Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tepic

For one person, living costs are similar in Phuket and in Tepic: $1,278 and $1,221 a month, rent and utilities included.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Tepic
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Tepic Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Tepic

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,221

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Tepic

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,221 in Tepic.

Phuket $1,278
Tepic $1,221

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,884 in Tepic.

Phuket $2,216
Tepic $1,884

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,548 in Tepic.

Phuket $3,154
Tepic $2,548

Living in Phuket is roughly 5% more expensive than in Tepic, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Tepic 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$13.22 MX$247

-66.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$43.16 MX$806

-24.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.03 MX$169

-2.44%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.17 MX$59.2

-10.73%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.58 MX$29.49

-44.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.14 MX$21.28

-57.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.70 MX$50.5

-5.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.98 MX$93.1

-26.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.55 MX$29.02

7.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$2.35 MX$43.97

-37.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.57 MX$29.42

-4.46%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.12 MX$39.62

-1.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$4.91 MX$91.8

288.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.69 MX$181

-65.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$11.54 MX$216

-5.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.68 MX$50.0

9.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.54 MX$28.77

9.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.94 MX$36.20

15.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.76 MX$32.93

18.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.06 MX$38.56

-26.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.84 MX$34.44

-25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.56 MX$29.12

-31.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.04 MX$19.39

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.36 MX$81.5

-3.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$10.38 MX$194

81.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.78 MX$14.51

133.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.34 MX$62.5

-14.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.77 MX$14.42

88.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$30.37 MX$567

86.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.19 MX$40.99

37.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.51 MX$28.22

-32.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$9.30 MX$174

-60.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.40 MX$26.24

5.00%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$21.2K MX$395.5K

26.52%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$23.7K MX$442.9K

12.62%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$43.90 MX$820

119.48%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$12.02 MX$225

-6.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$29.28 MX$547

-42.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$31.78 MX$594

111.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$17.42 MX$326

-38.40%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.92 MX$111

26.69%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$237 MX$4,426

100.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$9,948 MX$185.9K

13.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$56.1 MX$1,049

11.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$40.24 MX$752

-29.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$104 MX$1,944

-9.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$78.6 MX$1,469

9.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$567 MX$10.6K

26.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$467 MX$8,727

5.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,115 MX$20.8K

72.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$766 MX$14.3K

86.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$1,934 MX$36.1K

115.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,128 MX$21.1K

169.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$652 MX$12.2K

-22.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.53

-51.69%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tepic: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Tepic

$467 38.3% 4.9% $24

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Tepic

$251 20.5% 5.8% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Tepic

$85 7% 31.5% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tepic

$126 10.3% 3% $3.6

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tepic

$205 16.8% 68.6% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Tepic

$44 3.6% 47% $39

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Tepic

$43 3.5% 38.8% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $567 in Tepic. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tepic pays 30% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $43 in Tepic. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $251, with Tepic cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇽 Tepic

🕒 Local time

18:56 6:56 PM

04:56 4:56 AM

14 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

371,387

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Tepic 15,880 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Tepic

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 Tepic: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tepic is cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and groceries. The 5% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 23% 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 $567 in Tepic. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $237 in Tepic. 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 Tepic 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 Tepic are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.