Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quilmes and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Quilmes: $957 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Quilmes
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Quilmes Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Quilmes

🇦🇷 Argentina

$957

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Quilmes and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Quilmes and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $957 in Quilmes versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Quilmes $957
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,615 in Quilmes versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Quilmes $1,615
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,273 in Quilmes versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Quilmes $2,273
Phuket $3,154

Living in Quilmes costs roughly 25% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Quilmes 30% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.55 ARS 8,543

$4.47 ฿151

24.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.20 ARS 54.1K

$32.41 ฿1,094

8.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.82 ARS 13.6K

$8.81 ฿297

0.11%

Cappuccino

$2.93 ARS 4,501

$2.83 ฿95.5

3.53%

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

$1.71 ARS 2,634

$0.87 ฿29.43

96.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ARS 2,500

$0.49 ฿16.67

232.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.90 ARS 5,993

$2.56 ฿86.4

52.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ARS 3,519

$3.68 ฿124

-37.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 ARS 1,495

$1.66 ฿56.0

-41.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 ARS 2,426

$1.46 ฿49.35

8.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 ARS 2,425

$1.50 ฿50.6

5.33%

Eggs

$2.28 ARS 3,508

$2.09 ฿70.5

9.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.31 ARS 20.5K

$19.07 ฿644

-30.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.11 ARS 9,398

$3.30 ฿111

85.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.80 ARS 15.1K

$10.91 ฿368

-10.17%

Apples (1kg)

$1.96 ARS 3,016

$2.93 ฿99.0

-33.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 ARS 2,350

$1.69 ฿57.1

-9.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.01 ARS 1,557

$2.25 ฿75.8

-55.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.95 ARS 4,538

$2.08 ฿70.1

41.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 ARS 1,412

$1.51 ฿51.0

-39.07%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ARS 990

$1.38 ฿46.56

-53.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ARS 1,111

$1.07 ฿35.99

-32.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ARS 1,060

$0.52 ฿17.52

32.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.99 ARS 7,671

$4.20 ฿142

18.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.29 ARS 6,603

$18.79 ฿634

-77.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ARS 1,896

$1.82 ฿61.5

-32.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ARS 2,904

$2.84 ฿95.9

-33.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 ARS 1,574

$1.45 ฿49.03

-29.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ARS 2,285

$3.02 ฿102

-50.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ARS 1,576

$1.02 ฿34.36

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 ARS 1,756

$1.47 ฿49.81

-22.45%

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

$50.3K ARS 77.4M

$26.8K ฿904.3K

88.02%

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

$38.0K ARS 58.4M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

42.19%

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

$60.2 ARS 92.6K

$96.4 ฿3,254

-37.53%

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

$14.48 ARS 22.3K

$11.26 ฿380

28.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.58 ARS 33.2K

$16.85 ฿569

28.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.79 ARS 41.2K

$67.2 ฿2,270

-60.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.31 ARS 28.2K

$10.73 ฿362

70.64%

Cinema Ticket

$10.13 ARS 15.6K

$7.50 ฿253

35.07%

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

$240 ARS 369.2K

$476 ฿16.1K

-49.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,307 ARS 6.6M

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-61.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.2 ARS 146.4K

$62.4 ฿2,106

52.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.45 ARS 53.0K

$28.41 ฿959

21.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.9 ARS 96.8K

$94.3 ฿3,184

-33.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.1 ARS 107.8K

$85.8 ฿2,898

-18.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$518 ARS 796.8K

$716 ฿24.2K

-27.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$330 ARS 507.0K

$491 ฿16.6K

-32.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ARS 1.6M

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-45.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$817 ARS 1.3M

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-42.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,378 ARS 3.7M

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-43.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,264 ARS 1.9M

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-58.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,102 ARS 1.7M

$502 ฿17.0K

119.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

100

5.57

1695.33%

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

Last update for Quilmes: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quilmes

$330 34.4%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 48.9% $161

Groceries & Markets

Quilmes

$212 22.2%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 25.4% $54

Eating Out

Quilmes

$143 15%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 15.1% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Quilmes

$118 12.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 3.2% $3.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quilmes

$96 10.1%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 29.3% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Quilmes

$47 4.9%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 74.8% $35

Getting Around

Quilmes

$11 * 1.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 560% $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 $518 in Quilmes and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Quilmes pays about 2.2 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35 in Quilmes vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $212 vs $266, with Quilmes cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Quilmes

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

17:22 5:22 PM

03:22 3:22 AM

10 h ahead of Quilmes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

230,810

79,308

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

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).

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).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Quilmes Phuket 16,200 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Quilmes
Phuket

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

Quilmes vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quilmes is about 25% cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Quilmes is about 2.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $518 in Quilmes versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $240 in Quilmes versus $476 in Phuket. 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 $35 in Quilmes. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Quilmes 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, Quilmes and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.