Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Leon, Mexico

For one person, living is cheaper in Leon: $1,191 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Leon
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Leon Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Leon

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,191

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Leon

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,191 in Leon, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Leon $1,191

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,930 in Leon, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Leon $1,930

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,669 in Leon, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Leon $2,669

Phuket costs about 7% more than Leon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Phuket and Leon are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Leon 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$10.96 MX$204

-59.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$53.8 MX$1,002

-39.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.66 MX$161

1.73%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$4.01 MX$74.8

-29.43%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$1.55 MX$28.86

-43.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$1.23 MX$22.84

-60.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$2.92 MX$54.4

-12.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.86 MX$71.9

-4.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.75 MX$32.55

-5.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$2.72 MX$50.6

-46.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.72 MX$31.99

-12.79%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$3.27 MX$60.9

-36.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$6.81 MX$127

180.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.52 MX$140

-56.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.83 MX$202

0.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$2.37 MX$44.21

23.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.37 MX$25.45

23.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.78 MX$33.25

26.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.44 MX$26.82

44.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$1.97 MX$36.61

-23.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$2.07 MX$38.62

-33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$1.33 MX$24.83

-19.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.73 MX$13.57

-28.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.71 MX$125

-37.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$13.26 MX$247

41.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$2.33 MX$43.39

-21.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$3.58 MX$66.8

-20.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.78 MX$14.55

85.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$37.94 MX$707

49.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.72 MX$50.8

11.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$2.62 MX$48.82

-61.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$14.76 MX$275

-75.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.40 MX$26.04

5.00%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$24.5K MX$457.1K

9.12%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$23.3K MX$433.4K

14.74%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$21.19 MX$395

354.70%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$39.64 MX$739

-71.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$57.5 MX$1,072

-70.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$36.72 MX$684

83.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$33.64 MX$627

-68.10%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.48 MX$121

15.74%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$178 MX$3,318

167.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$3,783 MX$70.5K

197.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$55.6 MX$1,036

12.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$65.2 MX$1,215

-56.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$97.5 MX$1,817

-3.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$116 MX$2,162

-26.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$525 MX$9,777

36.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$362 MX$6,742

35.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$771 MX$14.4K

149.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$678 MX$12.6K

110.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$528 MX$9,833

-4.83%

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 Leon: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Leon

$362 30.4% 26.3% $129

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Leon

$259 21.7% 2.7% $7.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Leon

$118 9.9% 4.9% $6.1

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Leon

$150 12.6% 23.4% $29

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Leon

$195 16.4% 60.4% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Leon

$50 4.2% 39.6% $33

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Leon

$57 4.8% 19.4% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $525 in Leon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 5% higher in Leon, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $54 in Leon. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $259 in Leon – so Leon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇽 Leon

🕒 Local time

08:21 8:21 AM

19:21 7:21 PM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,579,803

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Leon 16,120 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Leon

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 Leon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 7% more than Leon, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,787 in Leon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Leon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $525 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $54 in Leon. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,278 in Phuket and $1,191 in Leon. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Leon – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.