Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ecatepec and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Ecatepec: $961 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 Ecatepec
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Ecatepec Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Ecatepec

🇲🇽 Mexico

$961

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $961 per month in Ecatepec vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Ecatepec $961
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $1,670 per month in Ecatepec vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Ecatepec $1,670
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $2,380 per month in Ecatepec vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Ecatepec $2,380
Phuket $2,867

Ecatepec is about 20% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ecatepec and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Ecatepec 29% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.14 MX$206

$4.58 ฿153

143.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.1 MX$926

$32.48 ฿1,086

54.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.57 MX$177

$8.55 ฿286

11.93%

Cappuccino

$3.71 MX$68.6

$2.72 ฿91.0

36.40%

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

$1.62 MX$30.02

$0.94 ฿31.25

72.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$20.09

$0.49 ฿16.39

122.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$2.59 ฿86.6

30.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.59 MX$103

$3.83 ฿128

45.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.71

$1.74 ฿58.1

-1.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.66 MX$49.12

$1.43 ฿47.82

86.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.17

$1.53 ฿51.0

28.10%

Eggs

$2.75 MX$50.9

$2.17 ฿72.7

26.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.82 MX$163

$19.15 ฿640

-53.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 MX$168

$3.30 ฿110

176.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.47 MX$249

$11.14 ฿372

20.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 MX$58.0

$2.95 ฿98.5

6.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 MX$30.74

$1.68 ฿56.1

-1.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.65

$2.30 ฿76.8

-11.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.12

$2.13 ฿71.3

-10.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 MX$33.16

$1.53 ฿51.1

16.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 MX$32.42

$1.36 ฿45.55

28.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 MX$27.48

$1.12 ฿37.44

33.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$21.95

$0.55 ฿18.24

116.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.59 MX$84.9

$4.26 ฿142

7.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.62 MX$307

$18.19 ฿608

-8.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.74 ฿58.2

10.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 MX$70.7

$2.79 ฿93.3

37.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MX$11.72

$2.22 ฿74.1

-71.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.01 MX$573

$22.06 ฿737

40.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.99 MX$36.81

$2.91 ฿97.3

-31.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.68

$1.01 ฿33.79

-48.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.32 MX$98.3

$3.83 ฿128

38.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.48

$1.49 ฿49.85

3.36%

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

$21.5K MX$397.7K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-19.34%

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

$23.5K MX$434.5K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-11.98%

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

$57.7 MX$1,067

$99.4 ฿3,321

-41.90%

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

$27.01 MX$499

$11.28 ฿377

139.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.74 MX$457

$17.36 ฿580

42.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.37 MX$487

$52.3 ฿1,747

-49.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.00 MX$203

$10.85 ฿362

1.38%

Cinema Ticket

$6.47 MX$120

$7.57 ฿253

-14.53%

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

$270 MX$4,996

$558 ฿18.7K

-51.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,048 MX$93.3K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-56.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 MX$1,092

$62.9 ฿2,102

-6.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.94 MX$830

$28.58 ฿955

57.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 MX$1,855

$96.1 ฿3,213

4.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 MX$1,826

$88.1 ฿2,943

12.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$243 MX$4,487

$729 ฿24.4K

-66.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 MX$2,550

$460 ฿15.4K

-70.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$683 MX$12.6K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-67.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$444 MX$8,205

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-63.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$755 MX$14.0K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-78.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$755 MX$13.9K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-69.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$553 MX$10.2K

$493 ฿16.5K

12.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

5.57

102.87%

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

Last update for Ecatepec: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ecatepec

$298 31%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 10.2% $30

Eating Out

Ecatepec

$201 21%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 39.7% $80

Accommodation & Living

Ecatepec

$138 14.4%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 233% $322

Clothing & Footwear

Ecatepec

$136 14.2%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 9.1% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ecatepec

$109 11.4%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 16.9% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Ecatepec

$39 4.1%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 71.6% $28

Getting Around

Ecatepec

$38 4%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 1.9% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $243 in Ecatepec 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 12% higher in Ecatepec, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Ecatepec versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $268 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Ecatepec

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

04:17 4:17 AM

17:17 5:17 PM

13 h ahead of Ecatepec

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,645,352

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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ecatepec Phuket 16,410 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Ecatepec
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

Ecatepec vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $961 in Ecatepec, $1,207 in Phuket – roughly 26% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,441 per month in Ecatepec 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 Ecatepec, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Ecatepec and $32.00 in Phuket. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $961 in Ecatepec and $1,207 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 26%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ecatepec, where all-in costs run around $961, than in Phuket at $1,207. In Ecatepec it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket 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 $961 in Ecatepec to $1,207 in Phuket. 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 Ecatepec. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.