Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Toluca

For one person, living is cheaper in Toluca: $1,114 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Toluca
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Toluca Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Toluca

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,114

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Toluca

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,114 in Toluca.

Phuket $1,278
Toluca $1,114

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,826 in Toluca.

Phuket $2,216
Toluca $1,826

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,539 in Toluca.

Phuket $3,154
Toluca $2,539

Living in Phuket is roughly 15% more expensive than in Toluca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Toluca 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$10.72 MX$201

-58.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$43.64 MX$820

-25.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.07 MX$170

-2.87%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.12 MX$58.6

-9.29%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$1.25 MX$23.47

-30.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.77 MX$14.54

-36.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.11 MX$39.70

21.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.35 MX$62.9

9.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.75 MX$32.90

-5.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$3.09 MX$58.2

-52.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.24 MX$42.11

-33.04%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.15 MX$59.2

-33.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$7.88 MX$148

142.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$8.19 MX$154

-59.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$8.82 MX$166

23.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$4.09 MX$76.9

-28.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.08 MX$39.14

-18.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.30 MX$43.25

-2.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$2.32 MX$43.56

-10.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.91 MX$54.7

-48.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$2.30 MX$43.21

-40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.69 MX$31.77

-36.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.00 MX$18.72

-48.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.86 MX$91.4

-13.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$12.21 MX$229

53.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.99 MX$37.31

-8.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.65 MX$68.7

-22.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.79 MX$14.78

83.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$44.42 MX$835

27.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.25 MX$61.0

-7.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$1.95 MX$36.73

-47.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$10.12 MX$190

-63.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.44 MX$27.06

2.08%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$24.5K MX$460.2K

9.34%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$22.8K MX$428.2K

17.14%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$55.9 MX$1,051

72.27%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$25.40 MX$477

-55.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$31.81 MX$598

-47.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$39.99 MX$752

68.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$22.69 MX$426

-52.71%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.98 MX$131

7.45%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$219 MX$4,121

117.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$5,195 MX$97.6K

116.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$64.9 MX$1,220

-3.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$53.3 MX$1,001

-46.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$101 MX$1,897

-6.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$105 MX$1,981

-18.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$412 MX$7,748

73.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$276 MX$5,188

77.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,005 MX$18.9K

91.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$589 MX$11.1K

143.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$1,288 MX$24.2K

224.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$898 MX$16.9K

239.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,238 MX$23.3K

-59.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.07

-49.68%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Toluca: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Toluca

$276 24.8% 43.8% $215

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Toluca

$289 25.9% 8.4% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Toluca

$113 10.2% 9.1% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Toluca

$146 13.1% 19.8% $24

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Toluca

$176 15.8% 44.4% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Toluca

$54 4.8% 34.4% $28

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Toluca

$61 5.4% 14.2% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $412 in Toluca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toluca pays about 2.5 times 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 $44 in Toluca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $289 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇽 Toluca

🕒 Local time

07:46 7:46 AM

18:46 6:46 PM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

223,876

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Toluca 16,400 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Toluca

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 Toluca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toluca is about 13% cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 59% 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 $412 in Toluca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $219 in Toluca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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