Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nogales and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Nogales: $1,207 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Nogales, Mexico
Phuket, Thailand
Nogales
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,207
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,294
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Nogales versus $1,294 in Phuket.

  • Nogales $1,207
  • Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,877 in Nogales versus $2,204 in Phuket.

  • Nogales $1,877
  • Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,547 in Nogales versus $3,115 in Phuket.

  • Nogales $2,547
  • Phuket $3,115

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

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nogales
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.57 MX$196
$4.39 ฿147
140.77%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.20 MX$802
$32.31 ฿1,078
33.70%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.57 MX$159
$8.70 ฿290
-1.49%
Cappuccino
$3.44 MX$63.9
$2.72 ฿90.9
26.47%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.35 MX$24.97
$0.93 ฿31.06
45.16%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.05 MX$19.43
$0.50 ฿16.67
110.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.46 MX$45.73
$2.53 ฿84.5
-2.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.96 MX$73.6
$3.63 ฿121
9.09%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nogales
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.60 MX$29.71
$1.74 ฿58.1
-8.05%
White Bread (500g)
$2.54 MX$47.17
$1.45 ฿48.42
75.17%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.64 MX$30.46
$1.50 ฿50.1
9.33%
Eggs
$2.48 MX$46.11
$2.17 ฿72.5
14.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.14 MX$151
$19.09 ฿637
-57.36%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.37 MX$155
$3.40 ฿113
146.18%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.40 MX$212
$10.90 ฿364
4.59%
Apples (1kg)
$2.68 MX$49.68
$2.94 ฿98.2
-8.84%
Banana (1kg)
$1.50 MX$27.86
$1.69 ฿56.5
-11.24%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.92 MX$35.59
$2.19 ฿73.2
-12.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.83 MX$34.01
$2.12 ฿70.9
-13.68%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.01
$1.46 ฿48.68
32.88%
Onion (1kg)
$1.82 MX$33.80
$1.37 ฿45.66
32.85%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.38 MX$25.56
$1.08 ฿35.91
27.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.06 MX$19.66
$0.55 ฿18.21
92.73%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.28 MX$79.4
$4.43 ฿148
-3.39%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.12 MX$188
$18.25 ฿609
-44.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.71 MX$31.72
$1.77 ฿59.2
-3.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.14 MX$58.3
$2.88 ฿96.2
9.03%
🚌 Getting Around
Nogales
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.63 MX$11.63
$1.45 ฿48.32
-56.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$29.70 MX$551
$54.9 ฿1,832
-45.89%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.62 MX$48.60
$1.51 ฿50.5
73.51%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.99 MX$36.93
$0.78 ฿25.90
155.13%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.94 MX$203
$3.84 ฿128
184.90%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.48 MX$27.40
$1.49 ฿49.65
-0.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.6K MX$437.2K
$26.9K ฿897.3K
-12.35%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$436.2K
$26.3K ฿879.4K
-10.79%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nogales
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$56.7 MX$1,053
$97.8 ฿3,265
-41.99%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.57 MX$419
$11.29 ฿377
99.91%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.55 MX$548
$17.19 ฿574
71.90%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nogales
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.41 MX$601
$68.3 ฿2,281
-52.57%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.71 MX$366
$10.92 ฿365
80.49%
Cinema Ticket
$5.25 MX$97.5
$7.43 ฿248
-29.34%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nogales
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$218 MX$4,052
$530 ฿17.7K
-58.84%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,499 MX$83.5K
$18.8K ฿626.9K
-76.05%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nogales
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.8 MX$998
$61.7 ฿2,059
-12.78%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.92 MX$741
$28.25 ฿943
41.31%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$97.6 MX$1,811
$96.0 ฿3,204
1.68%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.3 MX$1,620
$86.8 ฿2,898
0.56%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nogales
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$587 MX$10.9K
$721 ฿24.1K
-18.57%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$443 MX$8,226
$509 ฿17.0K
-12.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,029 MX$19.1K
$1,950 ฿65.1K
-47.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$760 MX$14.1K
$1,397 ฿46.6K
-45.57%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,910 MX$35.4K
$4,192 ฿139.9K
-54.44%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,136 MX$21.1K
$3,298 ฿110.1K
-65.55%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nogales
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$492 ฿16.4K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.31
5.57
103.05%

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

Last update for Nogales: November 2, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Nogales
$443
Phuket
$509 14.8% $66
Groceries & Markets
Nogales
$260
Phuket
$267 2.5% $6.5
Eating Out
Nogales
$181
Phuket
$120 34.1% $62
Clothing & Footwear
Nogales
$125
Phuket
$123 2.1% $2.6
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nogales
$109
Phuket
$126 16% $17
Getting Around
Nogales
$45
Phuket
$66 47.6% $21
Sport & Entertainment
Nogales
$43
Phuket
$83 93.8% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $587 in Nogales and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Nogales vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $260 vs $267, with Nogales cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Nogales
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
13:55 1:55 PM
03:55 3:55 AM
14 h ahead of Nogales
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
261,137
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.56 MXN (100 MXN = 5.39 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nogales Phuket 14,650 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nogales
  • 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
Nogales vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Nogales and in Phuket?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,207 in Nogales and $1,294 in Phuket, so Nogales is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Nogales compared to Phuket?
You’d need roughly $1,810 in Nogales and $1,940 in Phuket 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Nogales and in Phuket?
Rent for a central apartment: $587 in Nogales versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Nogales and Phuket?
Childcare runs $218 in Nogales versus $530 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $43 in Nogales. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How far does $2,000 go in Nogales compared to Phuket?
Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Nogales gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
How does quality of life compare between Nogales and Phuket?
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.

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