Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Queretaro

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,395 in Queretaro, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Queretaro
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Queretaro Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Queretaro

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,395

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Queretaro

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,395 in Queretaro.

Phuket $1,278
Queretaro $1,395

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,130 in Queretaro.

Phuket $2,216
Queretaro $2,130

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,866 in Queretaro.

Phuket $3,154
Queretaro $2,866

Living in Phuket costs roughly 8% less than in Queretaro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Queretaro is 3% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$10.58 MX$197

-57.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$61.4 MX$1,144

-47.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.36 MX$174

-5.88%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.59 MX$66.9

-21.17%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.57 MX$29.23

-44.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.03 MX$19.28

-52.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$3.16 MX$58.8

-18.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$5.28 MX$98.5

-30.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.92 MX$35.83

-13.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$2.60 MX$48.53

-43.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.93 MX$35.94

-22.28%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.61 MX$48.72

-19.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$8.82 MX$164

116.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$8.58 MX$160

-61.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$13.65 MX$255

-20.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$3.32 MX$61.9

-11.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.57 MX$29.20

7.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.11 MX$39.41

6.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.93 MX$35.94

7.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.81 MX$33.83

-16.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.79 MX$33.39

-22.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.46 MX$27.15

-26.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.20 MX$22.38

-56.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.57 MX$85.3

-8.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$17.26 MX$322

8.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.20 MX$40.97

-17.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.89 MX$72.5

-26.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.57 MX$10.62

154.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$24.09 MX$449

135.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.28 MX$61.2

-7.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$2.59 MX$48.28

-60.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$10.97 MX$204

-66.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.47 MX$27.44

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$24.2K MX$450.4K

10.83%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$22.8K MX$425.6K

16.92%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$55.9 MX$1,043

72.24%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$26.29 MX$490

-57.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$24.64 MX$459

-31.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$47.48 MX$885

41.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$24.17 MX$450

-55.61%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.06 MX$132

6.23%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$262 MX$4,888

81.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$5,028 MX$93.7K

124.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$52.1 MX$972

19.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$44.86 MX$836

-36.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$99.9 MX$1,862

-5.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$94.8 MX$1,768

-9.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$842 MX$15.7K

-15.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$560 MX$10.4K

-12.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,447 MX$27.0K

33.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$836 MX$15.6K

71.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$2,019 MX$37.6K

106.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,122 MX$20.9K

171.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$951 MX$17.7K

-47.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.99

-53.54%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Queretaro: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Queretaro

$560 40.1% 14% $69

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Queretaro

$300 21.5% 12.8% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Queretaro

$107 7.7% 14.1% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Queretaro

$131 9.4% 7.7% $9.4

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Queretaro

$193 13.8% 58.2% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Queretaro

$62 4.4% 25.1% $21

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Queretaro

$43 3.1% 39.6% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $842 in Queretaro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Queretaro pays 89% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $61 in Queretaro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $300 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇽 Queretaro

🕒 Local time

05:15 5:15 AM

16:15 4:15 PM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

804,663

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Queretaro 16,240 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Queretaro

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 Queretaro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 8% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 47% 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: $716 in Phuket versus $842 in Queretaro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $262 in Queretaro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Queretaro. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Queretaro are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Queretaro on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.