Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Nogales

For one person, living is cheaper in Nogales: $1,207 a month against $1,294 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 Nogales
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Nogales Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Nogales

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Nogales

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,207 in Nogales.

Phuket $1,294
Nogales $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,877 in Nogales.

Phuket $2,204
Nogales $1,877

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,547 in Nogales.

Phuket $3,115
Nogales $2,547

Living in Phuket is roughly 7% more expensive than in Nogales, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$10.57 MX$199

-58.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,080

$43.20 MX$811

-25.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿291

$8.57 MX$161

1.52%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.1

$3.44 MX$64.6

-20.93%

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

$0.93 ฿31.11

$1.35 MX$25.26

-31.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.70

$1.05 MX$19.67

-52.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.6

$2.46 MX$46.27

2.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$3.96 MX$74.5

-8.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.60 MX$30.06

8.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.51

$2.54 MX$47.73

-42.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$1.64 MX$30.83

-8.54%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.6

$2.48 MX$46.66

-12.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿638

$8.14 MX$153

134.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$8.37 MX$157

-59.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$11.40 MX$214

-4.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.3

$2.68 MX$50.3

9.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.6

$1.50 MX$28.19

12.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.4

$1.92 MX$36.02

14.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.0

$1.83 MX$34.42

15.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.77

$1.94 MX$36.44

-24.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.74

$1.82 MX$34.21

-24.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.98

$1.38 MX$25.86

-21.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$1.06 MX$19.89

-48.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$4.28 MX$80.4

3.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿610

$10.12 MX$190

80.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.3

$1.71 MX$32.10

3.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.3

$3.14 MX$58.9

-8.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.40

$0.63 MX$11.77

130.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,835

$29.70 MX$558

84.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$2.62 MX$49.18

-42.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.94

$1.99 MX$37.37

-60.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$10.94 MX$206

-64.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.74

$1.48 MX$27.73

0.68%

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

$26.9K ฿898.9K

$23.6K MX$442.5K

14.10%

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

$26.3K ฿881.0K

$23.5K MX$441.4K

12.09%

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

$97.8 ฿3,271

$56.7 MX$1,066

72.38%

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

$11.29 ฿378

$22.57 MX$424

-49.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿575

$29.55 MX$555

-41.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,285

$32.41 MX$609

110.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

$19.71 MX$370

-44.60%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$5.25 MX$98.6

41.52%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$218 MX$4,101

142.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿628.1K

$4,499 MX$84.5K

317.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,062

$53.8 MX$1,010

14.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿945

$39.92 MX$750

-29.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,210

$97.6 MX$1,833

-1.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,903

$87.3 MX$1,640

-0.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$587 MX$11.0K

22.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$443 MX$8,324

14.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.2K

$1,029 MX$19.3K

89.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.7K

$760 MX$14.3K

83.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.2K

$1,910 MX$35.9K

119.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.3K

$1,136 MX$21.3K

190.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

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 Nogales: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Nogales

$443 36.7% 12.9% $66

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Nogales

$260 21.6% 2.4% $6.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Nogales

$109 9% 13.8% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Nogales

$125 10.4% 2.2% $2.6

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Nogales

$181 15% 51.7% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Nogales

$43 3.6% 48.4% $40

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Nogales

$45 3.7% 32.2% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $587 in Nogales. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $43 in Nogales. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $260, with Nogales cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇽 Nogales

🕒 Local time

08:07 8:07 AM

18:07 6:07 PM

14 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

261,137

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.54 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.08 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Phuket Nogales 14,650 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
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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 Nogales: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $1,207 in Nogales, so Nogales is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $1,810 in Nogales 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: $721 in Phuket versus $587 in Nogales. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $218 in Nogales. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

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