Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Guanajuato

For one person, living is cheaper in Guanajuato: $1,036 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Guanajuato
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Guanajuato Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Guanajuato

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,036

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Guanajuato

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,036 in Guanajuato.

Phuket $1,278
Guanajuato $1,036

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,584 in Guanajuato.

Phuket $2,216
Guanajuato $1,584

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,131 in Guanajuato.

Phuket $3,154
Guanajuato $2,131

Living in Phuket is roughly 23% more expensive than in Guanajuato, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Guanajuato 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$13.29 MX$249

-66.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$43.45 MX$814

-25.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.12 MX$133

23.74%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.61 MX$67.6

-21.61%

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

$0.87 ฿29.40

$1.64 MX$30.78

-46.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.94 MX$17.66

-47.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.63 MX$49.34

-2.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.98 MX$93.2

-26.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.51 MX$28.25

9.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$2.49 MX$46.70

-41.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.47 MX$27.60

2.04%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.39 MX$44.85

-12.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$4.76 MX$89.1

300.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.33 MX$175

-64.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$11.63 MX$218

-6.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$2.77 MX$51.9

5.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.55 MX$29.04

9.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.87 MX$34.95

20.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.50 MX$28.18

38.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.01 MX$37.66

-24.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$1.85 MX$34.70

-25.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$1.53 MX$28.59

-30.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$1.07 MX$20.05

-51.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.85 MX$90.9

-13.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$10.04 MX$188

87.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.84 MX$34.55

-1.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$3.25 MX$61.0

-12.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.97

$0.60 MX$11.33

141.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

$26.83 MX$503

111.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.11 MX$39.58

43.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.32

$1.50 MX$28.10

-32.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$8.59 MX$161

-57.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

$1.46 MX$27.33

0.68%

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

$26.8K ฿903.2K

$19.6K MX$367.3K

36.61%

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

$26.7K ฿900.3K

$23.0K MX$430.1K

16.29%

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

$96.4 ฿3,250

$48.45 MX$908

98.86%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$19.35 MX$363

-41.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$27.67 MX$518

-39.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$30.04 MX$563

123.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$27.18 MX$509

-60.52%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.98 MX$112

25.42%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$203 MX$3,804

134.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

$5,520 MX$103.4K

104.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$56.2 MX$1,054

10.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$36.12 MX$677

-21.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$76.8 MX$1,439

22.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$56.5 MX$1,058

51.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$511 MX$9,580

40.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$300 MX$5,628

63.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$766 MX$14.3K

151.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$383 MX$7,178

273.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.8K

$1,317 MX$24.7K

217.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,091 MX$20.4K

179.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$704 MX$13.2K

-28.61%

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 Guanajuato: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Guanajuato

$300 29% 38.8% $191

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Guanajuato

$254 24.5% 4.6% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Guanajuato

$95 9.2% 23.3% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Guanajuato

$102 9.8% 16.7% $20

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Guanajuato

$204 19.7% 68% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Guanajuato

$42 4.1% 48.9% $40

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Guanajuato

$39 3.8% 44.9% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $511 in Guanajuato. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Guanajuato pays 40% 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 $43 in Guanajuato. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $254, with Guanajuato cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇽 Guanajuato

🕒 Local time

05:00 5:00 AM

16:00 4:00 PM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

70,068

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Guanajuato 16,150 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Guanajuato

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 Guanajuato: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guanajuato wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Guanajuato the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 29% 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 $511 in Guanajuato. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% 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 $43 in Guanajuato. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Guanajuato is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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