Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and San Felipe

For one person, living is cheaper in San Felipe: $1,106 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 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
54

Cost of Living Index in San Felipe
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San Felipe Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

San Felipe

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,106

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in San Felipe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,106 in San Felipe.

Phuket $1,208
San Felipe $1,106

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,777 in San Felipe.

Phuket $2,027
San Felipe $1,777

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $2,448 in San Felipe.

Phuket $2,845
San Felipe $2,448

Living in Phuket is roughly 9% more expensive than in San Felipe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, San Felipe 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$7.35 MX$136

-40.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$43.63 MX$806

-26.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$8.27 MX$153

5.93%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$3.49 MX$64.4

-18.91%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.35 MX$24.91

-33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$1.05 MX$19.41

-55.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$2.45 MX$45.34

4.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.10 MX$75.8

-6.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.64 MX$30.38

5.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$2.54 MX$46.89

-42.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.72 MX$31.80

-12.21%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.53 MX$46.82

-14.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$8.42 MX$156

133.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$8.46 MX$156

-60.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$11.72 MX$217

-4.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.67 MX$49.26

6.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.53 MX$28.23

11.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.89 MX$35.02

15.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.83 MX$33.76

12.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.99 MX$36.84

-27.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.87 MX$34.64

-26.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.43 MX$26.39

-25.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$1.08 MX$20.02

-52.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$4.50 MX$83.1

-5.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$10.26 MX$190

81.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.75 MX$32.42

1.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$3.07 MX$56.8

-7.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.63 MX$11.65

258.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$2.63 MX$48.65

14.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$1.93 MX$35.73

-45.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$11.06 MX$204

-65.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.45 MX$26.73

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$21.4K MX$395.3K

23.07%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$24.5K MX$452.2K

10.10%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$57.9 MX$1,070

66.46%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$23.12 MX$427

-52.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$29.50 MX$545

-41.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$33.66 MX$622

55.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$20.47 MX$378

-45.48%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$5.36 MX$99.0

45.71%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$219 MX$4,051

153.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$4,580 MX$84.6K

152.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$54.2 MX$1,002

18.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$40.18 MX$742

-28.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$99.7 MX$1,842

-4.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$90.0 MX$1,662

-2.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$617 MX$11.4K

19.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$389 MX$7,184

18.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$1,059 MX$19.6K

97.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$757 MX$14.0K

58.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$1,934 MX$35.7K

80.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,147 MX$21.2K

120.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.3

-50.71%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for San Felipe: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

San Felipe

$389 35.1% 15.9% $74

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

San Felipe

$265 23.9% 1.5% $4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

San Felipe

$111 10% 11.3% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

San Felipe

$128 11.6% 2.8% $3.5

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

San Felipe

$156 14.1% 28.3% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

San Felipe

$44 4% 34.5% $23

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

San Felipe

$15 * 1.3% 62.4% $25

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 $737 in Phuket and $617 in San Felipe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $44.00 in San Felipe. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $265, with San Felipe cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇽 San Felipe

🕒 Local time

23:22 11:22 PM

10:22 10:22 AM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

28,452

💱 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 22, 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 22, 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 San Felipe 16,110 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
San Felipe

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 San Felipe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Felipe is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 9% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,813 in Phuket and $1,660 in San Felipe 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: $737 in Phuket versus $617 in San Felipe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $219 in San Felipe. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Felipe – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,106 in San Felipe versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in San Felipe but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes San Felipe the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, San Felipe 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 San Felipe 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 San Felipe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.