Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and San Luis

For one person, living costs are similar in Phuket and in San Luis: $1,207 and $1,175 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in San Luis
Learn more

San Luis Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

San Luis

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,175

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,175 in San Luis.

Phuket $1,207
San Luis $1,175

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,962 in San Luis.

Phuket $2,037
San Luis $1,962

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $2,749 in San Luis.

Phuket $2,867
San Luis $2,749

Living in Phuket is roughly 3% more expensive than in San Luis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, San Luis 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿154

$8.42 ARS 12.8K

-45.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,090

$50.1 ARS 76.0K

-35.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿287

$8.72 ARS 13.2K

-1.95%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.4

$2.10 ARS 3,180

29.52%

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

$0.94 ฿31.38

$2.36 ARS 3,585

-60.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.46

$1.88 ARS 2,852

-73.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.9

$3.25 ARS 4,926

-20.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿129

$4.54 ARS 6,881

-15.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$1.23 ARS 1,863

41.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿48.02

$2.04 ARS 3,090

-29.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.2

$1.06 ARS 1,602

44.34%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$3.05 ARS 4,623

-28.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿643

$14.72 ARS 22.3K

30.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.40 ARS 9,702

-48.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿374

$11.02 ARS 16.7K

1.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.9

$2.34 ARS 3,552

26.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.4

$2.14 ARS 3,244

-21.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿77.1

$1.35 ARS 2,045

70.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.6

$3.18 ARS 4,825

-33.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.3

$0.98 ARS 1,484

56.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.74

$1.45 ARS 2,197

-6.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.60

$1.93 ARS 2,933

-41.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.31

$2.44 ARS 3,697

-77.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿143

$2.81 ARS 4,254

51.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿611

$5.11 ARS 7,749

255.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.70 ARS 2,581

2.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.7

$2.98 ARS 4,514

-6.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.4

$0.63 ARS 949

252.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿740

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.7

$0.66 ARS 1,003

340.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.94

$1.02 ARS 1,550

-0.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.75 ARS 7,210

-19.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.1

$1.21 ARS 1,838

23.14%

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

$26.7K ฿895.4K

$27.3K ARS 41.3M

-2.12%

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

$26.7K ฿896.4K

$33.4K ARS 50.6M

-19.99%

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

$99.4 ฿3,335

$39.37 ARS 59.7K

152.40%

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

$11.28 ฿379

$16.91 ARS 25.6K

-33.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿583

$24.67 ARS 37.4K

-29.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,755

$33.15 ARS 50.3K

57.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿364

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿254

$5.46 ARS 8,274

38.64%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$176 ARS 266.4K

217.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿385.5K

$4,167 ARS 6.3M

175.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,110

$126 ARS 191.6K

-50.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿959

$142 ARS 215.1K

-79.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,226

$144 ARS 218.5K

-33.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,955

$161 ARS 243.7K

-45.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.5K

$446 ARS 676.9K

63.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$351 ARS 532.6K

30.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.3K

$1,077 ARS 1.6M

94.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿41.0K

$781 ARS 1.2M

56.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿116.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-90.56%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for San Luis: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

San Luis

$351 29.9% 23.7% $109

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

San Luis

$272 23.1% 1.5% $4.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

San Luis

$81 6.9% 36.8% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

San Luis

$258 21.9% 108% $134

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

San Luis

$161 13.7% 32.7% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

San Luis

$44 3.8% 34.6% $23

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

San Luis

$8.3 * 0.7% 78.7% $31

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 $446 in San Luis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $50.0 in San Luis for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $272 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇷 San Luis

🕒 Local time

00:53 12:53 AM

14:53 2:53 PM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

204,019

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.91 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 33.56 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.46 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,693 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.91 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket San Luis 16,780 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
San Luis

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 Luis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Luis is cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,811 in Phuket and $1,762 in San Luis 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 $446 in San Luis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $176 in San Luis. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Luis – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,175 in San Luis versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in San Luis but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes San Luis the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, San Luis 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 San Luis 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 San Luis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.