Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tulum

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,190 a month against $1,252 in Tulum, rent and utilities included – about $740 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Tulum outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tulum
Learn more

Tulum Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Tulum

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,252

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Tulum

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Phuket versus $1,252 in Tulum.

Phuket $1,190
Tulum $1,252

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,006 in Phuket versus $2,131 in Tulum.

Phuket $2,006
Tulum $2,131

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,822 in Phuket versus $3,010 in Tulum.

Phuket $2,822
Tulum $3,010

Living in Phuket costs roughly 5% less than in Tulum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Tulum 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 ฿146

$8.26 MX$150

-47.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.45 ฿1,091

$56.4 MX$1,026

-42.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 ฿283

$8.13 MX$148

3.57%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ฿94.4

$3.87 MX$70.4

-27.39%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$1.14 MX$20.80

-23.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ฿15.46

$1.18 MX$21.42

-61.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.9

$2.94 MX$53.5

-11.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ฿123

$3.80 MX$69.1

-4.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ฿57.4

$1.58 MX$28.75

8.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.62

$2.00 MX$36.31

-27.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.5

$1.74 MX$31.71

-10.34%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.6

$1.89 MX$34.29

11.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.53 ฿656

$5.55 MX$101

251.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$7.93 MX$144

-57.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿375

$9.09 MX$165

22.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 ฿95.2

$2.66 MX$48.31

6.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.6

$1.42 MX$25.75

14.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.8

$1.52 MX$27.67

46.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 ฿72.2

$1.50 MX$27.34

43.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$2.28 MX$41.45

-34.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.59

$1.86 MX$33.77

-28.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.87

$1.51 MX$27.40

-29.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.08

$0.83 MX$15.11

-38.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ฿147

$4.39 MX$79.9

-0.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ฿631

$8.35 MX$152

124.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.39 MX$25.31

25.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.3

$1.32 MX$24.00

110.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 ฿72.9

$1.40 MX$25.48

55.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ฿749

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿101

$2.81 MX$51.2

7.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.57

$2.44 MX$44.47

-56.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 ฿125

$5.58 MX$102

-33.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿48.08

$1.52 MX$27.71

-5.92%

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

$26.3K ฿885.8K

$21.4K MX$389.2K

23.12%

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

$26.2K ฿881.0K

$23.8K MX$433.0K

10.09%

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

$96.7 ฿3,250

$106 MX$1,927

-8.77%

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

$11.41 ฿384

$16.87 MX$307

-32.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.11 ฿575

$34.97 MX$636

-51.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,775

$34.35 MX$625

53.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿372

Cinema Ticket

$7.65 ฿257

$6.45 MX$117

18.60%

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

$555 ฿18.7K

$263 MX$4,776

111.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.3K

$3,022 MX$55.0K

273.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 ฿2,132

$42.26 MX$769

50.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.61 ฿962

$33.26 MX$605

-13.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 ฿3,252

$97.4 MX$1,772

-0.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ฿2,979

$60.2 MX$1,095

47.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 ฿24.7K

$614 MX$11.2K

19.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$458 ฿15.4K

$539 MX$9,808

-15.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 ฿70.7K

$1,504 MX$27.4K

39.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 ฿39.9K

$1,316 MX$23.9K

-9.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,493 ฿117.4K

$3,162 MX$57.5K

10.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 ฿83.8K

$1,818 MX$33.1K

37.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.8K

$784 MX$14.3K

-36.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.8

-48.43%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Last update for Tulum: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$458 38.1%

Tulum

$539 42.8% 17.7% $81

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.3%

Tulum

$222 17.6% 17.1% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Tulum

$158 12.5% 26.1% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Tulum

$105 8.3% 15.9% $20

Eating Out

Phuket

$119 9.9%

Tulum

$169 13.4% 41.3% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.7%

Tulum

$47 3.8% 30.6% $21

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Tulum

$21 * 1.6% 47.4% $19

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 $735 in Phuket and $614 in Tulum. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tulum pays 57% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $56.0 in Tulum. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $222, with Tulum cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇽 Tulum

🕒 Local time

12:21 12:21 PM

00:21 12:21 AM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

46,721

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.71 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Tulum 16,800 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Tulum

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 Tulum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. The 5% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 57% lower in Tulum. 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: $735 in Phuket versus $614 in Tulum. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $555 in Phuket versus $263 in Tulum. 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 $32.00 versus $56.0 in Tulum. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,190 in Phuket versus $1,252 in Tulum, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Tulum. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Tulum, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Tulum 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Tulum. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.