Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Oaxaca de Juarez

For one person, living is cheaper in Oaxaca de Juarez: $1,124 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Oaxaca de Juarez
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Oaxaca de Juarez Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Oaxaca de Juarez

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,124

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Oaxaca de Juarez

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 Oaxaca de Juarez actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,124 in Oaxaca de Juarez.

Phuket $1,278
Oaxaca de Juarez $1,124

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,735 in Oaxaca de Juarez.

Phuket $2,216
Oaxaca de Juarez $1,735

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,347 in Oaxaca de Juarez.

Phuket $3,154
Oaxaca de Juarez $2,347

Living in Phuket is roughly 14% more expensive than in Oaxaca de Juarez, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Oaxaca de Juarez 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.41 MX$120

-30.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$32.43 MX$609

-0.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.88 MX$148

11.80%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.72 MX$51.2

4.04%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$1.44 MX$26.99

-39.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.80 MX$14.99

-38.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.38 MX$44.73

7.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.72 MX$69.9

-1.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.30 MX$24.46

27.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$2.95 MX$55.5

-50.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.06 MX$19.83

41.51%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.65 MX$31.07

26.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$6.46 MX$121

195.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.46 MX$103

-39.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.74 MX$202

1.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.09 MX$39.32

40.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.16 MX$21.82

45.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.84 MX$34.67

22.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.55 MX$10.42

278.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.00 MX$37.64

-24.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.91 MX$35.89

-27.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.07 MX$20.04

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.91 MX$17.07

-42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.13 MX$77.7

1.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$9.29 MX$175

102.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.44 MX$27.03

26.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.63 MX$49.47

7.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.52 MX$9.73

178.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.88 MX$72.9

-22.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$1.93 MX$36.28

-47.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$10.94 MX$206

-66.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.36 MX$25.51

8.09%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$23.8K MX$446.4K

12.72%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$23.9K MX$449.6K

11.57%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$59.8 MX$1,124

61.04%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$10.73 MX$202

4.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$23.45 MX$441

-28.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$43.86 MX$824

53.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.35 MX$101

40.19%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$419 MX$7,879

13.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$19.3K MX$363.3K

-41.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$52.8 MX$991

18.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$60.5 MX$1,137

-53.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$100.0 MX$1,879

-5.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$93.7 MX$1,760

-8.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$703 MX$13.2K

1.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$470 MX$8,825

4.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,168 MX$21.9K

65.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$871 MX$16.4K

64.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.96

-49.18%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Oaxaca de Juarez: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Oaxaca de Juarez

$470 41.8% 4.3% $21

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Oaxaca de Juarez

$216 19.2% 18.9% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Oaxaca de Juarez

$94 8.4% 24.5% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Oaxaca de Juarez

$138 12.3% 13.3% $16

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Oaxaca de Juarez

$136 12.1% 11.6% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Oaxaca de Juarez

$55 4.9% 33.6% $28

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Oaxaca de Juarez

$16 * 1.4% 77.9% $55

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 $716 in Phuket and $703 in Oaxaca de Juarez. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $32 in Oaxaca de Juarez. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $216, with Oaxaca de Juarez cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇽 Oaxaca de Juarez

🕒 Local time

07:06 7:06 AM

18:06 6:06 PM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

258,913

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Oaxaca de Juarez 16,780 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Oaxaca de Juarez

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 Oaxaca de Juarez: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oaxaca de Juarez wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Oaxaca de Juarez the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,685 in Oaxaca de Juarez 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: $716 in Phuket versus $703 in Oaxaca de Juarez. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $1,124 in Oaxaca de Juarez – Oaxaca de Juarez is about 12% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% 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. Oaxaca de Juarez 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Oaxaca de Juarez are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.