Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Isla Mujeres

For one person, living is cheaper in Isla Mujeres: $1,135 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Isla Mujeres
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Isla Mujeres Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Isla Mujeres

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,135

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Isla Mujeres

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,135 in Isla Mujeres.

Phuket $1,294
Isla Mujeres $1,135

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,803 in Isla Mujeres.

Phuket $2,204
Isla Mujeres $1,803

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,471 in Isla Mujeres.

Phuket $3,115
Isla Mujeres $2,471

Living in Phuket is roughly 14% more expensive than in Isla Mujeres, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Isla Mujeres 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$10.61 MX$197

-58.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,078

$39.45 MX$732

-18.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿290

$7.91 MX$147

9.99%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿90.9

$3.28 MX$60.8

-17.07%

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

$0.93 ฿31.06

$1.29 MX$24.03

-27.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.67

$0.89 MX$16.58

-43.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.5

$2.27 MX$42.08

11.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$3.93 MX$72.9

-7.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.44 MX$26.79

20.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$2.51 MX$46.56

-42.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.1

$1.55 MX$28.83

-3.23%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.5

$2.38 MX$44.17

-8.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿637

$7.95 MX$148

140.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿113

$8.06 MX$150

-57.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$10.66 MX$198

2.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.2

$2.61 MX$48.49

12.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.5

$1.38 MX$25.63

22.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.2

$1.80 MX$33.43

21.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿70.9

$1.72 MX$31.85

23.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.68

$1.84 MX$34.11

-20.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.66

$1.92 MX$35.61

-28.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.91

$1.26 MX$23.45

-14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.21

$1.01 MX$18.81

-45.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$4.20 MX$78.0

5.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿609

$10.95 MX$203

66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.2

$1.61 MX$29.85

9.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.2

$2.72 MX$50.5

5.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$0.66 MX$12.17

119.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,832

$30.36 MX$563

80.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.5

$2.62 MX$48.58

-42.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.90

$1.61 MX$29.92

-51.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$8.12 MX$151

-52.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.65

$1.27 MX$23.48

17.32%

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

$26.9K ฿897.3K

$20.8K MX$385.4K

29.45%

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

$26.3K ฿879.4K

$22.4K MX$416.2K

17.49%

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

$97.8 ฿3,265

$57.0 MX$1,058

71.57%

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

$11.29 ฿377

$22.37 MX$415

-49.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿574

$28.07 MX$521

-38.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,281

$36.42 MX$676

87.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

$15.86 MX$294

-31.15%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$4.66 MX$86.5

59.44%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$207 MX$3,850

155.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿626.9K

$3,591 MX$66.6K

423.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,059

$53.9 MX$1,001

14.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿943

$40.34 MX$749

-29.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,204

$88.9 MX$1,649

8.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,898

$78.0 MX$1,447

11.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$504 MX$9,362

42.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$394 MX$7,309

29.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.1K

$931 MX$17.3K

109.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.6K

$757 MX$14.0K

84.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿139.9K

$1,761 MX$32.7K

138.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.1K

$1,172 MX$21.7K

181.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.48

-51.48%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Isla Mujeres: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Isla Mujeres

$394 34.7% 22.6% $115

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Isla Mujeres

$250 22.1% 6.1% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Isla Mujeres

$107 9.5% 14.9% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Isla Mujeres

$118 10.4% 4.2% $5.2

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Isla Mujeres

$176 15.5% 47.1% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Isla Mujeres

$46 4% 45% $37

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Isla Mujeres

$44 3.9% 33.9% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $504 in Isla Mujeres. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $39 in Isla Mujeres. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $250, with Isla Mujeres cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇽 Isla Mujeres

🕒 Local time

23:44 11:44 PM

11:44 11:44 AM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

13,174

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 MXN = 5.39 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.51 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.56 MXN (100 MXN = 5.39 USD). 1 EUR = 20.85 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Isla Mujeres 16,730 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Isla Mujeres

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 Isla Mujeres: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $1,135 in Isla Mujeres, so Isla Mujeres is about 12% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $1,702 in Isla Mujeres 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: $721 in Phuket versus $504 in Isla Mujeres. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $207 in Isla Mujeres. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Isla Mujeres 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 Isla Mujeres are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.