Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Samui and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Samui: $1,221 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Koh Samui
Learn more

Koh Samui Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Koh Samui

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,221

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Koh Samui 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 Samui and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,221 per month in Koh Samui vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

Koh Samui $1,221
Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $2,093 per month in Koh Samui vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

Koh Samui $2,093
Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $2,965 per month in Koh Samui vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

Koh Samui $2,965
Mexico City $3,490

Koh Samui is about 24% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Koh Samui sits 10% below the global median, while Mexico City is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.31 ฿145

$10.62 MX$199

-59.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.28 ฿1,089

$48.35 MX$908

-33.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿289

$10.35 MX$194

-17.39%

Cappuccino

$2.75 ฿92.7

$3.69 MX$69.3

-25.47%

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

$0.89 ฿30.00

$1.67 MX$31.29

-46.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.55

$1.27 MX$23.76

-61.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.19 MX$59.9

-19.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ฿122

$5.31 MX$99.6

-32.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.72 MX$32.38

-3.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.30

$3.04 MX$57.1

-51.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 ฿53.3

$1.94 MX$36.44

-18.56%

Eggs

$2.16 ฿73.0

$2.89 MX$54.2

-25.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.29 ฿651

$10.97 MX$206

75.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿113

$9.25 MX$174

-63.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.86 ฿366

$15.13 MX$284

-28.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$3.05 MX$57.2

-3.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 ฿54.1

$1.94 MX$36.45

-17.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 ฿77.1

$2.03 MX$38.02

12.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿69.2

$2.31 MX$43.46

-11.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.79

$2.04 MX$38.21

-28.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.13

$1.80 MX$33.79

-23.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.67

$1.48 MX$27.77

-24.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.62

$1.27 MX$23.80

-56.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿144

$5.30 MX$99.6

-19.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.41 ฿621

$16.10 MX$302

14.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.98 MX$37.23

-8.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿96.2

$4.25 MX$79.8

-32.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 ฿51.7

$0.31 MX$5.73

393.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.1 ฿1,959

$19.73 MX$371

194.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 ฿106

$1.84 MX$34.50

71.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 ฿36.12

$0.53 MX$10.02

101.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.08 ฿138

$5.30 MX$99.4

-23.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 ฿51.7

$1.51 MX$28.36

1.32%

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

$27.5K ฿928.8K

$21.8K MX$408.4K

26.55%

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

$27.7K ฿936.1K

$24.0K MX$450.3K

15.66%

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

$104 ฿3,492

$63.0 MX$1,182

64.35%

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

$11.49 ฿388

$27.39 MX$514

-58.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.05 ฿609

$35.67 MX$670

-49.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.9 ฿2,358

$58.9 MX$1,107

18.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.34 ฿383

$23.64 MX$444

-52.03%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ฿275

$6.40 MX$120

27.19%

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

$509 ฿17.2K

$432 MX$8,103

17.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ฿416.9K

$11.4K MX$214.5K

8.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,120

$68.2 MX$1,281

-7.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.10 ฿982

$53.1 MX$997

-45.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.8 ฿3,231

$108 MX$2,023

-11.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.2 ฿2,942

$117 MX$2,202

-25.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$607 ฿20.5K

$1,113 MX$20.9K

-45.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$420 ฿14.2K

$710 MX$13.3K

-40.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 ฿55.8K

$2,588 MX$48.6K

-36.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,221 ฿41.2K

$1,406 MX$26.4K

-13.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,583 ฿120.9K

$3,631 MX$68.2K

-1.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,588 ฿87.3K

$2,135 MX$40.1K

21.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$405 ฿13.7K

$946 MX$17.8K

-57.18%

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 Samui: October 24, 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 Samui

$420 34.4%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 69.1% $290

Groceries & Markets

Koh Samui

$267 21.9%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 19.8% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Samui

$133 10.9%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 5.3% $7

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Samui

$124 10.1%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 26% $32

Eating Out

Koh Samui

$119 9.7%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 67.4% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Samui

$86 7.1%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 16.7% $14

Getting Around

Koh Samui

$73 6%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 65% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $607 in Koh Samui versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Mexico City are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Koh Samui versus $48 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $320 – making Koh Samui the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Samui

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

05:16 5:16 AM

16:16 4:16 PM

13 h behind Koh Samui

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,110

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Koh Samui Mexico City 16,180 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,221 in Koh Samui, $1,608 in Mexico City – Koh Samui comes out roughly 24% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,832 per month in Koh Samui and $2,412 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Koh Samui, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $607 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Groceries cost about 20% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Koh Samui and $48 in Mexico City. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,221 in Koh Samui and $1,608 in Mexico City, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Koh Samui costs $1,221 versus $1,608 in Mexico City. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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