Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manzanillo and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Manzanillo: $1,200 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Manzanillo
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Manzanillo Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Manzanillo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,200

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,200 in Manzanillo versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Manzanillo $1,200
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,100 in Manzanillo versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Manzanillo $2,100
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Manzanillo versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Manzanillo $3,000
Phuket $3,115

Living in Manzanillo costs roughly 7% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Manzanillo 11% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.88 MX$202

$4.39 ฿148

147.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.44 MX$604

$32.31 ฿1,086

0.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.92 MX$203

$8.70 ฿293

25.52%

Cappuccino

$3.71 MX$69.1

$2.72 ฿91.6

36.40%

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

$1.14 MX$21.14

$0.93 ฿31.28

22.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 MX$20.81

$0.50 ฿16.79

124.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.11 MX$39.23

$2.53 ฿85.1

-16.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.31 MX$80.2

$3.63 ฿122

18.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.04

$1.74 ฿58.5

-13.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 MX$47.10

$1.45 ฿48.77

74.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 MX$21.54

$1.50 ฿50.5

-22.67%

Eggs

$2.07 MX$38.50

$2.17 ฿73.0

-4.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.01 MX$149

$19.09 ฿642

-58.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.42 MX$101

$3.40 ฿114

59.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.44 MX$176

$10.90 ฿366

-13.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 MX$53.4

$2.94 ฿98.9

-2.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.67

$1.69 ฿56.9

-18.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 MX$32.21

$2.19 ฿73.8

-21.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 MX$27.23

$2.12 ฿71.4

-31.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$42.95

$1.46 ฿49.03

58.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 MX$30.77

$1.37 ฿45.99

20.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.83 MX$34.15

$1.08 ฿36.17

69.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 MX$21.53

$0.55 ฿18.34

110.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$4.43 ฿149

19.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.36 MX$118

$18.25 ฿614

-65.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 MX$33.46

$1.77 ฿59.6

1.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 MX$45.32

$2.88 ฿96.8

-15.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MX$13.94

$1.45 ฿48.66

-48.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.39 MX$44.54

$1.51 ฿50.9

58.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.48 MX$46.14

$0.78 ฿26.08

217.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 MX$153

$3.84 ฿129

113.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.16

$1.49 ฿50.0

-5.37%

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

$23.9K MX$445.2K

$26.9K ฿903.7K

-11.01%

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

$23.3K MX$434.3K

$26.3K ฿885.7K

-11.41%

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

$64.1 MX$1,193

$97.8 ฿3,288

-34.46%

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

$19.79 MX$368

$11.29 ฿380

75.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.60 MX$532

$17.19 ฿578

66.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.8 MX$1,224

$68.3 ฿2,297

-3.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.67 MX$589

$10.92 ฿367

190.02%

Cinema Ticket

$4.34 MX$80.8

$7.43 ฿250

-41.59%

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

$162 MX$3,022

$530 ฿17.8K

-69.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,458 MX$157.4K

$18.8K ฿631.4K

-54.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.68 MX$794

$61.7 ฿2,073

-30.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.94 MX$464

$28.25 ฿950

-11.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.9 MX$1,376

$96.0 ฿3,228

-22.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 MX$2,112

$86.8 ฿2,919

30.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$660 MX$12.3K

$721 ฿24.2K

-8.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 MX$8,560

$509 ฿17.1K

-9.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,531 MX$28.5K

$1,950 ฿65.6K

-21.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,322 MX$24.6K

$1,397 ฿47.0K

-5.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$402 MX$7,485

$492 ฿16.5K

-18.18%

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 Manzanillo: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manzanillo

$460 38.3%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 10.6% $49

Groceries & Markets

Manzanillo

$228 19%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 17.2% $39

Eating Out

Manzanillo

$193 16.1%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 37.9% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Manzanillo

$115 9.6%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 6.9% $8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manzanillo

$112 9.4%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 12.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Manzanillo

$74 6.2%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 11.7% $8.7

Getting Around

Manzanillo

$18 * 1.5%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 271% $48

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $660 in Manzanillo and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 22% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Manzanillo vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $228 vs $267 per month, with Manzanillo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Manzanillo

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:16 2:16 PM

03:16 3:16 AM

13 h ahead of Manzanillo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

159,853

79,308

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Manzanillo Phuket 16,120 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Manzanillo
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

Manzanillo vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,200 in Manzanillo and $1,294 in Phuket, so Manzanillo is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 18% lower in Manzanillo. 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: $660 in Manzanillo versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $162 in Manzanillo versus $530 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,200 per month in Manzanillo versus $1,294 in Phuket – Manzanillo is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Manzanillo 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 – Manzanillo wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.