Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Manzanillo

For one person, living is cheaper in Manzanillo: $1,200 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Manzanillo
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Manzanillo Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Manzanillo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,200

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Manzanillo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,200 in Manzanillo.

Phuket $1,294
Manzanillo $1,200

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $2,100 in Manzanillo.

Phuket $2,204
Manzanillo $2,100

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $3,000 in Manzanillo.

Phuket $3,115
Manzanillo $3,000

Living in Phuket is roughly 8% more expensive than in Manzanillo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Manzanillo 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$10.88 MX$202

-59.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$32.44 MX$604

-0.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$10.92 MX$203

-20.33%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$3.71 MX$69.1

-26.68%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$1.14 MX$21.14

-18.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$1.12 MX$20.81

-55.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$2.11 MX$39.23

19.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$4.31 MX$80.2

-15.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.51 MX$28.04

15.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$2.53 MX$47.10

-42.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.16 MX$21.54

29.31%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$2.07 MX$38.50

4.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$8.01 MX$149

138.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$5.42 MX$101

-37.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$9.44 MX$176

15.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$2.87 MX$53.4

2.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.38 MX$25.67

22.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$1.73 MX$32.21

26.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$1.46 MX$27.23

45.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$2.31 MX$42.95

-36.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$1.65 MX$30.77

-16.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$1.83 MX$34.15

-40.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$1.16 MX$21.53

-52.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$5.31 MX$98.9

-16.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$6.36 MX$118

186.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$1.80 MX$33.46

-1.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$2.44 MX$45.32

18.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$0.75 MX$13.94

93.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$2.39 MX$44.54

-36.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$2.48 MX$46.14

-68.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$8.20 MX$153

-53.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.41 MX$26.16

5.67%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$23.9K MX$445.2K

12.37%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$23.3K MX$434.3K

12.88%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$64.1 MX$1,193

52.59%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$19.79 MX$368

-42.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$28.60 MX$532

-39.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$65.8 MX$1,224

3.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$31.67 MX$589

-65.52%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$4.34 MX$80.8

71.20%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$162 MX$3,022

226.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$8,458 MX$157.4K

122.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$42.68 MX$794

44.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$24.94 MX$464

13.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$73.9 MX$1,376

29.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$114 MX$2,112

-23.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$660 MX$12.3K

9.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$460 MX$8,560

10.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$1,531 MX$28.5K

27.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$1,322 MX$24.6K

5.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$402 MX$7,485

22.22%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Manzanillo: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Manzanillo

$460 38.3% 9.6% $49

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Manzanillo

$228 19% 14.7% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Manzanillo

$112 9.4% 10.9% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Manzanillo

$115 9.6% 6.5% $8

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Manzanillo

$193 16.1% 61.1% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Manzanillo

$74 6.2% 10.5% $8.7

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Manzanillo

$18 * 1.5% 73.1% $48

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $660 in Manzanillo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 22% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $32 in Manzanillo. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $228, with Manzanillo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇽 Manzanillo

🕒 Local time

03:30 3:30 AM

14:30 2:30 PM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

159,853

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Manzanillo 16,120 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Manzanillo

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 Manzanillo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $1,200 in Manzanillo, so Manzanillo is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 22% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $660 in Manzanillo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $162 in Manzanillo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,294 per month in Phuket versus $1,200 in Manzanillo – Manzanillo is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Manzanillo 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.

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