Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan, Argentina and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $891 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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San Juan

🇦🇷 Argentina

$891

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Juan 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 San Juan and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $891 in San Juan versus $1,278 in Phuket.

San Juan $891
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,398 in San Juan versus $2,216 in Phuket.

San Juan $1,398
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,904 in San Juan versus $3,154 in Phuket.

San Juan $1,904
Phuket $3,154

Living in San Juan costs roughly 30% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: San Juan 35% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.16 ARS 11.0K

$4.47 ฿151

60.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.73 ARS 61.1K

$32.41 ฿1,094

22.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.51 ARS 19.2K

$8.81 ฿297

42.00%

Cappuccino

$2.62 ARS 4,030

$2.83 ฿95.5

-7.42%

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

$2.19 ARS 3,365

$0.87 ฿29.43

151.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ARS 2,797

$0.49 ฿16.67

271.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.96 ARS 6,094

$2.56 ฿86.4

54.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 ARS 7,011

$3.68 ฿124

23.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 ARS 2,075

$1.66 ฿56.0

-18.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 ARS 2,122

$1.46 ฿49.35

-5.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ARS 2,138

$1.50 ฿50.6

-7.33%

Eggs

$1.45 ARS 2,227

$2.09 ฿70.5

-30.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.90 ARS 4,463

$19.07 ฿644

-84.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.37 ARS 9,800

$3.30 ฿111

93.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.75 ARS 16.5K

$10.91 ฿368

-1.47%

Apples (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,228

$2.93 ฿99.0

-50.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 ARS 2,123

$1.69 ฿57.1

-18.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 ARS 2,103

$2.25 ฿75.8

-39.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,224

$2.08 ฿70.1

-30.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ARS 2,244

$1.51 ฿51.0

-3.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ARS 2,127

$1.38 ฿46.56

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 ARS 2,138

$1.07 ฿35.99

29.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 ARS 2,241

$0.52 ฿17.52

180.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.69 ARS 4,138

$4.20 ฿142

-35.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.95 ARS 7,616

$18.79 ฿634

-73.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 ARS 2,241

$1.82 ฿61.5

-19.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 ARS 2,205

$2.84 ฿95.9

-49.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 ARS 1,596

$1.45 ฿49.03

-28.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.03 ARS 3,126

$3.02 ฿102

-32.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 ARS 1,494

$1.02 ฿34.36

-4.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 ARS 7,758

$3.69 ฿125

36.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ARS 1,742

$1.47 ฿49.81

-23.13%

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

$26.8K ARS 41.2M

$26.8K ฿904.3K

0.01%

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

$33.6K ARS 51.7M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

26.00%

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

$141 ARS 216.9K

$96.4 ฿3,254

46.34%

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

$9.91 ARS 15.2K

$11.26 ฿380

-11.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.96 ARS 27.6K

$16.85 ฿569

6.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.64 ARS 45.6K

$67.2 ฿2,270

-55.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$6.96 ARS 10.7K

$7.50 ฿253

-7.20%

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

$173 ARS 266.4K

$476 ฿16.1K

-63.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,149 ARS 6.4M

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-63.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 ARS 165.5K

$62.4 ฿2,106

72.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.19 ARS 64.9K

$28.41 ฿959

48.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.8 ARS 87.4K

$94.3 ฿3,184

-39.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.24 ARS 55.7K

$85.8 ฿2,898

-57.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$248 ARS 380.9K

$716 ฿24.2K

-65.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$198 ARS 303.9K

$491 ฿16.6K

-59.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ARS 769.5K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-74.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$408 ARS 627.1K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-71.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$696 ARS 1.1M

$502 ฿17.0K

38.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

869.48%

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

Last update for San Juan: 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

San Juan

$198 22.2%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 149% $293

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$190 21.3%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 40.2% $76

Eating Out

San Juan

$171 19.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 28.9% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$169 19%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 26.3% $44

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$109 12.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 11.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$44 4.9%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 88.8% $39

Getting Around

San Juan

$11 * 1.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 539% $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 $248 in San Juan and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Juan pays 39% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $40 in San Juan vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $190 vs $266, with San Juan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 San Juan

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

08:05 8:05 AM

18:05 6:05 PM

10 h ahead of San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,029

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 = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

San Juan
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

San Juan vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Juan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. The 43% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 39% higher in San Juan, 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: $248 in San Juan versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $173 in San Juan 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 $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, San Juan and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.