Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guanajuato and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Guanajuato: $1,036 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Guanajuato
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Guanajuato Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Guanajuato

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,036

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,036 in Guanajuato versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Guanajuato $1,036
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,584 in Guanajuato versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Guanajuato $1,584
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,131 in Guanajuato versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Guanajuato $2,131
Phuket $3,154

Living in Guanajuato costs roughly 19% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Guanajuato 24% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.29 MX$249

$4.47 ฿151

197.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.45 MX$814

$32.41 ฿1,093

34.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.12 MX$133

$8.81 ฿297

-19.18%

Cappuccino

$3.61 MX$67.6

$2.83 ฿95.4

27.56%

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

$1.64 MX$30.78

$0.87 ฿29.40

88.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 MX$17.66

$0.49 ฿16.65

91.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.63 MX$49.34

$2.56 ฿86.3

2.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 MX$93.2

$3.68 ฿124

35.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.25

$1.66 ฿55.9

-9.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.49 MX$46.70

$1.46 ฿49.29

70.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.60

$1.50 ฿50.5

-2.00%

Eggs

$2.39 MX$44.85

$2.09 ฿70.5

14.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.76 MX$89.1

$19.07 ฿643

-75.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$175

$3.30 ฿111

182.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.63 MX$218

$10.91 ฿368

6.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 MX$51.9

$2.93 ฿98.8

-5.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 MX$29.04

$1.69 ฿57.0

-8.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.95

$2.25 ฿75.7

-16.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 MX$28.18

$2.08 ฿70.0

-27.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.66

$1.51 ฿51.0

33.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 MX$34.70

$1.38 ฿46.51

34.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 MX$28.59

$1.07 ฿35.95

42.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$20.05

$0.52 ฿17.50

105.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.85 MX$90.9

$4.20 ฿142

15.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.04 MX$188

$18.79 ฿634

-46.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 MX$34.55

$1.82 ฿61.4

1.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 MX$61.0

$2.84 ฿95.8

14.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 MX$11.33

$1.45 ฿48.97

-58.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.83 MX$503

$56.7 ฿1,911

-52.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 MX$39.58

$3.02 ฿102

-30.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 MX$28.10

$1.02 ฿34.32

47.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.59 MX$161

$3.69 ฿124

132.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$27.33

$1.47 ฿49.75

-0.68%

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

$19.6K MX$367.3K

$26.8K ฿903.2K

-26.80%

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

$23.0K MX$430.1K

$26.7K ฿900.3K

-14.01%

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

$48.45 MX$908

$96.4 ฿3,250

-49.71%

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

$19.35 MX$363

$11.26 ฿380

71.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.67 MX$518

$16.85 ฿568

64.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.04 MX$563

$67.2 ฿2,268

-55.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.18 MX$509

$10.73 ฿362

153.31%

Cinema Ticket

$5.98 MX$112

$7.50 ฿253

-20.27%

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

$203 MX$3,804

$476 ฿16.1K

-57.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,520 MX$103.4K

$11.3K ฿379.9K

-50.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 MX$1,054

$62.4 ฿2,103

-9.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.12 MX$677

$28.41 ฿958

27.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.8 MX$1,439

$94.3 ฿3,180

-18.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.5 MX$1,058

$85.8 ฿2,894

-34.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$511 MX$9,580

$716 ฿24.1K

-28.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$300 MX$5,628

$491 ฿16.6K

-38.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$766 MX$14.3K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-60.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$383 MX$7,178

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-73.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,317 MX$24.7K

$4,175 ฿140.8K

-68.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,091 MX$20.4K

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-64.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$704 MX$13.2K

$502 ฿16.9K

40.08%

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 Guanajuato: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guanajuato

$300 29%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 63.4% $191

Groceries & Markets

Guanajuato

$254 24.5%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 4.9% $12

Eating Out

Guanajuato

$204 19.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 40.5% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Guanajuato

$102 9.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 20.1% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guanajuato

$95 9.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 30.4% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Guanajuato

$42 4.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 95.7% $40

Getting Around

Guanajuato

$39 3.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 81.6% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $511 in Guanajuato and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Guanajuato pays 40% 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 Guanajuato vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $254 vs $266, with Guanajuato cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Guanajuato

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

16:00 4:00 PM

05:00 5:00 AM

13 h ahead of Guanajuato

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,068

79,308

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Guanajuato Phuket 16,150 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Guanajuato
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

Guanajuato vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guanajuato wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Guanajuato the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 40% higher in Guanajuato, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $511 in Guanajuato versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $43 in Guanajuato. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Guanajuato is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Safety-wise, Guanajuato and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.