Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sayulita

For one person, living is cheaper in Sayulita: $1,135 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Sayulita
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Sayulita Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Sayulita

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,135

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Sayulita

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,135 in Sayulita.

Phuket $1,294
Sayulita $1,135

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,806 in Sayulita.

Phuket $2,204
Sayulita $1,806

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,476 in Sayulita.

Phuket $3,115
Sayulita $2,476

Living in Phuket is roughly 14% more expensive than in Sayulita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Sayulita 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$10.37 MX$193

-57.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$39.43 MX$734

-18.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$8.13 MX$151

7.01%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$3.26 MX$60.6

-16.56%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$1.29 MX$23.98

-27.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$0.91 MX$17.03

-45.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$2.15 MX$40.02

17.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$3.99 MX$74.3

-9.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.43 MX$26.64

21.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$2.63 MX$49.04

-44.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.63 MX$30.35

-7.98%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$2.34 MX$43.52

-7.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$8.23 MX$153

131.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$7.96 MX$148

-57.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$10.64 MX$198

2.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$2.61 MX$48.64

12.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.40 MX$25.99

20.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$1.78 MX$33.12

23.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$1.69 MX$31.52

25.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$1.85 MX$34.45

-21.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$1.94 MX$36.05

-29.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$1.22 MX$22.68

-11.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$0.98 MX$18.17

-43.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$4.17 MX$77.5

6.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$10.93 MX$203

66.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$1.61 MX$29.90

9.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$2.87 MX$53.4

0.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$0.66 MX$12.23

119.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

$30.75 MX$572

78.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$2.66 MX$49.48

-43.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$1.61 MX$29.92

-51.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$8.08 MX$150

-52.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.27 MX$23.55

17.32%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$21.0K MX$391.3K

27.86%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$22.0K MX$410.3K

19.49%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$56.7 MX$1,055

72.50%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$22.35 MX$416

-49.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$28.37 MX$528

-39.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$36.51 MX$679

87.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$16.17 MX$301

-32.47%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$4.53 MX$84.2

64.02%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$207 MX$3,861

155.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$3,622 MX$67.4K

418.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$52.6 MX$979

17.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$38.96 MX$725

-27.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$92.1 MX$1,715

4.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$78.6 MX$1,463

10.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$513 MX$9,550

40.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$395 MX$7,347

28.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$942 MX$17.5K

107.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$762 MX$14.2K

83.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

$1,781 MX$33.1K

135.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

$1,154 MX$21.5K

185.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.48

-51.48%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sayulita: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Sayulita

$395 34.8% 22.4% $114

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Sayulita

$252 22.2% 5.7% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Sayulita

$107 9.5% 14.9% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Sayulita

$118 10.4% 3.8% $4.7

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Sayulita

$174 15.3% 45.5% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Sayulita

$46 4% 45.2% $38

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Sayulita

$44 3.9% 33.3% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $513 in Sayulita. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $39 in Sayulita. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $252, with Sayulita cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇽 Sayulita

🕒 Local time

03:05 3:05 AM

14:05 2:05 PM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

5,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Sayulita 15,890 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Sayulita

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 Sayulita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sayulita is about 12% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $1,703 in Sayulita 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: $721 in Phuket versus $513 in Sayulita. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $207 in Sayulita. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Sayulita gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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