,275

$4.26 ฿142

-33.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.08 ARS 7,712

$18.19 ฿608

-72.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,608

$1.74 ฿58.2

-1.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 ARS 4,583

$2.79 ฿93.3

8.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 ARS 1,486

$2.22 ฿74.1

-55.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 ARS 29.9K

$22.06 ฿737

-10.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 ARS 3,059

$2.91 ฿97.3

-30.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ARS 1,495

$1.01 ฿33.79

-1.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.82 ARS 7,318

$3.83 ฿128

25.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ARS 1,897

$1.49 ฿49.85

-16.11%

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

$27.6K ARS 41.9M

$26.7K ฿891.6K

3.38%

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

$33.0K ARS 50.1M

$26.7K ฿892.7K

23.69%

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

$144 ARS 218.4K

$99.4 ฿3,321

44.84%

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

$17.72 ARS 26.9K

$11.28 ฿377

57.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.92 ARS 36.3K

$17.36 ฿580

37.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.32 ARS 49.0K

$52.3 ฿1,747

-38.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.07 ARS 27.4K

$10.85 ฿362

66.54%

Cinema Ticket

$7.10 ARS 10.8K

$7.57 ฿253

-6.21%

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

$176 ARS 266.3K

$558 ฿18.7K

-68.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,178 ARS 6.3M

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-63.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$127 ARS 192.2K

$62.9 ฿2,102

101.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$141 ARS 214.2K

$28.58 ฿955

393.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$144 ARS 217.9K

$96.1 ฿3,213

49.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 ARS 238.0K

$88.1 ฿2,943

78.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$553 ARS 838.5K

$729 ฿24.4K

-24.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$350 ARS 531.6K

$460 ฿15.4K

-23.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$993 ARS 1.5M

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-52.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$680 ARS 1.0M

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-44.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,751 ARS 2.7M

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-49.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,141 ARS 1.7M

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-54.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$766 ARS 1.2M

$493 ฿16.5K

55.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

959.25%

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

Last update for Mendoza: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mendoza

$350 25.3%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 31.3% $110

Groceries & Markets

Mendoza

$286 20.6%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 6.4% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Mendoza

$256 18.4%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 51.5% $132

Eating Out

Mendoza

$232 16.7%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 47.7% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mendoza

$186 13.4%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 31% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Mendoza

$47 3.4%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 45% $21

Getting Around

Mendoza

$31 2.2%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 27.1% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $553 in Mendoza versus $729 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 55% higher in Mendoza, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Mendoza versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $286 vs $268 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Mendoza

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

16:27 4:27 PM

02:27 2:27 AM

10 h ahead of Mendoza

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

937,154

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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mendoza Phuket 16,940 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Mendoza
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

Mendoza vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mendoza is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,080 per month in Mendoza and $1,811 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 12% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $176 per month in Mendoza and $558 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Mendoza at $1,387. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mendoza it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mendoza makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.