Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Colima

For one person, living is cheaper in Colima: $941 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Colima
Learn more

Colima Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Colima

🇲🇽 Mexico

$941

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Colima

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $941 in Colima.

Phuket $1,278
Colima $941

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,533 in Colima.

Phuket $2,216
Colima $1,533

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,125 in Colima.

Phuket $3,154
Colima $2,125

Living in Phuket is roughly 36% more expensive than in Colima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Colima 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$7.36 MX$138

-39.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$32.08 MX$602

1.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.15 MX$134

23.22%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.09 MX$39.23

35.41%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.97 MX$18.25

-10.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.83 MX$15.52

-40.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.20 MX$41.26

16.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.48 MX$46.62

48.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.51 MX$28.33

9.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$2.54 MX$47.64

-42.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.14 MX$21.37

31.58%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.77 MX$52.0

-24.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$8.19 MX$154

132.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$8.31 MX$156

-60.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.69 MX$182

12.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.80 MX$52.6

4.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.35 MX$25.42

25.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.69 MX$31.65

33.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.12 MX$39.79

-1.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.29 MX$43.04

-34.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$2.27 MX$42.59

-39.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.47 MX$27.52

-27.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.11 MX$20.89

-53.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.73 MX$70.1

12.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.36 MX$119

195.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.49 MX$27.96

22.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.73 MX$32.53

64.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.68 MX$12.70

113.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$19.57 MX$367

189.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.49 MX$46.74

21.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$2.77 MX$52.0

-63.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$9.16 MX$172

-59.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.38 MX$25.95

6.52%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$22.1K MX$415.8K

20.90%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$22.0K MX$412.4K

21.51%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$65.5 MX$1,229

47.19%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$19.85 MX$373

-43.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$28.60 MX$537

-41.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$34.63 MX$650

94.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$21.43 MX$402

-49.93%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.68 MX$88.0

60.26%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$141 MX$2,652

236.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$2,527 MX$47.4K

345.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$44.57 MX$837

39.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$24.99 MX$469

13.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$73.3 MX$1,376

28.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$98.0 MX$1,840

-12.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$257 MX$4,825

178.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$263 MX$4,931

86.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$369 MX$6,926

422.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$574 MX$10.8K

149.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$280 MX$5,261

79.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.3

-50.71%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Colima: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Colima

$263 27.9% 46.5% $228

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Colima

$245 26% 8% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Colima

$114 12.1% 8.5% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Colima

$108 11.5% 11.1% $13

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Colima

$129 13.7% 5.6% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Colima

$44 4.7% 46.5% $38

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Colima

$39 4.1% 45.3% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $257 in Colima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 79% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $32 in Colima. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $245, with Colima cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇽 Colima

🕒 Local time

03:17 3:17 AM

14:17 2:17 PM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

146,965

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Colima 16,150 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Colima

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 Colima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $941 in Colima, so Colima is about 26% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 79% higher in Phuket, 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 $257 in Colima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $141 in Colima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Colima runs roughly 65% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $941 in Colima versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Colima but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Colima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Colima are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Colima wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.