Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and El Calafate

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.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in El Calafate
Learn more

El Calafate Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

El Calafate

🇦🇷 Argentina

$961

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in El Calafate

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 El Calafate actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Phuket $1,207
El Calafate $961

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

Phuket $2,037
El Calafate $1,574

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

Phuket $2,867
El Calafate $2,187

Living in Phuket is roughly 26% more expensive than in El Calafate, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$10.66 ARS 16.2K

-57.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$33.87 ARS 51.4K

-4.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$8.85 ARS 13.4K

-3.39%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$2.77 ARS 4,198

-1.81%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$1.64 ARS 2,484

-42.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$1.49 ARS 2,268

-67.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$2.08 ARS 3,157

24.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.93 ARS 4,452

30.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.24 ARS 1,887

40.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.61 ARS 2,446

-11.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$1.93 ARS 2,930

-20.73%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.20 ARS 3,346

-1.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$10.29 ARS 15.6K

86.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$6.07 ARS 9,209

-45.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$9.50 ARS 14.4K

17.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$1.95 ARS 2,963

51.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$2.11 ARS 3,205

-20.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.33 ARS 2,015

72.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$2.62 ARS 3,973

-18.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$1.19 ARS 1,808

28.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$1.20 ARS 1,821

13.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$1.30 ARS 1,973

-13.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$1.48 ARS 2,245

-62.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.16 ARS 4,800

34.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$4.97 ARS 7,536

266.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$2.06 ARS 3,133

-15.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$3.16 ARS 4,799

-11.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.76 ARS 1,159

192.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$1.51 ARS 2,293

92.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.87 ARS 1,322

16.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$5.89 ARS 8,934

-34.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.05 ARS 1,600

41.90%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$27.4K ARS 41.6M

-2.75%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$30.2K ARS 45.9M

-11.63%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$66.5 ARS 100.9K

49.45%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$16.85 ARS 25.6K

-33.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$22.42 ARS 34.0K

-22.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$26.64 ARS 40.4K

96.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$13.53 ARS 20.5K

-19.81%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$6.34 ARS 9,617

19.40%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$224 ARS 340.0K

149.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$2,679 ARS 4.1M

328.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$72.7 ARS 110.3K

-13.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$70.7 ARS 107.3K

-59.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$114 ARS 173.7K

-16.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$114 ARS 172.2K

-22.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$342 ARS 518.6K

113.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$235 ARS 357.2K

95.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$695 ARS 1.1M

201.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$533 ARS 809.3K

129.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

86.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$1,600 ARS 2.4M

55.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

58.5

-90.48%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for El Calafate: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

El Calafate

$235 24.5% 48.8% $225

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

El Calafate

$231 24% 13.6% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

El Calafate

$106 11% 17.4% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

El Calafate

$167 17.4% 34.7% $43

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

El Calafate

$174 18.1% 43.2% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

El Calafate

$39 4.1% 41.7% $28

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

El Calafate

$8.9 * 0.9% 77.1% $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 $729 in Phuket and $342 in El Calafate. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

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

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇷 El Calafate

🕒 Local time

21:04 9:04 PM

11:04 11:04 AM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

22,844

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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

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Between locations

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

From you

Phuket
El Calafate

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 El Calafate: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

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

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $224 in El Calafate. 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, Phuket and El Calafate 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.