Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Mexico City $1,548
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Mexico City $2,436
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Mexico City $3,323
Phuket $2,845

Living in Mexico City is roughly 28% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$4.40 ฿147

150.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$32.26 ฿1,078

50.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$8.76 ฿293

24.43%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.83 ฿94.5

30.04%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$0.90 ฿30.14

81.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.47 ฿15.56

165.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$2.55 ฿85.2

27.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$3.83 ฿128

44.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.73 ฿57.7

-1.73%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.47 ฿49.11

105.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.51 ฿50.6

27.15%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.17 ฿72.7

25.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$19.70 ฿658

-40.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$3.34 ฿112

185.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$11.16 ฿373

29.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.85 ฿95.1

5.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.70 ฿56.9

11.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$2.19 ฿73.3

-9.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$2.05 ฿68.4

6.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.45 ฿48.57

32.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$1.38 ฿46.16

35.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.07 ฿35.69

34.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.51 ฿16.91

149.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$4.26 ฿142

22.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$18.58 ฿621

-12.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.78 ฿59.7

6.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$2.85 ฿95.2

48.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$2.26 ฿75.6

-84.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$22.10 ฿738

-11.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$3.01 ฿101

-33.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$1.06 ฿35.34

-50.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$3.86 ฿129

38.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.45 ฿48.45

4.83%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-16.15%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-9.03%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$96.4 ฿3,221

-36.64%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$11.04 ฿369

158.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$17.14 ฿573

101.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$52.2 ฿1,744

8.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$11.16 ฿373

122.94%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$7.81 ฿261

-14.72%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$556 ฿18.6K

-23.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

0.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$64.2 ฿2,146

5.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$28.69 ฿959

81.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$95.4 ฿3,187

11.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$88.0 ฿2,940

27.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$737 ฿24.6K

39.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$462 ฿15.5K

41.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$2,095 ฿70.0K

10.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$1,201 ฿40.1K

3.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

3.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-23.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$501 ฿16.7K

92.55%

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 Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 29.3% $192

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 15.5% $49

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Phuket

$121 10% 40.5% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 18.4% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 0.4% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 2.7% $1.9

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 53.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 93% 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: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

09:01 9:01 AM

22:01 10:01 PM

13 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

79,308

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 Phuket 16,420 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
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

Mexico City vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Phuket differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $1,208 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 93% higher in Mexico City, 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: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 12% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Mexico City 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.