Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Phangan and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Phangan: $1,103 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Koh Phangan
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Koh Phangan Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

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Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,103

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Koh Phangan and in Mexico City

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Koh Phangan and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,103 in Koh Phangan versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Koh Phangan $1,103
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,874 in Koh Phangan versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Koh Phangan $1,874
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,646 in Koh Phangan versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Koh Phangan $2,646
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Koh Phangan costs roughly 31% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Koh Phangan is 19% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 ฿131

$10.62 MX$199

-63.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.98 ฿979

$48.35 MX$904

-40.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ฿266

$10.35 MX$193

-23.86%

Cappuccino

$2.46 ฿83.2

$3.69 MX$69.0

-33.33%

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

$0.80 ฿27.06

$1.67 MX$31.14

-52.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 ฿14.90

$1.27 MX$23.65

-65.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 ฿76.0

$3.19 MX$59.7

-29.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 ฿110

$5.31 MX$99.2

-38.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ฿53.6

$1.72 MX$32.23

-7.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 ฿46.60

$3.04 MX$56.8

-54.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.50

$1.94 MX$36.27

-25.77%

Eggs

$2.00 ฿67.4

$2.89 MX$54.0

-30.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.46 ฿623

$10.97 MX$205

68.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.29 ฿111

$9.25 MX$173

-64.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.67 ฿360

$15.13 MX$283

-29.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 ฿91.7

$3.05 MX$57.0

-10.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ฿52.0

$1.94 MX$36.27

-20.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 ฿69.9

$2.03 MX$37.85

1.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 ฿65.3

$2.31 MX$43.25

-16.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.63

$2.04 MX$38.03

-29.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 ฿41.67

$1.80 MX$33.63

-31.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.48 MX$27.64

-27.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.06

$1.27 MX$23.69

-62.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.04 ฿136

$5.30 MX$99.1

-23.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.83 ฿602

$16.10 MX$301

10.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ฿57.5

$1.98 MX$37.06

-14.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ฿89.6

$4.25 MX$79.5

-37.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.32 ฿44.64

$0.31 MX$5.70

325.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.08 ฿1,657

$19.73 MX$369

148.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 ฿88.3

$1.84 MX$34.34

41.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 ฿32.44

$0.53 MX$9.97

81.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.32 ฿112

$5.30 MX$99.0

-37.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ฿44.99

$1.51 MX$28.23

-11.92%

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

$23.5K ฿795.2K

$21.8K MX$406.5K

8.24%

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

$23.7K ฿799.5K

$24.0K MX$448.2K

-1.30%

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

$98.0 ฿3,311

$63.0 MX$1,177

55.65%

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

$11.12 ฿376

$27.39 MX$512

-59.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.94 ฿572

$35.67 MX$666

-52.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.7 ฿2,286

$58.9 MX$1,101

14.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.81 ฿365

$23.64 MX$442

-54.27%

Cinema Ticket

$7.68 ฿259

$6.40 MX$120

20.00%

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

$478 ฿16.2K

$432 MX$8,065

10.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿391.7K

$11.4K MX$213.5K

1.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.1 ฿2,098

$68.2 MX$1,275

-8.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.52 ฿963

$53.1 MX$993

-46.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,242

$108 MX$2,014

-10.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.5 ฿2,922

$117 MX$2,191

-26.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$498 ฿16.8K

$1,113 MX$20.8K

-55.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$348 ฿11.7K

$710 MX$13.3K

-51.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,349 ฿45.6K

$2,588 MX$48.4K

-47.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,007 ฿34.0K

$1,406 MX$26.3K

-28.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,927 ฿98.8K

$3,631 MX$67.8K

-19.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,098 ฿70.9K

$2,135 MX$39.9K

-1.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$724 ฿24.4K

$946 MX$17.7K

-23.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.35

-50.93%

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

Last update for Koh Phangan: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Phangan

$348 31.6%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 104% $363

Groceries & Markets

Koh Phangan

$254 23.1%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 25.7% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Phangan

$126 11.4%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 0% $0

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Phangan

$123 11.1%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 26.8% $33

Eating Out

Koh Phangan

$107 9.7%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 85.6% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Phangan

$83 7.5%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 13.6% $11

Getting Around

Koh Phangan

$62 5.6%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 58.8% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $498 in Koh Phangan and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 31% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $29 in Koh Phangan vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $254 vs $320 per month, with Koh Phangan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Phangan

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

10:52 10:52 AM

21:52 9:52 PM

13 h behind Koh Phangan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.65 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Koh Phangan Mexico City 16,150 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Koh Phangan
Mexico City

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

Koh Phangan vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Koh Phangan and Mexico City differ by about 46% in total monthly costs ($1,103 vs $1,608 including rent). Koh Phangan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 24% lower in Koh Phangan. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $498 in Koh Phangan versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Koh Phangan – a meal for two runs $29 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,103 per month in Koh Phangan versus $1,608 in Mexico City – a 46% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Koh Phangan gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Koh Phangan wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.