Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cholula

For one person, living is cheaper in Cholula: $1,077 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Cholula
Learn more

Cholula Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Cholula

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,077

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Cholula

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,077 in Cholula, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Cholula $1,077

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,703 in Cholula, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Cholula $1,703

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,329 in Cholula, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Cholula $2,329

Phuket costs about 19% more than Cholula, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Phuket and Cholula are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Cholula 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$10.74 MX$199

-58.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$47.05 MX$874

-31.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.15 MX$170

-3.72%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$3.13 MX$58.2

-9.58%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$1.51 MX$28.02

-42.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$1.16 MX$21.47

-57.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$2.65 MX$49.26

-3.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.72 MX$87.6

-22.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.89 MX$35.13

-12.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$3.06 MX$56.8

-52.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.73 MX$32.11

-13.29%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$2.65 MX$49.15

-21.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$6.22 MX$116

206.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.54 MX$103

-40.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.90 MX$202

0.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$2.56 MX$47.48

14.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.74 MX$32.36

-2.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.90 MX$35.36

18.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.93 MX$35.93

7.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$1.76 MX$32.61

-14.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$1.77 MX$32.91

-22.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$1.46 MX$27.17

-26.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$1.21 MX$22.39

-57.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.47 MX$83.0

-6.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$13.71 MX$255

37.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.38 MX$25.65

31.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$2.58 MX$47.94

10.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.48 MX$8.90

202.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$18.92 MX$351

199.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.29 MX$61.1

-8.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$2.53 MX$46.97

-59.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$15.77 MX$293

-76.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.41 MX$26.14

4.26%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$24.6K MX$457.5K

8.69%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$22.9K MX$425.6K

16.45%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$58.1 MX$1,079

65.83%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$18.53 MX$344

-39.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$23.47 MX$436

-28.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$71.3 MX$1,324

-5.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$19.93 MX$370

-46.16%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.45 MX$101

37.61%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$257 MX$4,777

85.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$4,548 MX$84.5K

147.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$51.3 MX$953

21.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$43.70 MX$812

-34.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$102 MX$1,894

-7.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$95.9 MX$1,782

-10.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$431 MX$8,007

66.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$286 MX$5,314

71.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$582 MX$10.8K

231.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$472 MX$8,769

202.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$1,927 MX$35.8K

116.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$1,145 MX$21.3K

165.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$792 MX$14.7K

-36.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.96

-49.18%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cholula: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Cholula

$286 26.6% 41.7% $205

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Cholula

$255 23.7% 4.1% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Cholula

$100 9.3% 19.6% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cholula

$132 12.2% 8.1% $9.9

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cholula

$184 17.1% 51.5% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Cholula

$82 7.6% 0% $0

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Cholula

$37 3.4% 47.9% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $431 in Cholula. 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 58% higher in Cholula, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $47 in Cholula. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $255 in Cholula – so Cholula wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇽 Cholula

🕒 Local time

09:42 9:42 AM

20:42 8:42 PM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

908

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 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 = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Cholula 16,500 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Cholula

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 Cholula: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 19% more than Cholula, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,615 in Cholula. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cholula, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $431 there versus $716 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $47 in Cholula. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,077 in Cholula. That makes Cholula about 16% cheaper.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,278 in Phuket and $1,077 in Cholula. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cholula costs $1,077 versus $1,278 in Phuket. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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