Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Acuna

For one person, living is cheaper in Acuna: $1,203 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Acuna
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Acuna Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Acuna

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Acuna

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $1,203 in Acuna, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Acuna $1,203

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $1,872 in Acuna, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Acuna $1,872

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $2,540 in Acuna, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Acuna $2,540

Phuket costs about 8% more than Acuna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Phuket and Acuna are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Acuna 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$10.82 MX$201

-59.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$42.78 MX$796

-24.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$8.73 MX$163

-0.34%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$3.49 MX$64.9

-22.06%

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

$0.93 ฿31.39

$1.40 MX$26.00

-33.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.99 MX$18.46

-49.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$2.49 MX$46.35

1.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$3.92 MX$72.9

-7.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.56 MX$28.95

11.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.95

$2.58 MX$47.92

-43.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.64 MX$30.54

-8.54%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$2.45 MX$45.67

-11.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$8.25 MX$154

131.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$7.96 MX$148

-57.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$11.30 MX$210

-3.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$2.61 MX$48.58

12.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.56 MX$29.10

8.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$1.84 MX$34.25

19.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.7

$1.78 MX$33.19

19.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.21

$2.04 MX$37.97

-28.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.15

$1.82 MX$33.94

-24.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.30

$1.43 MX$26.59

-24.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.41

$1.12 MX$20.86

-50.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$4.20 MX$78.1

5.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$10.27 MX$191

77.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.79 MX$33.27

-1.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$3.16 MX$58.8

-8.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.84

$0.62 MX$11.51

133.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

$29.62 MX$551

85.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.54 MX$47.30

-40.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.18

$1.93 MX$35.88

-59.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

$10.78 MX$201

-64.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.32 MX$24.52

12.88%

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

$26.9K ฿907.0K

$23.3K MX$432.7K

15.61%

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

$26.3K ฿888.9K

$23.7K MX$440.8K

11.22%

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

$97.8 ฿3,300

$57.2 MX$1,065

70.91%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$22.85 MX$425

-50.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$29.20 MX$543

-41.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$32.41 MX$603

110.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$20.22 MX$376

-45.99%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$4.97 MX$92.5

49.50%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$218 MX$4,055

143.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.7K

$4,512 MX$84.0K

316.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,081

$54.3 MX$1,010

13.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$39.96 MX$744

-29.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,239

$97.7 MX$1,817

-1.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,929

$89.5 MX$1,666

-3.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$596 MX$11.1K

20.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$436 MX$8,121

16.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$1,039 MX$19.3K

87.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$751 MX$14.0K

85.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$1,911 MX$35.6K

119.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$1,107 MX$20.6K

198.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.31

-50.75%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Acuna: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Acuna

$436 36.3% 14.2% $72

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Acuna

$260 21.6% 2.7% $7.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Acuna

$109 9.1% 13.5% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Acuna

$127 10.5% 3.2% $3.9

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Acuna

$184 15.3% 54.3% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Acuna

$42 3.5% 49.1% $41

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Acuna

$44 3.7% 33% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $596 in Acuna. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $43 in Acuna. Groceries tell a different story – $267 in Phuket vs $260 in Acuna – so Acuna wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇽 Acuna

🕒 Local time

23:09 11:09 PM

10:09 10:09 AM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

160,225

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Acuna 15,390 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Acuna

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

Phuket vs Acuna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 8%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $1,804 in Acuna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Acuna, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $596 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $1,203 in Acuna. That makes Acuna about 7% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 46% less in Acuna. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,294 in Phuket and $1,203 in Acuna, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Acuna – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.