Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aguascalientes and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Aguascalientes: $1,084 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Aguascalientes, Mexico
Phuket, Thailand
Aguascalientes
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,084
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,084 in Aguascalientes versus $1,278 in Phuket.

  • Aguascalientes $1,084
  • Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,720 in Aguascalientes versus $2,216 in Phuket.

  • Aguascalientes $1,720
  • Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,355 in Aguascalientes versus $3,154 in Phuket.

  • Aguascalientes $2,355
  • Phuket $3,154

Living in Aguascalientes costs roughly 15% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Aguascalientes 20% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Aguascalientes
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.56 MX$236
$4.47 ฿151
180.98%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.51 MX$798
$32.41 ฿1,093
31.16%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.83 MX$128
$8.81 ฿297
-22.47%
Cappuccino
$3.70 MX$69.4
$2.83 ฿95.4
30.74%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.66 MX$31.09
$0.87 ฿29.41
90.80%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.21 MX$22.64
$0.49 ฿16.65
146.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.21 MX$41.49
$2.56 ฿86.3
-13.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.26 MX$61.3
$3.68 ฿124
-11.41%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Aguascalientes
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 MX$27.42
$1.66 ฿55.9
-12.05%
White Bread (500g)
$2.23 MX$41.87
$1.46 ฿49.31
52.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.46 MX$27.42
$1.50 ฿50.5
-2.67%
Eggs
$2.37 MX$44.57
$2.09 ฿70.5
13.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.74 MX$145
$19.07 ฿643
-59.41%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.38 MX$157
$3.30 ฿111
153.94%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.17 MX$210
$10.91 ฿368
2.38%
Apples (1kg)
$2.22 MX$41.69
$2.93 ฿98.9
-24.23%
Banana (1kg)
$1.31 MX$24.59
$1.69 ฿57.0
-22.49%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.53 MX$28.78
$2.25 ฿75.8
-32.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.69 MX$31.64
$2.08 ฿70.0
-18.75%
Potato (1kg)
$1.54 MX$28.85
$1.51 ฿51.0
1.99%
Onion (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.69
$1.38 ฿46.52
-0.72%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 MX$19.13
$1.07 ฿35.96
-4.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.53
$0.52 ฿17.51
59.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.7
$4.20 ฿142
2.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.77 MX$165
$18.79 ฿634
-53.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.78 MX$33.44
$1.82 ฿61.5
-2.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.39 MX$63.7
$2.84 ฿95.8
19.37%
🚌 Getting Around
Aguascalientes
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.58 MX$10.81
$1.45 ฿48.98
-60.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$29.38 MX$552
$56.7 ฿1,912
-48.15%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.18 MX$22.14
$3.02 ฿102
-60.93%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.13 MX$21.19
$1.02 ฿34.33
10.78%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.94 MX$205
$3.69 ฿125
196.48%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 MX$27.94
$1.47 ฿49.76
1.36%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.5K MX$459.7K
$26.8K ฿903.4K
-8.55%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.6K MX$443.3K
$26.7K ฿900.5K
-11.53%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Aguascalientes
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$55.2 MX$1,036
$96.4 ฿3,251
-42.73%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.45 MX$459
$11.26 ฿380
117.14%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$24.00 MX$451
$16.85 ฿568
42.43%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Aguascalientes
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.44 MX$572
$67.2 ฿2,268
-54.72%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.61 MX$406
$10.73 ฿362
101.40%
Cinema Ticket
$5.10 MX$95.8
$7.50 ฿253
-32.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Aguascalientes
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$210 MX$3,945
$476 ฿16.1K
-55.85%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,885 MX$54.2K
$11.3K ฿380.0K
-74.39%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Aguascalientes
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.1 MX$1,016
$62.4 ฿2,104
-13.25%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.42 MX$721
$28.41 ฿958
35.23%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 MX$1,930
$94.3 ฿3,181
9.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$68.8 MX$1,291
$85.8 ฿2,895
-19.86%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Aguascalientes
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$496 MX$9,316
$716 ฿24.2K
-30.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$349 MX$6,561
$491 ฿16.6K
-28.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$772 MX$14.5K
$1,927 ฿65.0K
-59.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$622 MX$11.7K
$1,431 ฿48.3K
-56.50%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,149 MX$21.6K
$4,175 ฿140.9K
-72.47%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,155 MX$21.7K
$3,045 ฿102.7K
-62.08%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Aguascalientes
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$864 MX$16.2K
$502 ฿16.9K
72.10%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.2
5.57
101.08%

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

Last update for Aguascalientes: 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
Aguascalientes
$349
Phuket
$491 40.5% $141
Groceries & Markets
Aguascalientes
$239
Phuket
$266 11.4% $27
Eating Out
Aguascalientes
$194
Phuket
$122 37.4% $73
Clothing & Footwear
Aguascalientes
$119
Phuket
$122 2.6% $3.1
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Aguascalientes
$104
Phuket
$124 20.1% $21
Sport & Entertainment
Aguascalientes
$41
Phuket
$82 102% $42
Getting Around
Aguascalientes
$39
Phuket
$71 83.3% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $496 in Aguascalientes and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aguascalientes pays 72% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43 in Aguascalientes vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $239 vs $266, with Aguascalientes cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Aguascalientes
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
20:22 8:22 PM
09:22 9:22 AM
13 h ahead of Aguascalientes
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
863,893
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Aguascalientes Phuket 16,010 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Aguascalientes
  • 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
Aguascalientes vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Aguascalientes cheaper than Phuket?
Aguascalientes is about 15% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Aguascalientes or Phuket?
Average pay runs 72% higher in Aguascalientes, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Aguascalientes and Phuket?
Rent for a central apartment: $496 in Aguascalientes versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Aguascalientes runs roughly 48% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $210 in Aguascalientes versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is $1,500 enough for either Aguascalientes or Phuket?
Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Aguascalientes gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is it better to live in Aguascalientes or in Phuket?
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.
Which city is safer, Aguascalientes or Phuket?
Safety-wise, Aguascalientes and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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