Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and San Juan, Argentina

Name: San Juan
Address: San Juan, AR

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $897 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

San Juan

🇦🇷 Argentina

$897

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in San Juan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $897 in San Juan.

Phuket $1,294
San Juan $897

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,400 in San Juan.

Phuket $2,204
San Juan $1,400

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,903 in San Juan.

Phuket $3,115
San Juan $1,903

Living in Phuket is roughly 44% more expensive than in San Juan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, San Juan 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$7.14 ARS 11.0K

-38.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$39.57 ARS 61.1K

-18.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$12.27 ARS 19.0K

-29.10%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$2.53 ARS 3,906

7.51%

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

$0.93 ฿31.39

$2.08 ARS 3,219

-55.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$1.77 ARS 2,730

-71.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$4.03 ARS 6,222

-37.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$4.60 ARS 7,113

-21.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.35 ARS 2,079

28.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.95

$1.43 ARS 2,215

1.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.43 ARS 2,212

4.90%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$1.38 ARS 2,131

57.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$2.78 ARS 4,288

586.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$6.07 ARS 9,377

-43.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$10.99 ARS 17.0K

-0.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$1.43 ARS 2,212

105.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.44 ARS 2,217

17.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$1.35 ARS 2,082

62.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.7

$1.46 ARS 2,250

45.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.21

$1.46 ARS 2,252

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.15

$1.40 ARS 2,160

-2.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.30

$1.39 ARS 2,151

-22.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.41

$1.39 ARS 2,145

-60.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$2.68 ARS 4,144

65.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$4.95 ARS 7,652

268.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.39 ARS 2,152

27.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$1.46 ARS 2,257

97.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.84

$1.04 ARS 1,600

39.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.05 ARS 3,172

-26.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.18

$0.99 ARS 1,529

-21.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

$4.79 ARS 7,395

-19.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.12 ARS 1,731

33.04%

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

$26.9K ฿907.0K

$27.5K ARS 42.4M

-2.12%

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

$26.3K ฿888.9K

$33.5K ARS 51.8M

-21.40%

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

$97.8 ฿3,300

$144 ARS 222.4K

-32.05%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$9.81 ARS 15.2K

15.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$17.69 ARS 27.3K

-2.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$30.49 ARS 47.1K

124.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$7.21 ARS 11.1K

3.05%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$175 ARS 270.6K

202.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.7K

$4,103 ARS 6.3M

357.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,081

$109 ARS 167.9K

-43.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$43.06 ARS 66.5K

-34.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,239

$57.8 ARS 89.3K

66.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,929

$35.56 ARS 54.9K

144.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$253 ARS 390.6K

185.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$202 ARS 311.8K

152.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$497 ARS 767.3K

292.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$406 ARS 628.0K

243.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$691 ARS 1.1M

-28.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-89.69%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Juan: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

San Juan

$202 22.5% 60.3% $307

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

San Juan

$188 21% 29.4% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

San Juan

$171 19.1% 35.7% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

San Juan

$110 12.3% 10.2% $12

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

San Juan

$169 18.8% 41.4% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

San Juan

$45 5% 46% $38

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

San Juan

$11 * 1.2% 83.1% $55

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 $721 in Phuket and $253 in San Juan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Juan pays 41% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $40 in San Juan. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $188, with San Juan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇷 San Juan

🕒 Local time

00:51 12:51 AM

14:51 2:51 PM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

522,029

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.78 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1,545 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,730 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.78 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket San Juan 17,060 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
San Juan

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 San Juan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Juan is about 31% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 29% 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: $721 in Phuket versus $253 in San Juan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $175 in San Juan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $40 in San Juan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. San Juan is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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