Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Piedras Negras and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Piedras Negras: $1,143 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $780 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

55

Cost of Living Index in Piedras Negras
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Piedras Negras Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Piedras Negras

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,143

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Piedras Negras and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Piedras Negras and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,143 in Piedras Negras versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Piedras Negras $1,143
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,832 in Piedras Negras versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Piedras Negras $1,832
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,521 in Piedras Negras versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Piedras Negras $2,521
Phuket $2,845

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Piedras Negras 16% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.07 MX$204

$4.40 ฿147

151.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.31 MX$819

$32.26 ฿1,078

37.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.74 MX$162

$8.76 ฿293

-0.23%

Cappuccino

$3.64 MX$67.3

$2.83 ฿94.5

28.62%

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

$1.40 MX$25.83

$0.90 ฿30.14

55.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 MX$19.54

$0.47 ฿15.56

125.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 MX$44.57

$2.55 ฿85.2

-5.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 MX$73.9

$3.83 ฿128

4.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 MX$29.34

$1.73 ฿57.7

-8.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 MX$49.36

$1.47 ฿49.11

81.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 MX$30.82

$1.51 ฿50.6

10.60%

Eggs

$2.43 MX$44.94

$2.17 ฿72.7

11.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.38 MX$155

$19.70 ฿658

-57.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.51 MX$157

$3.34 ฿112

154.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.31 MX$209

$11.16 ฿373

1.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 MX$50.2

$2.85 ฿95.1

-4.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 MX$28.45

$1.70 ฿56.9

-9.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.67

$2.19 ฿73.3

-11.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.34

$2.05 ฿68.4

-12.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.59

$1.45 ฿48.57

33.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.71

$1.38 ฿46.16

31.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 MX$26.41

$1.07 ฿35.69

33.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 MX$20.73

$0.51 ฿16.91

119.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 MX$79.1

$4.26 ฿142

0.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.39 MX$192

$18.58 ฿621

-44.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 MX$32.46

$1.78 ฿59.7

-1.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 MX$59.7

$2.85 ฿95.2

13.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 MX$11.90

$2.26 ฿75.6

-71.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 MX$46.95

$3.01 ฿101

-15.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 MX$37.21

$1.06 ฿35.34

89.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.83 MX$200

$3.86 ฿129

180.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 MX$23.90

$1.45 ฿48.45

-11.03%

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

$20.9K MX$386.5K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-20.55%

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

$23.9K MX$442.6K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-11.11%

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

$58.1 MX$1,073

$96.4 ฿3,221

-39.75%

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

$23.02 MX$425

$11.04 ฿369

108.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.92 MX$553

$17.14 ฿573

74.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.75 MX$624

$52.2 ฿1,744

-35.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.83 MX$366

$11.16 ฿373

77.69%

Cinema Ticket

$5.33 MX$98.5

$7.81 ฿261

-31.75%

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

$219 MX$4,051

$556 ฿18.6K

-60.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,618 MX$85.3K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-60.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 MX$1,015

$64.2 ฿2,146

-14.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.64 MX$751

$28.69 ฿959

41.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.3 MX$1,835

$95.4 ฿3,187

4.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.7 MX$1,675

$88.0 ฿2,940

3.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$599 MX$11.1K

$737 ฿24.6K

-18.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$391 MX$7,221

$462 ฿15.5K

-15.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,038 MX$19.2K

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-50.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$753 MX$13.9K

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-37.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,878 MX$34.7K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-46.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,167 MX$21.6K

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-53.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,645 MX$30.4K

$501 ฿16.7K

228.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

5.57

102.87%

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

Last update for Piedras Negras: October 17, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Piedras Negras

$391 34.2%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 18.3% $72

Groceries & Markets

Piedras Negras

$265 23.2%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 1.5% $3.9

Eating Out

Piedras Negras

$188 16.5%

Phuket

$121 10% 35.6% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Piedras Negras

$128 11.2%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 3.2% $4.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Piedras Negras

$111 9.7%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 12.2% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Piedras Negras

$44 3.9%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 52.6% $23

Getting Around

Piedras Negras

$15 * 1.3%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 160% $24

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 $599 in Piedras Negras and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Piedras Negras pays 228% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $44.00 in Piedras Negras vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $265 vs $269, with Piedras Negras cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Piedras Negras

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

06:43 6:43 AM

18:43 6:43 PM

12 h ahead of Piedras Negras

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

173,959

79,308

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Piedras Negras Phuket 15,470 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Piedras Negras
Phuket

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

Piedras Negras vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Piedras Negras is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 228% higher in Piedras Negras, 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: $599 in Piedras Negras versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $219 in Piedras Negras versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Piedras Negras – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,143 in Piedras Negras versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Piedras Negras but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Piedras Negras the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Piedras Negras 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.

Safety-wise, Piedras Negras and Phuket 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 Piedras Negras gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.