Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cuernavaca

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuernavaca: $1,208 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $840 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Cuernavaca
Learn more

Cuernavaca Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Cuernavaca

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Cuernavaca

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,208 in Cuernavaca.

Phuket $1,278
Cuernavaca $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,788 in Cuernavaca.

Phuket $2,216
Cuernavaca $1,788

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,368 in Cuernavaca.

Phuket $3,154
Cuernavaca $2,368

Living in Phuket is roughly 6% more expensive than in Cuernavaca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Cuernavaca 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$7.98 MX$150

-43.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$37.14 MX$697

-12.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.83 MX$128

28.99%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.48 MX$46.49

14.11%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$1.31 MX$24.56

-33.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.61 MX$11.47

-19.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.44 MX$45.73

4.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.27 MX$61.4

12.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.62 MX$30.46

2.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$2.21 MX$41.48

-33.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.42 MX$26.62

5.63%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.89 MX$35.39

10.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$7.76 MX$146

145.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.82 MX$90.4

-31.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$13.55 MX$254

-19.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.21 MX$41.45

32.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.32 MX$24.84

28.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.22 MX$41.64

1.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.66 MX$31.10

25.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.76 MX$33.09

-14.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.71 MX$32.09

-19.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.49 MX$28.02

-28.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.83 MX$15.58

-37.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.23 MX$79.4

-0.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.03 MX$151

134.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.21 MX$22.73

50.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$3.30 MX$61.9

-13.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.71 MX$13.37

104.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$34.93 MX$656

62.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.91 MX$35.79

58.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$2.49 MX$46.82

-59.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$10.64 MX$200

-65.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.33 MX$25.06

10.53%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$24.5K MX$459.1K

9.50%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$23.4K MX$438.6K

14.25%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$56.4 MX$1,058

70.89%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$18.52 MX$348

-39.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$24.73 MX$464

-31.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$29.09 MX$546

131.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.24 MX$98.3

43.13%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$218 MX$4,091

118.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$5,055 MX$94.9K

122.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$40.44 MX$759

54.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$32.23 MX$605

-11.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$92.5 MX$1,737

1.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$97.7 MX$1,834

-12.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$619 MX$11.6K

15.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$529 MX$9,928

-7.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$901 MX$16.9K

113.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$803 MX$15.1K

78.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$851 MX$16.0K

390.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$594 MX$11.1K

412.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$638 MX$12.0K

-21.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.4

-51.14%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cuernavaca: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Cuernavaca

$529 43.8% 7.7% $38

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Cuernavaca

$229 19% 14% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Cuernavaca

$100 8.3% 20% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cuernavaca

$118 9.8% 3% $3.6

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cuernavaca

$140 11.6% 15.4% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Cuernavaca

$40 3.3% 51.9% $43

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Cuernavaca

$52 4.3% 26.1% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $619 in Cuernavaca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cuernavaca pays 27% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $37 in Cuernavaca. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $229, with Cuernavaca cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇽 Cuernavaca

🕒 Local time

00:33 12:33 AM

11:33 11:33 AM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

341,029

💱 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

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Between locations

Phuket Cuernavaca 16,460 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Cuernavaca

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 Cuernavaca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cuernavaca is about 5% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 21% lower in Phuket. 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: $716 in Phuket versus $619 in Cuernavaca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $37 in Cuernavaca. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Cuernavaca gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Cuernavaca are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.