Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ciudad Obregon Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ciudad Obregon

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,270 in Phuket versus $1,041 in Ciudad Obregon.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,304 in Phuket versus $1,634 in Ciudad Obregon.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,339 in Phuket versus $2,228 in Ciudad Obregon.

Living in Phuket is roughly 22% more expensive than Ciudad Obregon, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 5% lower, Ciudad Obregon 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.66 ฿150

$10.50 MX$182

-55.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.44 ฿1,496

$33.84 MX$586

37.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.68 ฿280

$6.89 MX$119

25.98%

Cappuccino

$2.95 ฿95.0

$2.23 MX$38.63

32.29%

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

$0.70 ฿22.52

$0.69 MX$12.00

1.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ฿12.70

$0.58 MX$10.08

-32.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿81.6

$1.28 MX$22.26

97.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 ฿122

$1.81 MX$31.36

108.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 ฿71.5

$1.70 MX$29.45

30.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 ฿57.8

$2.14 MX$37.13

-15.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ฿70.4

$1.42 MX$24.62

54.23%

Eggs

$2.31 ฿74.5

$2.25 MX$39.01

2.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.34 ฿623

$4.70 MX$81.4

311.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.77 ฿121

$5.30 MX$91.9

-28.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.22 ฿426

$9.31 MX$161

42.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.33 ฿107

$1.80 MX$31.13

85.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ฿53.1

$1.83 MX$31.65

-9.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 ฿73.7

$1.76 MX$30.54

30.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ฿64.1

$1.62 MX$28.08

22.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿49.24

$1.73 MX$30.00

-11.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 ฿48.77

$1.73 MX$30.01

-12.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ฿33.12

$1.08 MX$18.76

-4.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.57

$1.37 MX$23.79

-62.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ฿142

$4.05 MX$70.1

8.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.41 ฿625

$10.00 MX$173

94.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ฿58.0

$1.94 MX$33.65

-7.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 ฿86.4

$2.81 MX$48.76

-4.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 ฿46.11

$0.61 MX$10.64

134.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 ฿377

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 ฿97.9

$1.61 MX$27.93

88.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 ฿33.37

$1.60 MX$27.76

-35.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.68 ฿441

$8.48 MX$147

61.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ฿41.85

$1.26 MX$21.78

3.17%

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

$27.9K ฿898.9K

$16.9K MX$293.2K

64.88%

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

$33.0K ฿1.1M

$23.2K MX$402.8K

42.15%

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

$123 ฿3,962

$99.3 MX$1,722

23.79%

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

$13.82 ฿445

$22.59 MX$392

-38.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.86 ฿608

$26.78 MX$464

-29.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 ฿1,970

$36.57 MX$634

67.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.81 ฿541

$15.64 MX$271

7.48%

Cinema Ticket

$8.87 ฿286

$3.56 MX$61.7

149.16%

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

$696 ฿22.4K

$289 MX$5,015

140.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K ฿517.4K

$4,690 MX$81.3K

242.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.3 ฿1,910

$42.87 MX$743

38.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.85 ฿1,123

$32.02 MX$555

8.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,646

$62.3 MX$1,079

81.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.1 ฿2,740

$62.7 MX$1,087

35.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$615 ฿19.8K

$499 MX$8,655

23.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 ฿14.4K

$399 MX$6,910

12.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,085 ฿67.2K

$940 MX$16.3K

121.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,496 ฿48.2K

$775 MX$13.4K

92.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,734 ฿120.3K

$2,012 MX$34.9K

85.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,662 ฿85.8K

$1,283 MX$22.2K

107.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$534 ฿17.2K

$1,223 MX$21.2K

-56.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

11.5

-53.65%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 20, 2026

Last update for Ciudad Obregon: April 22, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $615 in Phuket and $499 in Ciudad Obregon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ciudad Obregon pays 129% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $46 in Phuket vs $34 in Ciudad Obregon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $291 vs $222 per month, with Ciudad Obregon cheaper across the board.

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 Obregon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ciudad Obregon wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ciudad Obregon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, Ciudad Obregon earns 129% less. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $615 in Phuket versus $499 in Ciudad Obregon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $696 in Phuket versus $289 in Ciudad Obregon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ciudad Obregon – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $46.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,041 in Ciudad Obregon versus $1,270 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ciudad Obregon but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Ciudad Obregon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ciudad Obregon delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,041 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ciudad Obregon hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Ciudad Obregon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ciudad Obregon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.