Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Pilar

For one person, living costs are similar in Phuket and in Pilar: $1,278 and $1,248 a month, rent and utilities included.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Pilar
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Pilar Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Pilar

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,248

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Pilar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,248 in Pilar.

Phuket $1,278
Pilar $1,248

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,153 in Pilar.

Phuket $2,216
Pilar $2,153

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,058 in Pilar.

Phuket $3,154
Pilar $3,058

Monthly costs are close between Phuket and Pilar; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Pilar 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$18.36 ARS 28.2K

-75.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$60.6 ARS 93.2K

-46.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$13.02 ARS 20.0K

-32.33%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.75 ARS 5,766

-24.53%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.07 ARS 3,181

-57.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.60 ARS 2,469

-69.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$4.04 ARS 6,221

-36.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.70 ARS 7,229

-21.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.51 ARS 2,320

9.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$2.56 ARS 3,939

-42.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.52 ARS 2,334

-1.32%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.31 ARS 3,549

-9.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$11.06 ARS 17.0K

72.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.92 ARS 4,487

13.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.10 ARS 15.5K

8.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.80 ARS 4,315

4.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.08 ARS 3,197

-18.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.41 ARS 2,165

59.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.99 ARS 3,062

4.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.22 ARS 1,874

23.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.16 ARS 1,787

18.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.61 ARS 2,479

-33.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.78 ARS 2,743

-70.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.20 ARS 6,459

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$5.73 ARS 8,816

227.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.03 ARS 3,122

-10.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.80 ARS 4,312

1.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.94 ARS 1,442

54.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.63 ARS 2,502

85.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.03 ARS 1,583

-0.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$8.16 ARS 12.6K

-54.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.07 ARS 1,650

37.38%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$23.6K ARS 36.3M

13.49%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$31.7K ARS 48.7M

-15.72%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$63.3 ARS 97.3K

52.28%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$9.81 ARS 15.1K

14.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$19.66 ARS 30.2K

-14.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$31.40 ARS 48.3K

114.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$18.18 ARS 28.0K

-40.98%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$10.88 ARS 16.7K

-31.07%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$239 ARS 367.0K

99.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$4,171 ARS 6.4M

170.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$119 ARS 182.9K

-47.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$95.2 ARS 146.4K

-70.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$115 ARS 176.2K

-17.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$140 ARS 215.1K

-38.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$520 ARS 799.4K

37.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$369 ARS 567.2K

33.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,046 ARS 1.6M

84.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$937 ARS 1.4M

52.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,276 ARS 2.0M

138.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$987 ARS 1.5M

-49.12%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Pilar: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Pilar

$369 29.5% 24.9% $122

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Pilar

$237 19% 10.9% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Pilar

$93 7.4% 25.5% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Pilar

$211 16.9% 73% $89

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Pilar

$275 22.1% 126% $154

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Pilar

$53 4.3% 35.4% $29

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Pilar

$11 * 0.8% 85.1% $60

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 $716 in Phuket and $520 in Pilar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pilar pays 97% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $61 in Pilar. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $237, with Pilar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇷 Pilar

🕒 Local time

04:16 4:16 AM

18:16 6:16 PM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

81,120

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.84 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,538 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,712 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Pilar 16,260 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Pilar

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 Pilar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 49% lower in Phuket. 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: $716 in Phuket versus $520 in Pilar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $61 in Pilar. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $239 in Pilar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Pilar gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Pilar are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.