Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Buenos Aires

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.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Buenos Aires

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Buenos Aires actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Phuket $1,208
Buenos Aires $1,646

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

Phuket $2,027
Buenos Aires $2,680

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

Phuket $2,845
Buenos Aires $3,714

Living in Phuket costs roughly 27% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Buenos Aires is 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$17.81 ARS 27.0K

-75.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$65.2 ARS 98.9K

-50.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$13.12 ARS 19.9K

-33.23%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$3.86 ARS 5,863

-26.68%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$2.06 ARS 3,133

-56.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$1.68 ARS 2,542

-72.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$4.10 ARS 6,218

-37.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.73 ARS 7,181

-19.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.51 ARS 2,285

14.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$2.60 ARS 3,950

-43.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.57 ARS 2,380

-3.82%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.73 ARS 4,144

-20.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$10.86 ARS 16.5K

81.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$10.07 ARS 15.3K

-66.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$13.22 ARS 20.1K

-15.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.80 ARS 4,255

1.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$2.09 ARS 3,170

-18.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.45 ARS 2,194

51.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$2.00 ARS 3,040

2.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.20 ARS 1,826

20.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.20 ARS 1,821

15.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.69 ARS 2,569

-36.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$1.79 ARS 2,711

-71.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$4.00 ARS 6,074

6.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$5.53 ARS 8,388

235.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$2.12 ARS 3,219

-16.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.78 ARS 4,212

2.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.69 ARS 1,049

227.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$27.90 ARS 42.3K

-20.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.63 ARS 2,471

84.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.97 ARS 1,478

9.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$7.89 ARS 12.0K

-51.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.42 ARS 2,156

2.11%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$23.3K ARS 35.4M

12.82%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$31.9K ARS 48.5M

-15.64%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$199 ARS 302.7K

-51.68%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$23.36 ARS 35.4K

-52.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$31.44 ARS 47.7K

-45.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$49.81 ARS 75.6K

4.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$16.63 ARS 25.2K

-32.89%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$10.80 ARS 16.4K

-27.69%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$462 ARS 701.7K

20.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$8,790 ARS 13.3M

31.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$120 ARS 181.6K

-46.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$94.6 ARS 143.6K

-69.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$116 ARS 176.4K

-17.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$137 ARS 208.6K

-36.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$750 ARS 1.1M

-1.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$514 ARS 780.5K

-10.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$1,567 ARS 2.4M

33.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$1,196 ARS 1.8M

0.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$2,632 ARS 4.0M

32.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,874 ARS 2.8M

34.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$924 ARS 1.4M

-45.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

57.25

-90.27%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Buenos Aires

$514 31.3% 11.2% $52

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Buenos Aires

$285 17.3% 6% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Buenos Aires

$254 15.5% 104% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.8% 69.4% $86

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.6% 125% $152

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 5.3% $3.6

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.3% 5.8% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $750 in Buenos Aires. 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: $32.00 in Phuket vs $65.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $285 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

00:11 12:11 AM

14:11 2:11 PM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Phuket
Buenos Aires

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

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

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

On paper, salaries run 85% lower in Buenos Aires. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $737 in Phuket versus $750 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $462 in Buenos Aires. 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, Phuket and Buenos Aires 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.