Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cancun

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,398 in Cancun, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Cancun
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Cancun Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Cancun

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,398

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Cancun

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 Cancun actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,207 per month in Phuket vs $1,398 in Cancun, rent included.

Phuket $1,207
Cancun $1,398

A couple spends around $2,037 per month in Phuket vs $2,267 in Cancun, rent included.

Phuket $2,037
Cancun $2,267

A family of three spends $2,867 per month in Phuket vs $3,136 in Cancun, rent included.

Phuket $2,867
Cancun $3,136

Phuket is about 14% cheaper than Cancun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 11% below the global median, while Cancun is 4% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$10.84 MX$200

-57.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$53.8 MX$994

-39.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$11.55 MX$213

-25.97%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$3.86 MX$71.4

-29.53%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$1.34 MX$24.78

-29.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.84 MX$15.57

-41.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$3.06 MX$56.6

-15.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.13 MX$76.3

-7.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.64 MX$30.29

6.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$2.58 MX$47.72

-44.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$1.68 MX$31.12

-8.93%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.80 MX$51.7

-22.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$9.89 MX$183

93.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$8.81 MX$163

-62.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$14.21 MX$263

-21.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$2.93 MX$54.1

0.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.67 MX$30.88

0.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$3.01 MX$55.5

-23.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$2.19 MX$40.55

-2.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$1.94 MX$35.91

-21.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$1.96 MX$36.26

-30.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$1.15 MX$21.23

-2.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$1.22 MX$22.51

-54.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$4.34 MX$80.3

-1.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$10.03 MX$185

81.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.59 MX$29.38

9.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$2.80 MX$51.8

-0.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.68 MX$12.66

226.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$29.10 MX$538

-24.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$4.33 MX$79.9

-32.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$2.82 MX$52.1

-64.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$13.71 MX$253

-72.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.53 MX$28.28

-2.61%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$21.3K MX$394.3K

25.04%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$23.8K MX$439.8K

12.23%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$170 MX$3,149

-41.69%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$23.44 MX$433

-51.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$38.92 MX$719

-55.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$32.26 MX$596

62.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$13.21 MX$244

-17.87%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$7.29 MX$135

3.84%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$204 MX$3,761

174.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$5,396 MX$99.7K

112.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$54.1 MX$999

16.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$55.3 MX$1,021

-48.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$74.0 MX$1,368

29.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$94.0 MX$1,737

-6.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$660 MX$12.2K

10.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$457 MX$8,445

0.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$1,404 MX$26.0K

49.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$1,059 MX$19.6K

15.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$1,266 MX$23.4K

173.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$1,945 MX$35.9K

27.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$801 MX$14.8K

-38.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.45

-51.35%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cancun: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Cancun

$457 32.7% 0.6% $3

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Cancun

$287 20.5% 7.2% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Cancun

$233 16.6% 81.8% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Cancun

$125 8.9% 0.6% $0.8

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Cancun

$200 14.3% 64.8% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Cancun

$47 3.4% 30.5% $21

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Cancun

$50 3.6% 29.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $729 in Phuket versus $660 in Cancun. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 63% higher in Cancun, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $54.0 in Cancun. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $287 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇽 Cancun

🕒 Local time

00:04 12:04 AM

12:04 12:04 PM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

888,797

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Cancun 16,740 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Cancun

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 Cancun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,207 in Phuket, $1,398 in Cancun – roughly 16% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,811 per month in Phuket and $2,098 in Cancun. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $558 per month in Phuket and $204 in Cancun. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Cancun, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Cancun at $1,398. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cancun it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,207 in Phuket to $1,398 in Cancun. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cancun makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.