Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Nuevo Laredo

For one person, living is cheaper in Nuevo Laredo: $1,189 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Nuevo Laredo
Learn more

Nuevo Laredo Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Nuevo Laredo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,189

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Nuevo Laredo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,189 in Nuevo Laredo.

Phuket $1,294
Nuevo Laredo $1,189

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,860 in Nuevo Laredo.

Phuket $2,204
Nuevo Laredo $1,860

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,530 in Nuevo Laredo.

Phuket $3,115
Nuevo Laredo $2,530

Living in Phuket is roughly 9% more expensive than in Nuevo Laredo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Nuevo Laredo 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$10.71 MX$199

-59.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$48.79 MX$908

-33.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$6.42 MX$120

35.51%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$3.43 MX$63.9

-20.70%

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

$0.93 ฿31.39

$1.30 MX$24.14

-28.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.99 MX$18.43

-49.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$2.16 MX$40.27

17.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$3.87 MX$72.0

-6.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.48 MX$27.60

17.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.95

$2.65 MX$49.38

-45.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.61 MX$29.90

-6.83%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$2.22 MX$41.26

-2.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$9.82 MX$183

94.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$6.04 MX$112

-43.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$9.55 MX$178

14.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$2.64 MX$49.08

11.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.06 MX$19.80

59.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$1.64 MX$30.57

33.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.7

$1.57 MX$29.26

35.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.21

$1.32 MX$24.66

10.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.15

$1.38 MX$25.61

-0.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.30

$1.05 MX$19.55

2.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.41

$0.78 MX$14.49

-29.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$4.19 MX$77.9

5.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$10.04 MX$187

81.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$2.35 MX$43.77

-24.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$1.42 MX$26.36

102.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.84

$0.66 MX$12.34

119.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

$30.22 MX$562

81.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.57 MX$47.87

-41.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.18

$1.97 MX$36.58

-60.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

$10.93 MX$203

-64.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.11 MX$20.70

34.23%

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

$26.9K ฿907.0K

$19.0K MX$354.3K

41.19%

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

$26.3K ฿888.9K

$23.4K MX$434.7K

12.79%

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

$97.8 ฿3,300

$46.43 MX$864

110.66%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$32.80 MX$610

-65.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$29.09 MX$541

-40.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$32.02 MX$596

113.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$19.58 MX$364

-44.23%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$5.56 MX$104

33.63%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$243 MX$4,516

118.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.7K

$2,620 MX$48.8K

616.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,081

$55.8 MX$1,038

10.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$56.1 MX$1,044

-49.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,239

$85.3 MX$1,587

12.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,929

$124 MX$2,302

-29.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$595 MX$11.1K

21.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$440 MX$8,195

15.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$1,037 MX$19.3K

88.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$742 MX$13.8K

88.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$1,893 MX$35.2K

121.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$1,124 MX$20.9K

193.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.53

-47.10%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Nuevo Laredo: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Nuevo Laredo

$440 37% 13.5% $69

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Nuevo Laredo

$234 19.7% 12.3% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Nuevo Laredo

$108 9.1% 14.2% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Nuevo Laredo

$144 12.1% 17.6% $22

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Nuevo Laredo

$174 14.6% 45.4% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Nuevo Laredo

$43 3.6% 48.1% $40

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Nuevo Laredo

$45 3.8% 31.5% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $595 in Nuevo Laredo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $49 in Nuevo Laredo. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $234, with Nuevo Laredo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇽 Nuevo Laredo

🕒 Local time

20:34 8:34 PM

07:34 7:34 AM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

416,055

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Nuevo Laredo 15,640 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Nuevo Laredo

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 Nuevo Laredo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nuevo Laredo wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Nuevo Laredo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $1,784 in Nuevo Laredo 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 $595 in Nuevo Laredo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $243 in Nuevo Laredo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Nuevo Laredo is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.