Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Piedras Negras

For one person, living is cheaper in Piedras Negras: $1,204 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 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 Piedras Negras
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Piedras Negras Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Piedras Negras

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Piedras Negras

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,204 in Piedras Negras.

Phuket $1,294
Piedras Negras $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,874 in Piedras Negras.

Phuket $2,204
Piedras Negras $1,874

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,544 in Piedras Negras.

Phuket $3,115
Piedras Negras $2,544

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$10.98 MX$206

-60.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,080

$42.64 MX$801

-24.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿291

$8.46 MX$159

2.84%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.1

$3.58 MX$67.3

-24.02%

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

$0.93 ฿31.11

$1.33 MX$25.06

-30.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.70

$1.04 MX$19.55

-51.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.6

$2.35 MX$44.09

7.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$3.92 MX$73.7

-7.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.62 MX$30.40

7.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.51

$2.61 MX$49.02

-44.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$1.64 MX$30.71

-8.54%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.6

$2.51 MX$47.07

-13.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿638

$7.99 MX$150

138.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$8.43 MX$158

-59.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$11.13 MX$209

-2.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.3

$2.74 MX$51.5

7.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.6

$1.50 MX$28.18

12.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.4

$1.86 MX$34.97

17.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.0

$1.85 MX$34.81

14.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.77

$1.96 MX$36.87

-25.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.74

$1.83 MX$34.29

-25.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.98

$1.37 MX$25.71

-21.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$1.06 MX$19.94

-48.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$4.39 MX$82.4

0.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿610

$10.39 MX$195

75.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.3

$1.73 MX$32.43

2.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.3

$3.15 MX$59.2

-8.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.40

$0.67 MX$12.52

116.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,835

$29.73 MX$558

84.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$2.60 MX$48.79

-41.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.94

$1.97 MX$36.95

-60.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$10.94 MX$205

-64.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.74

$1.31 MX$24.66

13.74%

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

$26.9K ฿898.9K

$24.1K MX$452.3K

11.62%

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

$26.3K ฿881.0K

$23.3K MX$438.3K

12.88%

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

$97.8 ฿3,271

$56.8 MX$1,067

72.14%

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

$11.29 ฿378

$22.71 MX$426

-50.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿575

$29.38 MX$552

-41.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,285

$32.02 MX$601

113.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

$20.04 MX$376

-45.51%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$5.04 MX$94.6

47.42%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$216 MX$4,061

145.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿628.1K

$4,504 MX$84.6K

317.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,062

$54.7 MX$1,028

12.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿945

$39.49 MX$742

-28.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,210

$99.4 MX$1,866

-3.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,903

$87.8 MX$1,649

-1.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$605 MX$11.4K

19.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$435 MX$8,165

17.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.2K

$1,007 MX$18.9K

93.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.7K

$749 MX$14.1K

86.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.2K

$1,916 MX$36.0K

118.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.3K

$1,103 MX$20.7K

198.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

$1,638 MX$30.8K

-69.98%

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 Piedras Negras: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Piedras Negras

$435 36.1% 14.6% $74

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Piedras Negras

$261 21.7% 2.1% $5.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Piedras Negras

$109 9.1% 13.8% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Piedras Negras

$127 10.5% 3.2% $3.9

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Piedras Negras

$185 15.4% 55% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Piedras Negras

$42 3.5% 49.4% $41

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Piedras Negras

$45 3.7% 32.1% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $605 in Piedras Negras. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Piedras Negras pays about 3.3 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $43 in Piedras Negras. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $261, with Piedras Negras cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇽 Piedras Negras

🕒 Local time

16:08 4:08 PM

03:08 3:08 AM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

173,959

💱 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 = 37.56 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 = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Piedras Negras 15,470 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Piedras Negras

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 Piedras Negras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Piedras Negras is about 7% cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 70% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $605 in Piedras Negras. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $216 in Piedras Negras. 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 Piedras Negras. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Piedras Negras 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.