Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cancun and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,398 in Cancun, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cancun
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Cancun Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Cancun

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,398

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,398 per month in Cancun vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Cancun $1,398
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $2,267 per month in Cancun vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Cancun $2,267
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $3,136 per month in Cancun vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Cancun $3,136
Phuket $2,867

Cancun costs about 16% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cancun sits 4% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.84 MX$200

$4.58 ฿153

136.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.8 MX$994

$32.48 ฿1,086

65.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.55 MX$213

$8.55 ฿286

35.09%

Cappuccino

$3.86 MX$71.4

$2.72 ฿91.0

41.91%

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

$1.34 MX$24.78

$0.94 ฿31.25

42.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.57

$0.49 ฿16.39

71.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$2.59 ฿86.6

18.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 MX$76.3

$3.83 ฿128

7.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 MX$30.29

$1.74 ฿58.1

-5.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 MX$47.72

$1.43 ฿47.82

80.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MX$31.12

$1.53 ฿51.0

9.80%

Eggs

$2.80 MX$51.7

$2.17 ฿72.7

29.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.89 MX$183

$19.15 ฿640

-48.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.81 MX$163

$3.30 ฿110

166.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.21 MX$263

$11.14 ฿372

27.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 MX$54.1

$2.95 ฿98.5

-0.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 MX$30.88

$1.68 ฿56.1

-0.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 MX$55.5

$2.30 ฿76.8

30.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.55

$2.13 ฿71.3

2.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.91

$1.53 ฿51.1

26.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.26

$1.36 ฿45.55

44.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.23

$1.12 ฿37.44

2.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.51

$0.55 ฿18.24

121.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.34 MX$80.3

$4.26 ฿142

1.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 MX$185

$18.19 ฿608

-44.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.38

$1.74 ฿58.2

-8.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 MX$51.8

$2.79 ฿93.3

0.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MX$12.66

$2.22 ฿74.1

-69.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.10 MX$538

$22.06 ฿737

31.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 MX$79.9

$2.91 ฿97.3

48.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.82 MX$52.1

$1.01 ฿33.79

179.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.71 MX$253

$3.83 ฿128

257.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.28

$1.49 ฿49.85

2.68%

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

$21.3K MX$394.3K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-20.03%

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

$23.8K MX$439.8K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-10.89%

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

$170 MX$3,149

$99.4 ฿3,321

71.49%

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

$23.44 MX$433

$11.28 ฿377

107.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.92 MX$719

$17.36 ฿580

124.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.26 MX$596

$52.3 ฿1,747

-38.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.21 MX$244

$10.85 ฿362

21.75%

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 MX$135

$7.57 ฿253

-3.70%

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

$204 MX$3,761

$558 ฿18.7K

-63.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,396 MX$99.7K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-53.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 MX$999

$62.9 ฿2,102

-14.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 MX$1,021

$28.58 ฿955

93.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.0 MX$1,368

$96.1 ฿3,213

-22.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.0 MX$1,737

$88.1 ฿2,943

6.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$660 MX$12.2K

$729 ฿24.4K

-9.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$457 MX$8,445

$460 ฿15.4K

-0.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 MX$26.0K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-32.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,059 MX$19.6K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-13.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,266 MX$23.4K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-63.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,945 MX$35.9K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-21.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$801 MX$14.8K

$493 ฿16.5K

62.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.57

105.57%

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

Last update for Cancun: October 13, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cancun

$457 32.7%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 0.6% $3

Groceries & Markets

Cancun

$287 20.5%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 6.7% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cancun

$233 16.6%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 45% $105

Eating Out

Cancun

$200 14.3%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 39.3% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Cancun

$125 8.9%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 0.6% $0.8

Getting Around

Cancun

$50 3.6%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 22.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Cancun

$47 3.4%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 43.9% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $660 in Cancun versus $729 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 63% higher in Cancun, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54.0 in Cancun versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $268 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cancun

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

11:31 11:31 AM

23:31 11:31 PM

12 h ahead of Cancun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

888,797

79,308

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cancun Phuket 16,740 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Cancun
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

Cancun vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,398 in Cancun, $1,207 in Phuket – roughly 16% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,098 per month in Cancun and $1,811 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $204 per month in Cancun and $558 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Cancun, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Cancun at $1,398. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cancun it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,207 in Phuket to $1,398 in Cancun. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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