Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Boca del Rio

For one person, living is cheaper in Boca del Rio: $1,167 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Phuket, Thailand
Boca del Rio, Mexico
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Boca del Rio
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,167
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Boca del Rio

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 Boca del Rio actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,167 in Boca del Rio, rent included.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Boca del Rio $1,167

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,904 in Boca del Rio, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Boca del Rio $1,904

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,641 in Boca del Rio, rent included.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Boca del Rio $2,641

Phuket costs about 10% more than Boca del Rio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Phuket and Boca del Rio are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Boca del Rio 14% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Boca del Rio
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$10.98 MX$206
-59.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,093
$43.22 MX$810
-25.01%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$8.56 MX$160
2.92%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.4
$3.59 MX$67.3
-21.17%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.40
$1.33 MX$24.85
-34.59%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.65
$1.04 MX$19.58
-52.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.3
$2.35 MX$44.12
8.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$3.93 MX$73.7
-6.36%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Boca del Rio
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿55.9
$1.47 MX$27.61
12.93%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.29
$2.66 MX$49.93
-45.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.5
$1.75 MX$32.74
-14.29%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$2.51 MX$46.94
-16.73%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿643
$8.15 MX$153
133.99%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$8.11 MX$152
-59.31%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$11.70 MX$219
-6.75%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿98.8
$2.45 MX$45.83
19.59%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.0
$1.69 MX$31.64
-
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.7
$1.66 MX$31.16
35.54%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.0
$1.78 MX$33.43
16.85%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$2.24 MX$42.05
-32.59%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.51
$1.75 MX$32.78
-21.14%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.95
$1.34 MX$25.06
-20.15%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.50
$0.96 MX$18.08
-45.83%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$3.82 MX$71.7
9.95%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$9.62 MX$180
95.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.4
$1.92 MX$35.90
-5.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.8
$3.28 MX$61.5
-13.41%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Boca del Rio
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.97
$0.68 MX$12.68
113.24%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,911
$33.89 MX$635
67.19%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$2.80 MX$52.6
7.86%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.32
$2.10 MX$39.35
-51.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿124
$9.32 MX$175
-60.41%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.75
$1.40 MX$26.19
5.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿903.2K
$22.7K MX$425.5K
17.93%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿900.3K
$22.6K MX$422.8K
18.30%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Boca del Rio
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,250
$55.1 MX$1,032
74.96%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$24.45 MX$458
-53.95%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿568
$25.52 MX$478
-33.97%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Boca del Rio
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,268
$33.45 MX$627
100.99%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
$19.12 MX$358
-43.88%
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$5.88 MX$110
27.55%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Boca del Rio
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$201 MX$3,765
136.90%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿379.9K
$4,612 MX$86.4K
144.21%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Boca del Rio
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,103
$59.4 MX$1,113
5.00%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿958
$36.15 MX$677
-21.41%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,180
$105 MX$1,963
-10.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,894
$95.8 MX$1,795
-10.42%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Boca del Rio
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.1K
$622 MX$11.7K
15.12%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
$389 MX$7,287
26.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.0K
$1,056 MX$19.8K
82.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
$819 MX$15.3K
74.68%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿140.8K
$2,000 MX$37.5K
108.76%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.7K
$1,169 MX$21.9K
160.38%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Boca del Rio
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿16.9K
-
-
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: October 26, 2026

Last update for Boca del Rio: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Boca del Rio
$389 20.8% $102
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Boca del Rio
$259 2.7% $7.3
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Boca del Rio
$105 15.6% $19
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Boca del Rio
$133 9.3% $11
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Boca del Rio
$186 52.6% $64
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Boca del Rio
$45 45% $37
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Boca del Rio
$50 29.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $622 in Boca del Rio. 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 Boca del Rio. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $259 in Boca del Rio – so Boca del Rio wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇲🇽 Boca del Rio
🕒 Local time
04:16 4:16 AM
15:16 3:16 PM
13 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Boca del Rio 16,620 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Boca del Rio

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 Boca del Rio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Phuket and in Boca del Rio compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $1,167 in Boca del Rio – Boca del Rio comes out roughly 9% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.
What salary covers living expenses in Phuket compared to Boca del Rio?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,750 in Boca del Rio. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Phuket and Boca del Rio?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Boca del Rio, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $622 there versus $716 in Phuket.
Which city is more expensive overall: Phuket or Boca del Rio?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,167 in Boca del Rio. That makes Boca del Rio about 9% cheaper.
How do commuting costs compare in Phuket and in Boca del Rio?
Public transport costs about 40% less in Boca del Rio. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
How far does $2,000 go in Phuket compared to Boca del Rio?
$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,278 in Phuket and $1,167 in Boca del Rio, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Where should families live: Phuket or Boca del Rio?
Families tend to lean toward Boca del Rio – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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