Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cuajimalpa

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuajimalpa: $1,141 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Cuajimalpa
Learn more

Cuajimalpa Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Cuajimalpa

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,141

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Cuajimalpa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,141 in Cuajimalpa.

Phuket $1,208
Cuajimalpa $1,141

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,827 in Cuajimalpa.

Phuket $2,027
Cuajimalpa $1,827

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $2,514 in Cuajimalpa.

Phuket $2,845
Cuajimalpa $2,514

Living in Phuket is roughly 6% more expensive than in Cuajimalpa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Cuajimalpa 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$10.81 MX$200

-59.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$43.13 MX$797

-25.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$8.35 MX$154

4.91%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$3.60 MX$66.6

-21.39%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.40 MX$25.87

-35.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$1.06 MX$19.50

-55.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$2.52 MX$46.60

1.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.96 MX$73.2

-3.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.58 MX$29.16

9.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$2.64 MX$48.81

-44.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.70 MX$31.34

-11.18%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.46 MX$45.39

-11.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$8.08 MX$149

143.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$8.10 MX$150

-58.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$11.30 MX$209

-1.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.79 MX$51.5

2.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.51 MX$27.83

12.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.86 MX$34.44

17.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.81 MX$33.42

13.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$2.00 MX$36.89

-27.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.91 MX$35.21

-27.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.43 MX$26.42

-25.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$1.12 MX$20.79

-54.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$4.44 MX$82.1

-4.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$10.50 MX$194

76.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.79 MX$33.13

-0.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$3.18 MX$58.8

-10.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.69 MX$12.73

227.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$2.62 MX$48.32

14.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$2.01 MX$37.15

-47.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$10.91 MX$202

-64.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.44 MX$26.64

0.69%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$20.9K MX$386.5K

25.89%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$24.3K MX$448.9K

10.90%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$57.5 MX$1,063

67.59%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$22.78 MX$421

-51.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$29.83 MX$551

-42.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$34.34 MX$635

51.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$20.21 MX$373

-44.78%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$5.31 MX$98.1

47.08%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$223 MX$4,122

149.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$4,649 MX$85.9K

149.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$54.5 MX$1,008

17.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$41.13 MX$760

-30.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$101 MX$1,863

-5.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$88.6 MX$1,636

-0.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$600 MX$11.1K

22.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$395 MX$7,290

17.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$1,021 MX$18.9K

105.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$764 MX$14.1K

57.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$1,905 MX$35.2K

83.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,154 MX$21.3K

118.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

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 19, 2026

Last update for Cuajimalpa: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Cuajimalpa

$395 34.6% 14.7% $68

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Cuajimalpa

$262 23% 2.4% $6.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Cuajimalpa

$110 9.7% 11.6% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Cuajimalpa

$128 11.2% 3.2% $3.9

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Cuajimalpa

$185 16.2% 52.7% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Cuajimalpa

$45 3.9% 33.7% $23

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Cuajimalpa

$15 * 1.4% 60.9% $24

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $600 in Cuajimalpa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $43.00 in Cuajimalpa. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $262, with Cuajimalpa cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇽 Cuajimalpa

🕒 Local time

20:55 8:55 PM

07:55 7:55 AM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

217,686

💱 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 24, 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 24, 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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Between locations

Phuket Cuajimalpa 16,420 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Cuajimalpa

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 Cuajimalpa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cuajimalpa is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,813 in Phuket and $1,711 in Cuajimalpa to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $737 in Phuket versus $600 in Cuajimalpa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $223 in Cuajimalpa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cuajimalpa – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,141 in Cuajimalpa versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cuajimalpa but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Cuajimalpa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cuajimalpa is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Cuajimalpa 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 Cuajimalpa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.