Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ushuaia and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Ushuaia: $957 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

47

Cost of Living Index in Ushuaia
Learn more

Ushuaia Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Ushuaia

🇦🇷 Argentina

$957

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $957 in Ushuaia versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Ushuaia $957
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,570 in Ushuaia versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Ushuaia $1,570
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,183 in Ushuaia versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Ushuaia $2,183
Phuket $2,867

Living in Ushuaia costs roughly 21% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ushuaia 29% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.38 ARS 15.8K

$4.58 ฿153

126.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.08 ARS 50.2K

$32.48 ฿1,086

1.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.06 ARS 13.7K

$8.55 ฿286

5.96%

Cappuccino

$2.78 ARS 4,224

$2.72 ฿91.0

2.21%

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

$1.67 ARS 2,528

$0.94 ฿31.25

77.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ARS 2,330

$0.49 ฿16.39

214.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 ARS 3,274

$2.59 ฿86.6

-16.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ARS 4,610

$3.83 ฿128

-20.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 ARS 1,984

$1.74 ฿58.1

-24.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 ARS 2,388

$1.43 ฿47.82

9.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 ARS 3,069

$1.53 ฿51.0

32.03%

Eggs

$2.27 ARS 3,449

$2.17 ฿72.7

4.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.15 ARS 15.4K

$19.15 ฿640

-47.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.35 ARS 9,633

$3.30 ฿110

92.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.23 ARS 14.0K

$11.14 ฿372

-17.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 ARS 3,052

$2.95 ฿98.5

-31.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 ARS 3,132

$1.68 ฿56.1

22.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,933

$2.30 ฿76.8

-44.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.62 ARS 3,980

$2.13 ฿71.3

23.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 ARS 1,779

$1.53 ฿51.1

-23.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ARS 1,809

$1.36 ฿45.55

-12.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 ARS 2,005

$1.12 ฿37.44

17.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 ARS 2,197

$0.55 ฿18.24

163.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.11 ARS 4,716

$4.26 ฿142

-27.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.02 ARS 7,625

$18.19 ฿608

-72.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 ARS 2,994

$1.74 ฿58.2

13.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 ARS 4,583

$2.79 ฿93.3

8.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 ARS 1,173

$2.22 ฿74.1

-65.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 ARS 2,224

$2.91 ฿97.3

-49.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 ARS 1,308

$1.01 ฿33.79

-14.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.86 ARS 8,894

$3.83 ฿128

53.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ARS 1,671

$1.49 ฿49.85

-26.17%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.3M

$26.7K ฿891.6K

4.53%

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

$30.4K ARS 46.1M

$26.7K ฿892.7K

13.65%

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

$65.8 ARS 99.8K

$99.4 ฿3,321

-33.79%

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

$17.24 ARS 26.2K

$11.28 ฿377

52.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.31 ARS 33.9K

$17.36 ฿580

28.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.50 ARS 40.2K

$52.3 ฿1,747

-49.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.68 ARS 20.8K

$10.85 ฿362

26.08%

Cinema Ticket

$6.16 ARS 9,341

$7.57 ฿253

-18.63%

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

$220 ARS 333.3K

$558 ฿18.7K

-60.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,731 ARS 4.1M

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-76.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.1 ARS 113.9K

$62.9 ฿2,102

19.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.4 ARS 106.8K

$28.58 ฿955

146.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$96.1 ฿3,213

18.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 ARS 168.4K

$88.1 ฿2,943

26.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$342 ARS 519.2K

$729 ฿24.4K

-53.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$233 ARS 354.2K

$460 ฿15.4K

-49.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$694 ARS 1.1M

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-66.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$537 ARS 814.2K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-56.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,848 ARS 2.8M

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-46.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,594 ARS 2.4M

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-35.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

58.5

5.57

950.27%

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

Last update for Ushuaia: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ushuaia

$233 24.4%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 97.1% $227

Groceries & Markets

Ushuaia

$231 24.1%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 15.8% $37

Eating Out

Ushuaia

$173 18.1%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 30% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Ushuaia

$167 17.4%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 25.6% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ushuaia

$105 11%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 21.5% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Ushuaia

$39 4.1%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 73.7% $29

Getting Around

Ushuaia

$8.9 * 0.9%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 338% $30

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 $342 in Ushuaia and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $33.00 in Ushuaia vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $231 vs $268, with Ushuaia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Ushuaia

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

11:04 11:04 AM

21:04 9:04 PM

10 h ahead of Ushuaia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,538

79,308

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ushuaia Phuket 14,670 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Ushuaia
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

Ushuaia vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ushuaia is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 26% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,436 in Ushuaia and $1,811 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: $342 in Ushuaia versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $220 in Ushuaia versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ushuaia – a meal for two runs $33.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $957 in Ushuaia versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ushuaia but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Ushuaia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ushuaia 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, Ushuaia 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.

Expats usually find Ushuaia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.