Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Chihuahua

For one person, living costs are similar in Phuket and in Chihuahua: $1,208 and $1,227 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Chihuahua
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Chihuahua Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Chihuahua

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,227

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Chihuahua

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $1,227 in Chihuahua, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Chihuahua $1,227

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $1,836 in Chihuahua, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Chihuahua $1,836

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $2,444 in Chihuahua, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Chihuahua $2,444

Phuket is about 2% cheaper than Chihuahua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Phuket and Chihuahua are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Chihuahua 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$10.98 MX$203

-59.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$32.16 MX$594

0.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$10.71 MX$198

-18.21%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.43 MX$44.97

16.46%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.24 MX$22.97

-27.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.75 MX$13.94

-37.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$2.34 MX$43.16

8.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.88 MX$71.7

-1.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.67 MX$30.88

3.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$3.20 MX$59.2

-54.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$2.00 MX$36.88

-24.50%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.51 MX$46.45

-13.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$9.66 MX$178

103.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$6.76 MX$125

-50.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$12.67 MX$234

-11.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.46 MX$45.52

15.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.53 MX$28.20

11.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.98 MX$36.67

10.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$2.75 MX$50.9

-25.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$2.47 MX$45.58

-41.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$2.65 MX$48.88

-47.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.32 MX$24.33

-18.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$1.18 MX$21.83

-56.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$4.23 MX$78.2

0.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$10.39 MX$192

78.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.44 MX$26.53

23.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.85 MX$52.7

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.56 MX$10.30

303.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$32.85 MX$607

-32.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$2.63 MX$48.62

14.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.79 MX$14.61

34.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$9.53 MX$176

-59.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.43 MX$26.36

1.40%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$23.9K MX$440.9K

10.35%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$23.9K MX$441.1K

12.87%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$83.2 MX$1,538

15.81%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$21.14 MX$391

-47.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$23.84 MX$441

-28.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$27.65 MX$511

88.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$16.46 MX$304

-32.20%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$4.85 MX$89.6

61.03%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$263 MX$4,866

111.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$3,315 MX$61.3K

249.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$49.03 MX$906

30.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$24.71 MX$457

16.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$98.5 MX$1,821

-3.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$87.8 MX$1,622

0.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$595 MX$11.0K

23.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$449 MX$8,305

2.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$1,104 MX$20.4K

89.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$705 MX$13.0K

70.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$3,431 MX$63.4K

1.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,111 MX$20.5K

127.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$832 MX$15.4K

-39.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.84

-48.62%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chihuahua: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Chihuahua

$449 36.6% 2.8% $13

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Chihuahua

$277 22.5% 2.9% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Chihuahua

$128 10.5% 2.9% $3.6

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Chihuahua

$117 9.5% 5.9% $7.3

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Chihuahua

$177 14.4% 45.7% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Chihuahua

$37 3% 44.9% $30

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Chihuahua

$42 3.4% 5.6% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $595 in Chihuahua. 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 66% higher in Chihuahua, 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 $32.00 in Chihuahua. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $277 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇽 Chihuahua

🕒 Local time

22:03 10:03 PM

09:03 9:03 AM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

925,762

💱 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Chihuahua 15,180 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Chihuahua

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 Chihuahua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chihuahua costs about 2% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $1,840 in Chihuahua. 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 $556 per month in Phuket and $263 in Chihuahua. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Chihuahua, 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 $1,208, than in Chihuahua at $1,227. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chihuahua it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,208 versus $1,227 in Chihuahua. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Chihuahua makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.