Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Los Cabos

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,428 in Los Cabos, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. The total is higher in Los Cabos despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Los Cabos
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Los Cabos Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Los Cabos

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,428

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Los Cabos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,428 in Los Cabos.

Phuket $1,294
Los Cabos $1,428

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $2,242 in Los Cabos.

Phuket $2,204
Los Cabos $2,242

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $3,056 in Los Cabos.

Phuket $3,115
Los Cabos $3,056

Living in Phuket costs roughly 9% less than in Los Cabos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Los Cabos is 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$21.85 MX$407

-79.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$43.11 MX$802

-25.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$13.70 MX$255

-36.50%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$4.97 MX$92.5

-45.27%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$2.33 MX$43.40

-60.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$2.05 MX$38.09

-75.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$5.09 MX$94.8

-50.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$7.91 MX$147

-54.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.57 MX$29.28

10.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$2.87 MX$53.4

-49.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.26 MX$42.15

-33.63%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$2.40 MX$44.61

-9.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$9.15 MX$170

108.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$9.26 MX$172

-63.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$17.61 MX$328

-38.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$4.14 MX$77.1

-28.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.74 MX$32.39

-2.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$2.77 MX$51.5

-20.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$2.41 MX$44.83

-12.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$2.29 MX$42.71

-36.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$2.53 MX$47.03

-45.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$1.25 MX$23.20

-13.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$0.84 MX$15.56

-34.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$4.34 MX$80.7

2.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$10.33 MX$192

76.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$1.58 MX$29.43

12.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$3.14 MX$58.4

-8.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$1.32 MX$24.63

9.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

$30.58 MX$569

79.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$2.59 MX$48.14

-41.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$1.95 MX$36.29

-60.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$10.58 MX$197

-63.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.35 MX$25.20

10.37%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$23.9K MX$444.9K

12.44%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$23.7K MX$440.8K

11.22%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$56.4 MX$1,049

73.58%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$26.64 MX$496

-57.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$24.30 MX$452

-29.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$32.29 MX$601

111.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$19.82 MX$369

-44.90%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$4.40 MX$82.0

68.86%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$211 MX$3,933

150.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$4,437 MX$82.6K

323.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$92.7 MX$1,725

-33.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$40.62 MX$756

-30.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$121 MX$2,253

-20.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$87.2 MX$1,622

-0.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$585 MX$10.9K

23.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$438 MX$8,152

16.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$1,020 MX$19.0K

91.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$768 MX$14.3K

81.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

$1,923 MX$35.8K

118.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

$1,127 MX$21.0K

192.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$813 MX$15.1K

-39.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.31

-50.75%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Los Cabos: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Los Cabos

$438 30.7% 13.9% $71

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Los Cabos

$306 21.4% 14.6% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Los Cabos

$107 7.5% 15% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Los Cabos

$154 10.8% 25.2% $31

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Los Cabos

$334 23.4% 180% $215

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Los Cabos

$41 2.9% 50.6% $42

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Los Cabos

$48 3.4% 27% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $585 in Los Cabos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Los Cabos pays 65% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $43 in Los Cabos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $306 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇽 Los Cabos

🕒 Local time

00:31 12:31 AM

10:31 10:31 AM

14 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

202,694

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Los Cabos 15,410 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Los Cabos

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 Los Cabos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 9% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 40% 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: $721 in Phuket versus $585 in Los Cabos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $43 in Los Cabos. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,294 per month in Phuket versus $1,428 in Los Cabos – Phuket is about 9% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Los Cabos on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.