Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tampico

For one person, living costs are similar in Phuket and in Tampico: $1,278 and $1,304 a month, rent and utilities included.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Tampico
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Tampico Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Tampico

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,304

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Tampico

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,304 in Tampico.

Phuket $1,278
Tampico $1,304

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,065 in Tampico.

Phuket $2,216
Tampico $2,065

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,825 in Tampico.

Phuket $3,154
Tampico $2,825

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Tampico 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$8.28 MX$156

-46.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$54.0 MX$1,015

-39.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.58 MX$180

-8.04%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.97 MX$55.8

-4.71%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$1.19 MX$22.43

-26.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.84 MX$15.83

-41.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$4.43 MX$83.3

-42.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.79 MX$90.1

-23.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.45 MX$27.29

14.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$3.98 MX$74.9

-63.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.37 MX$25.84

9.49%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.98 MX$74.8

-47.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$4.94 MX$92.9

286.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.76 MX$183

-66.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$12.90 MX$242

-15.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.41 MX$64.0

-14.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.10 MX$20.60

53.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.01 MX$37.72

11.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$2.18 MX$40.96

-4.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.04 MX$38.31

-25.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$2.69 MX$50.5

-48.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$2.08 MX$39.16

-48.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.87 MX$16.29

-40.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.68 MX$87.9

-10.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.53 MX$28.72

18.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.75 MX$14.06

93.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$27.24 MX$512

108.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.65 MX$49.76

13.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$2.68 MX$50.3

-61.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$5.10 MX$95.8

-27.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.38 MX$25.97

6.52%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$32.1K MX$602.9K

-16.53%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$23.9K MX$449.4K

11.61%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$102 MX$1,916

-5.50%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$27.25 MX$512

-58.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$23.53 MX$442

-28.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$43.28 MX$813

55.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$16.27 MX$306

-34.05%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.41 MX$102

38.63%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$269 MX$5,060

76.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$7,934 MX$149.1K

41.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$73.5 MX$1,380

-15.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$65.9 MX$1,238

-56.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$161 MX$3,017

-41.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$239 MX$4,493

-64.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$508 MX$9,546

40.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$380 MX$7,136

29.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$932 MX$17.5K

106.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$662 MX$12.4K

116.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$539 MX$10.1K

-6.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tampico: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Tampico

$380 29.1% 22.7% $111

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Tampico

$258 * 19.8% 2.9% $7.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Tampico

$153 11.7% 22.7% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tampico

$243 18.6% 99% $121

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tampico

$171 13.1% 40.1% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Tampico

$54 4.2% 34.2% $28

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Tampico

$46 3.6% 34.5% $24

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 $716 in Phuket and $508 in Tampico. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tampico pays 7% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $54 in Tampico. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $258, with Tampico cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇽 Tampico

🕒 Local time

17:19 5:19 PM

04:19 4:19 AM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

297,562

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Tampico 16,230 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Tampico

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 Tampico: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 7% 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 $508 in Tampico. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $269 in Tampico. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $54 in Tampico. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

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