Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Rafael, Argentina and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,357 in San Rafael, rent and utilities included – about $950 less a year. The total is higher in San Rafael despite lower rent and utilities.

65

Cost of Living Index in San Rafael
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San Rafael Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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San Rafael

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,357

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,357 in San Rafael versus $1,278 in Phuket.

San Rafael $1,357
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,260 in San Rafael versus $2,216 in Phuket.

San Rafael $2,260
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,163 in San Rafael versus $3,154 in Phuket.

San Rafael $3,163
Phuket $3,154

Living in San Rafael is roughly 6% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.81 ARS 16.7K

$4.47 ฿151

141.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.9 ARS 78.7K

$32.41 ฿1,092

57.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.80 ARS 22.9K

$8.81 ฿297

67.99%

Cappuccino

$4.47 ARS 6,901

$2.83 ฿95.3

57.95%

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

$2.42 ARS 3,738

$0.87 ฿29.37

178.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 ARS 3,013

$0.49 ฿16.64

297.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.09 ARS 6,324

$2.56 ฿86.2

59.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 ARS 6,761

$3.68 ฿124

19.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 ARS 2,056

$1.66 ฿55.9

-19.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 ARS 3,418

$1.46 ฿49.25

51.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.76 ARS 4,262

$1.50 ฿50.4

84.00%

Eggs

$3.24 ARS 5,000

$2.09 ฿70.4

55.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.53 ARS 22.4K

$19.07 ฿642

-23.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.42 ARS 9,917

$3.30 ฿111

94.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.09 ARS 17.1K

$10.91 ฿368

1.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.36 ARS 3,640

$2.93 ฿98.7

-19.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 ARS 3,326

$1.69 ฿56.9

27.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.29 ARS 1,998

$2.25 ฿75.7

-42.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.18 ARS 4,913

$2.08 ฿70.0

52.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 ARS 2,976

$1.51 ฿50.9

27.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 ARS 2,350

$1.38 ฿46.47

10.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 ARS 3,106

$1.07 ฿35.91

87.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 ARS 3,765

$0.52 ฿17.49

369.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.71 ARS 4,192

$4.20 ฿142

-35.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.09 ARS 7,862

$18.79 ฿633

-72.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ARS 2,721

$1.82 ฿61.4

-3.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 ARS 4,500

$2.84 ฿95.7

2.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 ARS 1,542

$1.45 ฿48.93

-31.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.97 ARS 3,037

$3.02 ฿102

-34.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ARS 1,523

$1.02 ฿34.29

-2.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 ARS 7,675

$3.69 ฿124

34.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ARS 1,955

$1.47 ฿49.70

-13.61%

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

$27.1K ARS 41.9M

$26.8K ฿902.4K

1.19%

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

$33.0K ARS 50.9M

$26.7K ฿899.5K

23.47%

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

$146 ARS 225.1K

$96.4 ฿3,247

51.20%

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

$17.12 ARS 26.4K

$11.26 ฿380

52.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.87 ARS 36.9K

$16.85 ฿568

41.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.97 ARS 46.3K

$67.2 ฿2,266

-55.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.67 ARS 27.3K

$10.73 ฿361

64.68%

Cinema Ticket

$7.24 ARS 11.2K

$7.50 ฿253

-3.47%

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

$172 ARS 265.9K

$476 ฿16.0K

-63.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,098 ARS 6.3M

$11.3K ฿379.6K

-63.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$126 ARS 194.4K

$62.4 ฿2,102

101.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$141 ARS 217.6K

$28.41 ฿957

395.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$145 ARS 223.7K

$94.3 ฿3,178

53.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 ARS 244.0K

$85.8 ฿2,892

84.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$545 ARS 842.3K

$716 ฿24.1K

-23.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$342 ARS 529.0K

$491 ฿16.5K

-30.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,077 ARS 1.7M

$1,927 ฿64.9K

-44.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$900 ARS 1.4M

$1,431 ฿48.2K

-37.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,277 ARS 2.0M

$3,045 ฿102.6K

-58.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

959.25%

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

Last update for San Rafael: 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 Rafael

$342 25.2%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 43.4% $149

Groceries & Markets

San Rafael

$285 21%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 6.6% $19

Clothing & Footwear

San Rafael

$256 18.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 52.4% $134

Eating Out

San Rafael

$231 17%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 47.4% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Rafael

$187 13.8%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 33.3% $62

Sport & Entertainment

San Rafael

$44 3.3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 85% $38

Getting Around

San Rafael

$11 * 0.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 548% $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 $545 in San Rafael and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $51 in San Rafael vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $285 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 San Rafael

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:24 7:24 AM

17:24 5:24 PM

10 h ahead of San Rafael

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

118,850

79,308

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.78 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 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).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Rafael Phuket 16,750 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Phuket is about 6% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,035 in San Rafael and $1,917 in Phuket 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: $545 in San Rafael versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $172 in San Rafael 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 $51 in San Rafael. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Phuket gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Rafael and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.