Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Koh Tao

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Tao: $1,045 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Koh Tao
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Koh Tao Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Koh Tao

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,045

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,045 in Koh Tao.

Mexico City $1,548
Koh Tao $1,045

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $1,724 in Koh Tao.

Mexico City $2,436
Koh Tao $1,724

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $2,404 in Koh Tao.

Mexico City $3,323
Koh Tao $2,404

Living in Mexico City is roughly 48% more expensive than in Koh Tao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Koh Tao is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$3.89 ฿130

183.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$27.00 ฿902

80.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$7.49 ฿250

45.53%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.39 ฿79.8

53.97%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$0.76 ฿25.49

114.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.42 ฿14.04

197.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$2.12 ฿71.0

53.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$3.23 ฿108

71.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.57 ฿52.6

8.28%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.38 ฿46.03

118.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.45 ฿48.38

32.41%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.08 ฿69.6

31.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$18.21 ฿609

-35.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$3.27 ฿109

191.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$10.34 ฿346

39.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.80 ฿93.5

7.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.56 ฿52.1

21.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$2.19 ฿73.1

-9.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$2.05 ฿68.4

6.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.40 ฿46.78

37.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$1.26 ฿42.08

48.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.05 ฿35.10

37.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.49 ฿16.31

159.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$4.05 ฿135

28.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$17.60 ฿588

-8.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.68 ฿56.0

13.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$2.63 ฿88.0

60.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$2.02 ฿67.5

-83.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$2.76 ฿92.2

-27.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$0.98 ฿32.79

-46.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$3.37 ฿113

58.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.27 ฿42.56

19.69%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$24.6K ฿821.9K

-10.23%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$23.8K ฿796.1K

2.89%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$96.6 ฿3,229

-36.79%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$11.21 ฿375

154.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$17.15 ฿573

100.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$55.6 ฿1,858

1.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$11.50 ฿384

116.35%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$7.82 ฿261

-14.83%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$566 ฿18.9K

-24.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$11.7K ฿389.6K

-0.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$63.2 ฿2,112

7.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$28.21 ฿943

84.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$96.4 ฿3,222

9.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$88.8 ฿2,968

26.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$550 ฿18.4K

86.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$351 ฿11.7K

86.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$1,583 ฿52.9K

45.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$893 ฿29.8K

39.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$2,685 ฿89.7K

34.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$1,889 ฿63.1K

2.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

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 Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Koh Tao: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Koh Tao

$351 33.6% 46.4% $303

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Koh Tao

$254 24.3% 20.3% $65

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Koh Tao

$104 10% 49% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Koh Tao

$124 11.9% 18.2% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Koh Tao

$125 12% 0.7% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Koh Tao

$71 6.8% 2.2% $1.5

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Koh Tao

$16 * 1.5% 38.5% $9.9

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 $1,025 in Mexico City and $550 in Koh Tao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $27.00 in Koh Tao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $254 per month, with Koh Tao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇹🇭 Koh Tao

🕒 Local time

05:40 5:40 AM

18:40 6:40 PM

13 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,382

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Koh Tao 16,130 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Koh Tao

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

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

Koh Tao is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 48% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,322 in Mexico City and $1,567 in Koh Tao to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $550 in Koh Tao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $566 in Koh Tao. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Koh Tao – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $49.00 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,045 in Koh Tao versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Koh Tao but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Koh Tao the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Koh Tao is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Mexico City, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Koh Tao 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 Koh Tao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.