Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cuauhtémoc

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuauhtémoc: $1,191 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Phuket, Thailand
Cuauhtémoc, Mexico
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,294
/mo nomad
Cuauhtémoc
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,191
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Cuauhtémoc

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $1,191 in Cuauhtémoc, rent included.

  • Phuket $1,294
  • Cuauhtémoc $1,191

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $1,860 in Cuauhtémoc, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,204
  • Cuauhtémoc $1,860

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $2,530 in Cuauhtémoc, rent included.

  • Phuket $3,115
  • Cuauhtémoc $2,530

Phuket costs about 9% more than Cuauhtémoc, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Phuket and Cuauhtémoc are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Cuauhtémoc 12% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Cuauhtémoc
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.39 ฿147
$10.82 MX$201
-59.43%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.31 ฿1,078
$43.33 MX$804
-25.43%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.70 ฿290
$8.33 MX$155
4.44%
Cappuccino
$2.72 ฿90.9
$3.43 MX$63.7
-20.70%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.93 ฿31.06
$1.32 MX$24.55
-29.55%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 ฿16.67
$1.05 MX$19.44
-52.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.53 ฿84.5
$2.46 MX$45.68
2.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ฿121
$4.15 MX$77.0
-12.53%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Cuauhtémoc
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 ฿58.1
$1.58 MX$29.24
10.13%
White Bread (500g)
$1.45 ฿48.42
$2.53 MX$46.87
-42.69%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.1
$1.69 MX$31.31
-11.24%
Eggs
$2.17 ฿72.5
$2.46 MX$45.66
-11.79%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.09 ฿637
$8.20 MX$152
132.80%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.40 ฿113
$8.13 MX$151
-58.18%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.90 ฿364
$11.23 MX$208
-2.94%
Apples (1kg)
$2.94 ฿98.2
$2.65 MX$49.13
10.94%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿56.5
$1.48 MX$27.52
14.19%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.19 ฿73.2
$1.92 MX$35.57
14.06%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 ฿70.9
$1.82 MX$33.81
16.48%
Potato (1kg)
$1.46 ฿48.68
$1.98 MX$36.79
-26.26%
Onion (1kg)
$1.37 ฿45.66
$1.80 MX$33.42
-23.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 ฿35.91
$1.43 MX$26.60
-24.48%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ฿18.21
$1.07 MX$19.78
-48.60%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.43 ฿148
$4.30 MX$79.7
3.02%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.25 ฿609
$10.08 MX$187
81.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿59.2
$1.77 MX$32.91
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 ฿96.2
$3.03 MX$56.2
-4.95%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Cuauhtémoc
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.32
$0.67 MX$12.48
116.42%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.9 ฿1,832
$30.53 MX$567
79.79%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 ฿50.5
$2.63 MX$48.74
-42.59%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 ฿25.90
$1.90 MX$35.31
-58.95%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.84 ฿128
$10.79 MX$200
-64.41%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 ฿49.65
$1.48 MX$27.46
0.68%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.9K ฿897.3K
$23.4K MX$433.5K
15.07%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.3K ฿879.4K
$23.8K MX$441.2K
10.82%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Cuauhtémoc
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$97.8 ฿3,265
$56.6 MX$1,050
72.93%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.29 ฿377
$22.47 MX$417
-49.76%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.19 ฿574
$29.33 MX$544
-41.39%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Cuauhtémoc
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$68.3 ฿2,281
$31.80 MX$590
114.87%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.92 ฿365
$19.76 MX$367
-44.74%
Cinema Ticket
$7.43 ฿248
$4.98 MX$92.4
49.20%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Cuauhtémoc
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$530 ฿17.7K
$212 MX$3,931
150.42%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.8K ฿626.9K
$4,464 MX$82.8K
320.75%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Cuauhtémoc
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.7 ฿2,059
$53.2 MX$988
15.88%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.25 ฿943
$39.97 MX$742
-29.32%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.0 ฿3,204
$96.9 MX$1,798
-0.93%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.8 ฿2,898
$87.8 MX$1,628
-1.07%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Cuauhtémoc
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$721 ฿24.1K
$592 MX$11.0K
21.73%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$509 ฿17.0K
$429 MX$7,956
18.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,950 ฿65.1K
$1,015 MX$18.8K
92.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,397 ฿46.6K
$747 MX$13.9K
87.01%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,192 ฿139.9K
$1,880 MX$34.9K
122.98%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,298 ฿110.1K
$1,105 MX$20.5K
198.60%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Cuauhtémoc
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$492 ฿16.4K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
11.31
-50.75%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cuauhtémoc: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$509
Cuauhtémoc
$429 15.8% $80
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$267
Cuauhtémoc
$259 3.1% $8.3
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$126
Cuauhtémoc
$108 14.2% $18
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$123
Cuauhtémoc
$125 1.9% $2.3
Eating Out
Phuket
$120
Cuauhtémoc
$183 52.9% $63
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$83
Cuauhtémoc
$42 49.8% $41
Getting Around
Phuket
$66
Cuauhtémoc
$45 31.4% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $592 in Cuauhtémoc. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $43 in Cuauhtémoc. Groceries tell a different story – $267 in Phuket vs $259 in Cuauhtémoc – so Cuauhtémoc wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇲🇽 Cuauhtémoc
🕒 Local time
09:53 9:53 AM
20:53 8:53 PM
13 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
545,884
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.56 MXN (100 MXN = 5.39 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Cuauhtémoc 16,420 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Cuauhtémoc

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 Cuauhtémoc: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cuauhtémoc cheaper than Phuket?
Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $1,786 in Cuauhtémoc. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Cuauhtémoc, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $592 there versus $721 in Phuket.
How do food prices compare in Phuket and in Cuauhtémoc?
Groceries cost about 3% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is eating out cheaper in Phuket or in Cuauhtémoc?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $43 in Cuauhtémoc. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $1,500 enough for either Phuket or Cuauhtémoc?
$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,294 in Phuket and $1,191 in Cuauhtémoc, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is Phuket or Cuauhtémoc more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Cuauhtémoc – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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