Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tuxtla Gutierrez

For one person, living is cheaper in Tuxtla Gutierrez: $915 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,207
/mo nomad
Tuxtla Gutierrez
🇲🇽 Mexico
$915
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Tuxtla Gutierrez

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $915 in Tuxtla Gutierrez.

  • Phuket $1,207
  • Tuxtla Gutierrez $915

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,529 in Tuxtla Gutierrez.

  • Phuket $2,037
  • Tuxtla Gutierrez $1,529

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $2,142 in Tuxtla Gutierrez.

  • Phuket $2,867
  • Tuxtla Gutierrez $2,142

Living in Phuket is roughly 32% more expensive than in Tuxtla Gutierrez, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Tuxtla Gutierrez 32% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Tuxtla Gutierrez
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.58 ฿153
$6.69 MX$124
-31.54%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.48 ฿1,086
$19.09 MX$353
70.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.55 ฿286
$7.30 MX$135
17.12%
Cappuccino
$2.72 ฿91.0
$3.87 MX$71.4
-29.72%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.94 ฿31.25
$1.38 MX$25.53
-31.88%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.39
$1.09 MX$20.08
-55.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.59 ฿86.6
$2.16 MX$39.85
19.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.83 ฿128
$2.48 MX$45.86
54.44%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Tuxtla Gutierrez
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 ฿58.1
$1.55 MX$28.61
12.26%
White Bread (500g)
$1.43 ฿47.82
$2.76 MX$51.1
-48.19%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.53 ฿51.0
$1.75 MX$32.33
-12.57%
Eggs
$2.17 ฿72.7
$2.61 MX$48.31
-16.86%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.15 ฿640
$18.67 MX$345
2.57%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿110
$7.96 MX$147
-58.54%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.14 ฿372
$10.75 MX$199
3.63%
Apples (1kg)
$2.95 ฿98.5
$2.70 MX$49.81
9.26%
Banana (1kg)
$1.68 ฿56.1
$1.39 MX$25.64
20.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.30 ฿76.8
$2.53 MX$46.74
-9.09%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.13 ฿71.3
$1.64 MX$30.34
29.88%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 ฿51.1
$1.76 MX$32.54
-13.07%
Onion (1kg)
$1.36 ฿45.55
$2.03 MX$37.46
-33.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.12 ฿37.44
$1.13 MX$20.91
-0.88%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ฿18.24
$0.65 MX$12.06
-15.38%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.26 ฿142
$4.51 MX$83.3
-5.54%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.19 ฿608
$11.03 MX$204
64.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 ฿58.2
$1.45 MX$26.76
20.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.79 ฿93.3
$3.86 MX$71.4
-27.72%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Tuxtla Gutierrez
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.22 ฿74.1
$0.53 MX$9.74
318.87%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.06 ฿737
$29.17 MX$539
-24.37%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.91 ฿97.3
$2.70 MX$49.83
7.78%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.01 ฿33.79
$2.81 MX$52.0
-64.06%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.83 ฿128
$8.18 MX$151
-53.18%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 ฿49.85
$1.45 MX$26.87
2.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.7K ฿891.6K
$22.3K MX$411.3K
19.86%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿892.7K
$25.1K MX$463.4K
6.52%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Tuxtla Gutierrez
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$99.4 ฿3,321
$24.62 MX$455
303.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.28 ฿377
$20.22 MX$374
-44.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.36 ฿580
$25.40 MX$469
-31.65%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Tuxtla Gutierrez
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.3 ฿1,747
$41.92 MX$775
24.74%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.85 ฿362
$13.75 MX$254
-21.09%
Cinema Ticket
$7.57 ฿253
$5.90 MX$109
28.31%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Tuxtla Gutierrez
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$558 ฿18.7K
-
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.5K ฿383.9K
$2,297 MX$42.5K
400.01%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Tuxtla Gutierrez
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.9 ฿2,102
$33.97 MX$628
85.10%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.58 ฿955
$16.54 MX$306
72.79%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.1 ฿3,213
$68.6 MX$1,267
40.21%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.1 ฿2,943
$55.6 MX$1,028
58.35%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Tuxtla Gutierrez
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$729 ฿24.4K
$330 MX$6,099
121.01%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$460 ฿15.4K
$229 MX$4,240
100.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,096 ฿70.0K
$821 MX$15.2K
155.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,222 ฿40.8K
$608 MX$11.2K
101.03%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,459 ฿115.6K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,489 ฿83.2K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Tuxtla Gutierrez
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$493 ฿16.5K
$501 MX$9,254
-1.54%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
0
-

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Tuxtla Gutierrez: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$460
Tuxtla Gutierrez
$229 50.1% $231
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$268
Tuxtla Gutierrez
$288 7.5% $20
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$128
Tuxtla Gutierrez
$70 45.1% $58
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$124
Tuxtla Gutierrez
$79 36.6% $45
Eating Out
Phuket
$121
Tuxtla Gutierrez
$147 21.5% $26
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$67
Tuxtla Gutierrez
$54 20.3% $14
Getting Around
Phuket
$39
Tuxtla Gutierrez
$48 23.5% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $330 in Tuxtla Gutierrez. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tuxtla Gutierrez pays 2% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $19.00 in Tuxtla Gutierrez. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $288, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇲🇽 Tuxtla Gutierrez
🕒 Local time
18:49 6:49 PM
05:49 5:49 AM
13 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
578,830
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Tuxtla Gutierrez 17,000 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Tuxtla Gutierrez

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 Tuxtla Gutierrez: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tuxtla Gutierrez cheaper than Phuket?
Tuxtla Gutierrez is cheaper overall, especially in clothing and leisure. The 32% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Phuket or Tuxtla Gutierrez?
On paper, salaries run 2% lower in Tuxtla Gutierrez. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Phuket and Tuxtla Gutierrez?
Rent for a central apartment: $729 in Phuket versus $330 in Tuxtla Gutierrez. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Phuket or in Tuxtla Gutierrez?
Dining out is cheaper in Tuxtla Gutierrez – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Tuxtla Gutierrez runs roughly 32% less than in Phuket. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in Tuxtla Gutierrez?
At $915 in Tuxtla Gutierrez versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tuxtla Gutierrez but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Tuxtla Gutierrez the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Phuket or Tuxtla Gutierrez more family-friendly?
For families, Tuxtla Gutierrez 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.
Which city is safer, Phuket or Tuxtla Gutierrez?
Safety-wise, Phuket and Tuxtla Gutierrez are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Tuxtla Gutierrez gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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