Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ciudad Lerdo

For one person, living is cheaper in Ciudad Lerdo: $892 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Ciudad Lerdo
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Ciudad Lerdo Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Ciudad Lerdo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$892

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ciudad Lerdo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $892 in Ciudad Lerdo.

Phuket $1,278
Ciudad Lerdo $892

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,347 in Ciudad Lerdo.

Phuket $2,216
Ciudad Lerdo $1,347

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,803 in Ciudad Lerdo.

Phuket $3,154
Ciudad Lerdo $1,803

Living in Phuket is roughly 43% more expensive than in Ciudad Lerdo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Ciudad Lerdo 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$5.27 MX$97.9

-15.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$25.18 MX$468

28.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.28 MX$117

40.29%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$1.64 MX$30.52

72.56%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$0.78 MX$14.55

11.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.53 MX$9.78

-7.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$1.39 MX$25.75

84.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.65 MX$49.18

38.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.06 MX$19.75

56.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$1.37 MX$25.40

6.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.10 MX$20.44

36.36%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$1.59 MX$29.57

31.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$3.78 MX$70.3

404.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.75 MX$69.6

-12.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.48 MX$120

68.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$1.38 MX$25.61

112.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$0.77 MX$14.38

119.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$0.85 MX$15.77

164.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$0.77 MX$14.31

170.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.84 MX$15.59

79.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$0.83 MX$15.35

66.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$0.55 MX$10.23

94.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.63 MX$11.72

-17.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.74 MX$69.4

12.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$6.52 MX$121

188.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.10 MX$20.48

65.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$1.33 MX$24.61

113.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.62 MX$11.61

133.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$30.44 MX$565

86.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.16 MX$21.48

160.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$1.90 MX$35.22

-46.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$5.45 MX$101

-32.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.22 MX$22.57

20.49%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$17.8K MX$330.5K

50.45%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$20.2K MX$374.9K

32.22%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$32.11 MX$596

200.06%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$13.36 MX$248

-15.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$21.50 MX$399

-21.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$32.77 MX$609

105.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$19.77 MX$367

-45.73%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$3.66 MX$68.0

104.92%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$136 MX$2,522

250.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$2,689 MX$49.9K

318.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$26.43 MX$491

135.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$21.78 MX$404

30.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$54.4 MX$1,010

73.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$43.35 MX$805

97.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$607 MX$11.3K

17.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$439 MX$8,145

11.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$1,040 MX$19.3K

85.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$752 MX$14.0K

90.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$1,865 MX$34.6K

123.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$1,110 MX$20.6K

174.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$213 MX$3,949

136.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.53

-47.10%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ciudad Lerdo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Ciudad Lerdo

$439 49.2% 10.7% $52

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Ciudad Lerdo

$139 15.5% 48% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Ciudad Lerdo

$67 7.5% 46.2% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ciudad Lerdo

$66 7.4% 46.1% $56

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ciudad Lerdo

$98 11% 19.3% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Ciudad Lerdo

$40 4.5% 51.3% $42

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Ciudad Lerdo

$44 4.9% 38.3% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $607 in Ciudad Lerdo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $25 in Ciudad Lerdo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $139 per month, with Ciudad Lerdo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇽 Ciudad Lerdo

🕒 Local time

14:25 2:25 PM

01:25 1:25 AM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

96,243

💱 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 = 4.81 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 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 = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Ciudad Lerdo 15,610 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Ciudad Lerdo

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 Ciudad Lerdo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ciudad Lerdo wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ciudad Lerdo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Phuket is about 2.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $607 in Ciudad Lerdo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ciudad Lerdo runs roughly 46% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $136 in Ciudad Lerdo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Ciudad Lerdo is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Ciudad Lerdo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.