Cost of Living Comparison Between Lazaro Cardenas and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Lazaro Cardenas and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,121 in Lazaro Cardenas versus $1,270 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,771 in Lazaro Cardenas versus $2,304 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,422 in Lazaro Cardenas versus $3,339 in Phuket.

Living in Lazaro Cardenas costs roughly 12% less than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lazaro Cardenas 16% lower, Phuket 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.42 MX$181

$4.66 ฿150

123.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.63 MX$669

$46.44 ฿1,496

-16.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.03 MX$139

$8.68 ฿280

-7.49%

Cappuccino

$3.39 MX$58.8

$2.95 ฿95.0

14.92%

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

$1.28 MX$22.24

$0.70 ฿22.52

82.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 MX$16.82

$0.39 ฿12.70

148.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 MX$40.59

$2.53 ฿81.6

-7.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 MX$66.9

$3.78 ฿122

2.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$24.99

$2.22 ฿71.5

-35.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 MX$44.24

$1.80 ฿57.8

41.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 MX$28.16

$2.19 ฿70.4

-25.57%

Eggs

$2.37 MX$41.14

$2.31 ฿74.5

2.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.97 MX$138

$19.34 ฿623

-58.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.73 MX$134

$3.77 ฿121

105.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.44 MX$181

$13.22 ฿426

-21.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 MX$46.25

$3.33 ฿107

-19.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$24.82

$1.65 ฿53.1

-13.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.72 MX$29.86

$2.29 ฿73.7

-24.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 MX$27.83

$1.99 ฿64.1

-19.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 MX$32.12

$1.53 ฿49.24

20.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 MX$34.70

$1.51 ฿48.77

32.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 MX$21.71

$1.03 ฿33.12

21.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 MX$17.61

$0.51 ฿16.57

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 MX$71.9

$4.41 ฿142

-5.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 MX$188

$19.41 ฿625

-44.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 MX$26.88

$1.80 ฿58.0

-13.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 MX$48.99

$2.68 ฿86.4

5.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 MX$10.43

$1.43 ฿46.11

-58.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 ฿377

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 MX$45.54

$3.04 ฿97.9

-13.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 MX$27.62

$1.04 ฿33.37

52.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.44 MX$146

$13.68 ฿441

-38.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 MX$22.98

$1.30 ฿41.85

2.31%

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

$21.2K MX$366.9K

$27.9K ฿898.9K

-24.10%

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

$22.9K MX$396.5K

$33.0K ฿1.1M

-30.74%

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

$55.5 MX$963

$123 ฿3,962

-54.83%

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

$21.88 MX$379

$13.82 ฿445

58.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.23 MX$489

$18.86 ฿608

49.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.42 MX$614

$61.2 ฿1,970

-42.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.85 MX$275

$16.81 ฿541

-5.71%

Cinema Ticket

$4.64 MX$80.5

$8.87 ฿286

-47.69%

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

$210 MX$3,646

$696 ฿22.4K

-69.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,606 MX$62.5K

$16.1K ฿517.4K

-77.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 MX$928

$59.3 ฿1,910

-9.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.20 MX$679

$34.85 ฿1,123

12.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.8 MX$1,539

$113 ฿3,646

-21.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.8 MX$1,366

$85.1 ฿2,740

-7.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$517 MX$8,966

$615 ฿19.8K

-15.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$394 MX$6,820

$448 ฿14.4K

-12.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$949 MX$16.4K

$2,085 ฿67.2K

-54.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$749 MX$13.0K

$1,496 ฿48.2K

-49.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,037 MX$35.3K

$3,734 ฿120.3K

-45.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,271 MX$22.0K

$2,662 ฿85.8K

-52.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$581 MX$10.1K

$534 ฿17.2K

8.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.48

5.33

115.38%

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

Last update for Lazaro Cardenas: April 21, 2026

Last update for Phuket: April 20, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $517 in Lazaro Cardenas and $615 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lazaro Cardenas pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $39 in Lazaro Cardenas vs $46 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $291 per month, with Lazaro Cardenas cheaper across the board.

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

Lazaro Cardenas vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lazaro Cardenas wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lazaro Cardenas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Lazaro Cardenas pays 9% more on average, 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: $517 in Lazaro Cardenas versus $615 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $210 in Lazaro Cardenas versus $696 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Lazaro Cardenas – a meal for two runs $39.00 versus $46.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,121 in Lazaro Cardenas versus $1,270 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Lazaro Cardenas but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Lazaro Cardenas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lazaro Cardenas delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,121 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lazaro Cardenas hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lazaro Cardenas and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lazaro Cardenas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.