Cost of Living · TH vs AR
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai vs 🇦🇷 Buenos Aires: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $706 in Thailand vs $913 in Argentina — 29.3% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Argentina
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: 7.81%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): 8.9%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 8.92%
Closest to Thailand prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +34.79%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +34.79%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +34.79%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Thailand | Argentina | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $428 | $578 (716,629 ARS) | +34.79% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $343 | $462 (573,310 ARS) | +34.79% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $783 | $1,056 (1,310,413 ARS) | +34.79% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $5.96 | $7.53 (9,344 ARS) | +26.34% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $24.83 | $31.39 (38,950 ARS) | +26.42% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $4.03 | $4.98 (6,179 ARS) | +23.57% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.49 | $0.58 (720 ARS) | +18.37% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.43 | $1.70 (2,109 ARS) | +18.88% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.52 | $1.80 (2,234 ARS) | +18.42% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $4.47 | $5.31 (6,589 ARS) | +18.79% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $1.79 | $2.12 (2,631 ARS) | +18.44% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.15 | $2.55 (3,164 ARS) | +18.6% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $5.37 | $6.37 (7,904 ARS) | +18.62% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $0.89 | $1.06 (1,315 ARS) | +19.1% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $1.99 | $2.51 (3,115 ARS) | +26.13% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $5.35 | $5.83 (7,234 ARS) | +8.97% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $1.66 | $2.09 (2,593 ARS) | +25.9% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.03 | $1.22 (1,514 ARS) | +18.45% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $23.79 | $29.45 (36,543 ARS) | +23.79% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.01 | $1.25 (1,551 ARS) | +23.76% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.32 | $1.67 (2,072 ARS) | +26.52% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.60 | $0.75 (931 ARS) | +25% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.64 | $0.69 (856 ARS) | +7.81% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $73.20 | $90.60 (112,421 ARS) | +23.77% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $25.62 | $31.71 (39,347 ARS) | +23.77% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $16.47 | $20.39 (25,301 ARS) | +23.8% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $16.55 | $20.93 (25,971 ARS) | +26.47% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $4.63 | $5.86 (7,271 ARS) | +26.57% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $9.93 | $12.56 (15,585 ARS) | +26.49% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $36.79 | $40.07 (49,721 ARS) | +8.92% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $60.21 | $65.57 (81,363 ARS) | +8.9% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $82.75 | $105 (129,830 ARS) | +26.44% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much more expensive is Argentina than Thailand?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $913 in Argentina versus $706 in Thailand — 29.3% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Argentina?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $2.51 in Argentina (≈ 3114.54 ARS), versus about $1.99 in Thailand.
- How much is rent in Argentina compared to Thailand?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $578/month in Argentina versus $428/month in Thailand (+34.79%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.