Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Saltillo

For one person, living costs are similar in Phuket and in Saltillo: $1,278 and $1,297 a month, rent and utilities included.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Saltillo
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Saltillo Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Saltillo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Saltillo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,297 in Saltillo.

Phuket $1,278
Saltillo $1,297

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,064 in Saltillo.

Phuket $2,216
Saltillo $2,064

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,830 in Saltillo.

Phuket $3,154
Saltillo $2,830

Monthly costs are close between Phuket and Saltillo; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Saltillo 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$10.56 MX$197

-57.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$49.01 MX$914

-33.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.41 MX$120

37.44%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.59 MX$66.9

-21.17%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.32 MX$24.67

-34.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.04 MX$19.39

-52.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.20 MX$40.94

16.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.82 MX$71.1

-3.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.42 MX$26.48

16.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$3.51 MX$65.4

-58.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.92 MX$35.79

-21.87%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.20 MX$41.06

-5.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$10.56 MX$197

80.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$8.27 MX$154

-60.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.92 MX$185

9.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.68 MX$49.87

9.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.24 MX$23.15

36.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.66 MX$30.88

35.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.94 MX$36.21

7.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.19 MX$40.88

-31.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.53 MX$47.23

-45.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.18 MX$22.03

-9.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.09 MX$20.33

-52.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.24 MX$79.1

-0.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$10.09 MX$188

86.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.33 MX$43.52

-21.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.48 MX$27.54

91.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.83 MX$15.54

74.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$16.21 MX$302

249.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.65 MX$49.48

13.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.92 MX$35.82

-46.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$16.00 MX$298

-76.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.46 MX$27.29

0.68%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$18.7K MX$349.1K

42.97%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$23.6K MX$440.4K

12.97%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$46.41 MX$865

107.61%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$33.09 MX$617

-65.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$29.04 MX$541

-41.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$56.1 MX$1,046

19.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$13.31 MX$248

-19.38%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.77 MX$108

29.98%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$245 MX$4,570

94.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$2,545 MX$47.4K

342.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$56.1 MX$1,045

11.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$55.0 MX$1,025

-48.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$83.7 MX$1,561

12.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$122 MX$2,275

-29.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$557 MX$10.4K

28.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$502 MX$9,353

-2.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$944 MX$17.6K

104.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$942 MX$17.6K

51.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$546 MX$10.2K

664.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$885 MX$16.5K

243.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$766 MX$14.3K

-34.40%

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: October 26, 2026

Last update for Saltillo: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Saltillo

$502 38.7% 2.2% $11

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Saltillo

$270 20.8% 1.4% $3.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Saltillo

$109 8.4% 12.8% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Saltillo

$143 11% 17% $21

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Saltillo

$175 13.5% 43.7% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Saltillo

$68 5.2% 17.7% $15

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Saltillo

$32 2.5% 54.9% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $557 in Saltillo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saltillo pays 52% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $49 in Saltillo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $270 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇽 Saltillo

🕒 Local time

08:01 8:01 AM

19:01 7:01 PM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

864,431

💱 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 29, 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 29, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Saltillo 15,760 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Saltillo

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 Saltillo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 34% 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 $557 in Saltillo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $49 in Saltillo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $245 in Saltillo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

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

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