Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and La Paz, Mexico

For one person, living costs are similar in Phuket and in La Paz: $1,278 and $1,266 a month, rent and utilities included.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in La Paz
Learn more

La Paz Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

La Paz

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,266

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in La Paz

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,266 in La Paz.

Phuket $1,278
La Paz $1,266

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,091 in La Paz.

Phuket $2,216
La Paz $2,091

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,916 in La Paz.

Phuket $3,154
La Paz $2,916

Monthly costs are close between Phuket and La Paz; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, La Paz 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$9.79 MX$184

-54.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$54.1 MX$1,016

-40.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.87 MX$148

11.94%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.98 MX$56.0

-5.03%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$1.76 MX$33.09

-50.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.99 MX$18.58

-50.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.15 MX$40.45

19.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$5.59 MX$105

-34.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.15 MX$40.35

-22.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$2.61 MX$49.09

-44.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.17 MX$40.76

-30.88%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.33 MX$43.83

-10.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$11.53 MX$217

65.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$8.34 MX$157

-60.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.73 MX$202

1.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.50 MX$65.8

-16.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.25 MX$23.46

35.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.84 MX$34.51

22.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.83 MX$34.32

13.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.95 MX$36.65

-22.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$2.07 MX$38.98

-33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.47 MX$27.67

-27.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.35 MX$25.30

-61.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.29 MX$80.7

-2.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$16.87 MX$317

11.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.23 MX$23.07

47.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.74 MX$51.5

3.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.67 MX$12.63

116.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$32.86 MX$618

72.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.50 MX$46.94

20.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$2.06 MX$38.76

-50.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$9.99 MX$188

-63.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.44 MX$27.03

2.08%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$20.8K MX$390.3K

28.95%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$23.6K MX$444.4K

12.88%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$61.3 MX$1,153

57.10%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$25.45 MX$478

-55.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$32.70 MX$614

-48.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$32.53 MX$611

106.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$17.49 MX$329

-38.65%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.02 MX$94.4

49.40%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$214 MX$4,028

122.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$4,487 MX$84.3K

151.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$56.0 MX$1,053

11.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$40.04 MX$752

-29.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$73.6 MX$1,384

28.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$89.8 MX$1,688

-4.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$799 MX$15.0K

-10.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$475 MX$8,924

3.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,681 MX$31.6K

14.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,034 MX$19.4K

38.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$1,918 MX$36.1K

117.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,119 MX$21.0K

172.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$746 MX$14.0K

-32.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.6

-51.98%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for La Paz: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

La Paz

$475 37.5% 3.3% $16

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

La Paz

$293 23.2% 10% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

La Paz

$119 9.4% 4% $5

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

La Paz

$117 9.2% 4.2% $5.1

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

La Paz

$171 13.5% 40.2% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

La Paz

$43 3.4% 48.2% $40

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

La Paz

$48 3.8% 31.5% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $799 in La Paz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

La Paz pays 49% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $54 in La Paz for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $293 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇽 La Paz

🕒 Local time

22:05 10:05 PM

08:05 8:05 AM

14 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

250,141

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket La Paz 15,280 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
La Paz

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 La Paz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 33% 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 $799 in La Paz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in La Paz runs roughly 42% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though La Paz 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 La Paz are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.