Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Zacatecas

For one person, living is cheaper in Zacatecas: $730 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Zacatecas
Learn more

Zacatecas Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Zacatecas

🇲🇽 Mexico

$730

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Zacatecas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $730 in Zacatecas.

Phuket $1,278
Zacatecas $730

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,155 in Zacatecas.

Phuket $2,216
Zacatecas $1,155

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,580 in Zacatecas.

Phuket $3,154
Zacatecas $1,580

Living in Phuket is roughly 75% more expensive than in Zacatecas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Zacatecas 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.06 MX$113

-26.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$31.91 MX$594

1.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.17 MX$134

22.87%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$3.01 MX$56.2

-5.98%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$1.25 MX$23.32

-30.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.72 MX$13.36

-31.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$1.84 MX$34.21

39.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.13 MX$76.9

-10.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.35 MX$25.16

22.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$2.15 MX$39.96

-32.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.53 MX$28.41

-1.96%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$2.21 MX$41.13

-5.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$7.28 MX$136

161.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.96 MX$111

-44.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.62 MX$179

13.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$1.78 MX$33.12

64.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.59 MX$29.63

6.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.93 MX$35.88

16.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.46 MX$27.16

42.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$1.99 MX$36.99

-24.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$1.77 MX$32.98

-22.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$1.58 MX$29.46

-32.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.80 MX$14.88

-35.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.25 MX$79.2

-1.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$10.27 MX$191

82.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.60 MX$29.77

13.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$3.35 MX$62.4

-15.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.53 MX$9.82

173.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$16.07 MX$299

252.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.13 MX$39.72

41.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$1.11 MX$20.66

-8.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$9.49 MX$177

-61.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.46 MX$27.19

0.68%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$20.9K MX$389.7K

28.02%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$23.8K MX$443.0K

12.24%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$22.72 MX$423

324.08%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$7.97 MX$149

41.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$24.73 MX$461

-31.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$24.23 MX$451

177.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$7.96 MX$148

34.80%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.24 MX$79.1

76.89%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$235 MX$4,377

102.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$3,243 MX$60.4K

247.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$44.83 MX$835

39.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$40.16 MX$748

-29.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$90.7 MX$1,689

4.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$42.77 MX$797

100.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$241 MX$4,495

196.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$162 MX$3,022

202.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$381 MX$7,091

406.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$241 MX$4,486

494.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$563 MX$10.5K

440.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$408 MX$7,599

23.14%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Zacatecas: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Zacatecas

$162 22.2% 67% $329

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Zacatecas

$224 30.7% 15.7% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Zacatecas

$55 7.6% 55.5% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Zacatecas

$98 13.5% 19.4% $24

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Zacatecas

$131 18% 8% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Zacatecas

$33 4.5% 60.2% $50

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Zacatecas

$26 3.5% 63.4% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $241 in Zacatecas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 23% 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 in Phuket vs $32 in Zacatecas. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $224, with Zacatecas cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇽 Zacatecas

🕒 Local time

20:56 8:56 PM

07:56 7:56 AM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

138,444

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Zacatecas 15,910 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Zacatecas

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 Zacatecas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zacatecas is about 43% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 23% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $241 in Zacatecas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $235 in Zacatecas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Zacatecas runs roughly 72% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $730 in Zacatecas versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Zacatecas but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Zacatecas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Zacatecas are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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