Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Puebla

For one person, living is cheaper in Puebla: $1,134 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $880 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 Puebla
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Puebla Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Puebla

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,134

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Puebla

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,134 in Puebla.

Phuket $1,207
Puebla $1,134

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,818 in Puebla.

Phuket $2,037
Puebla $1,818

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $2,503 in Puebla.

Phuket $2,867
Puebla $2,503

Living in Phuket is roughly 6% more expensive than in Puebla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Puebla 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$9.66 MX$179

-52.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$47.46 MX$877

-31.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$9.56 MX$177

-10.56%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$3.13 MX$57.8

-13.10%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$1.52 MX$28.02

-38.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$1.19 MX$21.94

-58.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$2.66 MX$49.22

-2.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.79 MX$70.1

1.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.54 MX$28.52

12.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$3.04 MX$56.2

-52.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$1.77 MX$32.74

-13.56%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$3.39 MX$62.7

-35.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$6.52 MX$120

193.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$5.75 MX$106

-42.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$11.22 MX$207

-0.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$2.57 MX$47.54

14.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.70 MX$31.38

-1.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.88 MX$34.82

22.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$2.02 MX$37.41

5.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$2.10 MX$38.86

-27.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$1.94 MX$35.77

-29.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$1.44 MX$26.56

-22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$1.29 MX$23.82

-57.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$5.06 MX$93.5

-15.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$13.97 MX$258

30.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.46 MX$26.99

19.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$2.57 MX$47.41

8.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.53 MX$9.88

318.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$24.90 MX$460

-11.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$5.31 MX$98.1

-45.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$1.91 MX$35.29

-47.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$15.79 MX$292

-75.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.50 MX$27.78

-0.67%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$21.2K MX$391.4K

25.96%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$24.3K MX$449.8K

9.74%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$60.9 MX$1,126

63.14%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$18.89 MX$349

-40.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$23.61 MX$436

-26.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$42.49 MX$785

23.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$13.06 MX$241

-16.92%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$5.63 MX$104

34.46%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$419 MX$7,742

33.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$19.8K MX$365.9K

-41.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$59.2 MX$1,094

6.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$61.3 MX$1,133

-53.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$101 MX$1,871

-5.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$97.7 MX$1,805

-9.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$631 MX$11.7K

15.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$355 MX$6,555

29.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$874 MX$16.1K

139.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$675 MX$12.5K

81.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$1,652 MX$30.5K

109.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$904 MX$16.7K

175.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$664 MX$12.3K

-25.78%

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 13, 2026

Last update for Puebla: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Puebla

$355 31.3% 22.9% $105

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Puebla

$261 23% 2.5% $6.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Puebla

$103 9.1% 19.2% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Puebla

$144 12.7% 15.9% $20

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Puebla

$175 15.5% 44.4% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Puebla

$54 4.7% 20.3% $14

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Puebla

$42 3.7% 7.7% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $631 in Puebla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Puebla pays 35% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $47.00 in Puebla. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $261, with Puebla cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇽 Puebla

🕒 Local time

19:35 7:35 PM

06:35 6:35 AM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,542,232

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Puebla 16,510 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Puebla

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 Puebla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Puebla is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and leisure. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 35% lower in Puebla. 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: $729 in Phuket versus $631 in Puebla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $419 in Puebla. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,134 in Puebla versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Puebla but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Puebla the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Puebla is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Puebla 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 Puebla gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.