Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ajijic and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,327 in Ajijic, rent and utilities included – about $590 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ajijic outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

63

Cost of Living Index in Ajijic
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Ajijic Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Ajijic

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,327

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,327 per month in Ajijic vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Ajijic $1,327
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $2,083 per month in Ajijic vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Ajijic $2,083
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $2,840 per month in Ajijic vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Ajijic $2,840
Phuket $3,154

Ajijic costs about 4% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ajijic and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Ajijic 3% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.36 MX$175

$4.47 ฿151

109.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.80 MX$798

$32.41 ฿1,094

32.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 MX$128

$8.81 ฿297

-21.79%

Cappuccino

$3.53 MX$65.9

$2.83 ฿95.5

24.73%

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

$1.58 MX$29.39

$0.87 ฿29.43

81.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.16 MX$21.60

$0.49 ฿16.67

136.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 MX$40.70

$2.56 ฿86.4

-14.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 MX$61.3

$3.68 ฿124

-10.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$26.63

$1.66 ฿56.0

-13.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 MX$40.67

$1.46 ฿49.35

49.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 MX$20.41

$1.50 ฿50.6

-27.33%

Eggs

$2.25 MX$41.90

$2.09 ฿70.5

7.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.96 MX$148

$19.07 ฿644

-58.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.19 MX$153

$3.30 ฿111

148.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.07 MX$132

$10.91 ฿368

-35.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 MX$40.47

$2.93 ฿99.0

-25.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 MX$24.31

$1.69 ฿57.1

-23.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.42

$2.25 ฿75.8

-32.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 MX$31.26

$2.08 ฿70.1

-19.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 MX$28.05

$1.51 ฿51.0

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 MX$25.84

$1.38 ฿46.56

0.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 MX$19.03

$1.07 ฿35.99

-4.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 MX$16.39

$0.52 ฿17.52

69.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 MX$82.6

$4.20 ฿142

5.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.58 MX$160

$18.79 ฿634

-54.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 MX$27.97

$1.82 ฿61.5

-17.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.17

$2.84 ฿95.9

-54.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MX$12.60

$1.45 ฿49.03

-53.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.9 MX$1,079

$56.7 ฿1,913

2.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 MX$23.14

$3.02 ฿102

-58.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.23 MX$78.8

$1.02 ฿34.36

314.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.75 MX$200

$3.69 ฿125

191.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.51

$1.47 ฿49.81

0.68%

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

$24.6K MX$459.4K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-7.96%

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

$23.6K MX$440.7K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-11.42%

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

$55.2 MX$1,030

$96.4 ฿3,254

-42.67%

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

$14.17 MX$264

$11.26 ฿380

25.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.59 MX$458

$16.85 ฿569

45.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.01 MX$448

$67.2 ฿2,270

-64.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.27 MX$98.2

$10.73 ฿362

-50.89%

Cinema Ticket

$4.77 MX$88.9

$7.50 ฿253

-36.40%

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

$211 MX$3,935

$476 ฿16.1K

-55.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,800 MX$52.2K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-75.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.69 MX$796

$62.4 ฿2,106

-31.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.24 MX$303

$28.41 ฿959

-42.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.4 MX$1,238

$94.3 ฿3,184

-29.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.5 MX$1,296

$85.8 ฿2,898

-18.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$844 MX$15.7K

$716 ฿24.2K

17.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$644 MX$12.0K

$491 ฿16.6K

31.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 MX$28.1K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-21.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,248 MX$23.3K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-12.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,324 MX$62.0K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-20.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,782 MX$33.2K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-41.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$548 MX$10.2K

$502 ฿17.0K

9.03%

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 Ajijic: 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

Ajijic

$644 48.6%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 23.8% $153

Groceries & Markets

Ajijic

$218 16.4%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 22.2% $48

Eating Out

Ajijic

$166 12.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 26.9% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ajijic

$94 7.1%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 32.4% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Ajijic

$88 6.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 39% $34

Getting Around

Ajijic

$83 6.3%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 14.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Ajijic

$34 2.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 145% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $844 in Ajijic versus $716 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 9% higher in Ajijic. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Ajijic versus $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $218 in Ajijic vs $266 in Phuket – so Ajijic wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Ajijic

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:58 1:58 PM

02:58 2:58 AM

13 h ahead of Ajijic

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,439

79,308

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ajijic Phuket 16,090 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Ajijic
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

Ajijic vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ajijic is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,990 per month in Ajijic and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $844 in Ajijic.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,327 in Ajijic and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 4% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $211 per month in Ajijic and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,327 in Ajijic and $1,278 in Phuket, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,278 versus $1,327 in Ajijic. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ajijic makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.