Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Resistencia

For one person, living costs are similar in Phuket and in Resistencia: $1,190 and $1,180 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Resistencia
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Resistencia Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Resistencia

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,180

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Resistencia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Phuket versus $1,180 in Resistencia.

Phuket $1,190
Resistencia $1,180

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,006 in Phuket versus $1,915 in Resistencia.

Phuket $2,006
Resistencia $1,915

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,822 in Phuket versus $2,650 in Resistencia.

Phuket $2,822
Resistencia $2,650

Living in Phuket is roughly 1% more expensive than in Resistencia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Resistencia 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 ฿146

$16.49 ARS 25.0K

-73.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.45 ฿1,087

$57.6 ARS 87.4K

-43.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 ฿282

$13.25 ARS 20.1K

-36.45%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ฿94.0

$3.67 ARS 5,570

-23.43%

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

$0.87 ฿29.29

$2.47 ARS 3,753

-64.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ฿15.39

$2.13 ARS 3,223

-78.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$4.38 ARS 6,642

-40.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ฿122

$3.73 ARS 5,660

-2.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ฿57.2

$1.35 ARS 2,042

26.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$2.46 ARS 3,732

-41.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$2.00 ARS 3,028

-22.00%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.3

$2.71 ARS 4,105

-22.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.53 ฿654

$9.29 ARS 14.1K

110.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$7.17 ARS 10.9K

-52.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿373

$11.05 ARS 16.8K

0.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 ฿94.8

$2.57 ARS 3,903

10.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$2.02 ARS 3,063

-19.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.5

$1.35 ARS 2,053

64.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 ฿71.9

$2.40 ARS 3,642

-10.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 ฿49.95

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.40

$0.97 ARS 1,473

37.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.72

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.01

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ฿147

$3.69 ARS 5,590

18.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ฿629

$4.55 ARS 6,898

312.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 ฿72.6

$1.05 ARS 1,589

106.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ฿746

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿101

$1.57 ARS 2,383

92.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.43

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 ฿124

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.88

$1.07 ARS 1,620

33.64%

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

$26.3K ฿882.1K

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

$26.2K ฿877.3K

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

$96.7 ฿3,236

$115 ARS 173.6K

-15.58%

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

$11.41 ฿382

$17.55 ARS 26.6K

-34.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.11 ฿573

$29.12 ARS 44.2K

-41.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,768

$31.15 ARS 47.2K

69.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

Cinema Ticket

$7.65 ฿256

$9.21 ARS 14.0K

-16.94%

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

$555 ฿18.6K

$272 ARS 411.7K

104.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿377.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 ฿2,123

$105 ARS 160.0K

-39.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.61 ฿958

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 ฿3,238

$128 ARS 194.4K

-24.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ฿2,967

$116 ARS 176.4K

-23.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 ฿24.6K

$514 ARS 779.8K

42.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$458 ฿15.3K

$330 ARS 500.7K

38.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 ฿70.4K

$987 ARS 1.5M

112.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 ฿39.7K

$741 ARS 1.1M

60.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,493 ฿116.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 ฿83.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.8K

$565 ARS 856.5K

-11.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Last update for Resistencia: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$458 38.1%

Resistencia

$330 28.1% 27.9% $128

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.3%

Resistencia

$207 * 17.6% 22.7% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Resistencia

$161 13.7% 28.8% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Resistencia

$158 * 13.4% 26.2% $33

Eating Out

Phuket

$119 9.9%

Resistencia

$264 22.4% 121% $144

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.7%

Resistencia

$50 4.2% 27.2% $19

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Resistencia

$5.8 * 0.5% 85.3% $33

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 $735 in Phuket and $514 in Resistencia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Resistencia pays 13% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $58.0 in Resistencia. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $207, with Resistencia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇷 Resistencia

🕒 Local time

20:55 8:55 PM

10:55 10:55 AM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

290,793

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Resistencia 16,800 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Resistencia

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 Resistencia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Resistencia is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 1% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 13% lower in Resistencia. 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: $735 in Phuket versus $514 in Resistencia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $555 in Phuket versus $272 in Resistencia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Resistencia – a meal for two runs $58.0 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,180 in Resistencia versus $1,190 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Resistencia but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Resistencia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Resistencia is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Resistencia 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 Resistencia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.