Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Matamoros

For one person, living is cheaper in Matamoros: $1,090 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Matamoros
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Matamoros Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Matamoros

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,090

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Matamoros

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,090 in Matamoros.

Phuket $1,207
Matamoros $1,090

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,832 in Matamoros.

Phuket $2,037
Matamoros $1,832

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $2,573 in Matamoros.

Phuket $2,867
Matamoros $2,573

Living in Phuket is roughly 11% more expensive than in Matamoros, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Matamoros 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$12.38 MX$229

-63.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$37.67 MX$696

-13.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$9.06 MX$167

-5.63%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$3.29 MX$60.8

-17.33%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$1.47 MX$27.18

-36.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$1.05 MX$19.40

-53.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$2.26 MX$41.81

14.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.48 MX$82.8

-14.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.63 MX$30.12

6.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$2.40 MX$44.43

-40.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$1.70 MX$31.43

-10.00%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.57 MX$47.54

-15.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$9.01 MX$167

112.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$7.82 MX$144

-57.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$11.74 MX$217

-5.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$2.70 MX$49.81

9.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.73 MX$31.92

-2.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.67 MX$30.82

37.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$2.05 MX$37.92

3.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$2.17 MX$40.01

-29.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$2.09 MX$38.70

-34.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$1.61 MX$29.73

-30.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$1.22 MX$22.48

-54.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$4.72 MX$87.2

-9.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$10.79 MX$199

68.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$2.02 MX$37.32

-13.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$3.18 MX$58.8

-12.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.65 MX$12.03

241.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$2.71 MX$50.0

7.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$2.25 MX$41.49

-55.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$11.47 MX$212

-66.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.34 MX$24.72

11.19%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$23.5K MX$435.0K

13.34%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$23.9K MX$441.3K

11.84%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$56.2 MX$1,038

76.97%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$25.44 MX$470

-55.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$26.61 MX$492

-34.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$32.88 MX$608

59.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$22.40 MX$414

-51.56%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$4.48 MX$82.7

68.97%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$223 MX$4,114

150.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$4,650 MX$85.9K

147.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$53.3 MX$986

17.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$38.50 MX$711

-25.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$99.1 MX$1,832

-3.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$79.4 MX$1,467

10.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$646 MX$11.9K

12.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$337 MX$6,220

36.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$901 MX$16.7K

132.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$826 MX$15.3K

47.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$2,039 MX$37.7K

69.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$1,054 MX$19.5K

136.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

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: October 13, 2026

Last update for Matamoros: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Matamoros

$337 30.9% 26.8% $123

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Matamoros

$269 24.7% 0.7% $1.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Matamoros

$108 9.9% 15.5% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Matamoros

$122 11.2% 1.9% $2.4

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Matamoros

$196 18% 61.5% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Matamoros

$42 3.8% 38% $26

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Matamoros

$17 * 1.5% 57.5% $22

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 $729 in Phuket and $646 in Matamoros. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $38.00 in Matamoros for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇽 Matamoros

🕒 Local time

12:01 12:01 PM

00:01 12:01 AM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

510,739

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Matamoros 15,890 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Matamoros

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 Matamoros: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Matamoros wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Matamoros the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,811 in Phuket and $1,635 in Matamoros 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: $729 in Phuket versus $646 in Matamoros. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $223 in Matamoros. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Matamoros – a meal for two runs $38.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,090 in Matamoros versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Matamoros but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Matamoros the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Matamoros delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,090 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Matamoros hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Matamoros are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Matamoros gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.