Cost of Living Comparison Between Puebla and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Puebla and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,270 in Puebla versus $1,265 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,020 in Puebla versus $2,297 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,770 in Puebla versus $3,329 in Phuket.

Monthly costs are close between Puebla and Phuket; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Puebla 5% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.21 MX$211

$4.70 ฿153

159.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.7 MX$912

$45.37 ฿1,482

16.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.72 MX$134

$8.43 ฿275

-8.42%

Cappuccino

$3.23 MX$55.9

$2.93 ฿95.6

10.24%

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

$1.17 MX$20.32

$0.69 ฿22.40

69.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 MX$14.66

$0.37 ฿11.99

129.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 MX$44.52

$2.41 ฿78.6

6.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 MX$59.2

$3.72 ฿122

-8.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$25.54

$2.23 ฿72.9

-33.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 MX$49.69

$1.83 ฿59.8

56.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 MX$26.49

$2.17 ฿70.8

-29.49%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$49.94

$2.21 ฿72.3

30.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.76 MX$117

$19.74 ฿645

-65.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.34 MX$110

$3.63 ฿119

74.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.99 MX$190

$13.53 ฿442

-18.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.47 MX$42.79

$3.28 ฿107

-24.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$24.67

$1.61 ฿52.6

-11.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.72 MX$29.83

$2.41 ฿78.6

-28.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 MX$30.84

$2.08 ฿68.1

-14.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 MX$36.87

$1.53 ฿49.93

39.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$32.81

$1.48 ฿48.36

28.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 MX$21.31

$0.99 ฿32.29

24.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$22.08

$0.51 ฿16.67

150.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.54 MX$78.5

$4.41 ฿144

2.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.49 MX$251

$19.38 ฿633

-25.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$22.47

$1.78 ฿58.1

-26.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 MX$48.72

$2.71 ฿88.6

4.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$8.92

$1.37 ฿44.79

-62.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.76 MX$480

$11.39 ฿372

143.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 MX$53.9

$3.02 ฿98.6

3.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 MX$28.78

$0.99 ฿32.48

67.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.77 MX$186

$14.10 ฿461

-23.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 MX$22.37

$1.36 ฿44.51

-5.15%

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

$22.2K MX$384.1K

$28.2K ฿921.1K

-21.26%

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

$24.3K MX$419.8K

$32.9K ฿1.1M

-26.24%

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

$67.9 MX$1,175

$122 ฿3,975

-44.18%

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

$21.89 MX$379

$13.57 ฿443

61.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.20 MX$436

$18.31 ฿598

37.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.30 MX$835

$60.2 ฿1,967

-19.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.63 MX$218

$17.14 ฿560

-26.31%

Cinema Ticket

$5.21 MX$90.2

$8.69 ฿284

-40.05%

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

$375 MX$6,486

$693 ฿22.6K

-45.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K MX$332.3K

$15.7K ฿512.3K

22.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.5 MX$942

$59.5 ฿1,944

-8.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.9 MX$1,036

$34.77 ฿1,136

72.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$1,895

$115 ฿3,743

-4.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 MX$1,752

$83.3 ฿2,720

21.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 MX$9,512

$613 ฿20.0K

-10.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$440 MX$7,606

$437 ฿14.3K

0.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$938 MX$16.2K

$2,094 ฿68.4K

-55.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$842 MX$14.6K

$1,509 ฿49.3K

-44.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,698 MX$29.4K

$3,749 ฿122.5K

-54.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$973 MX$16.8K

$2,616 ฿85.4K

-62.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$712 MX$12.3K

$508 ฿16.6K

40.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.25

5.33

111.07%

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

Last update for Puebla: May 31, 2026

Last update for Phuket: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $550 in Puebla and $613 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Puebla pays 40% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $53.0 in Puebla vs $45.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $254 vs $293, with Puebla cheaper for home cooking.

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

Puebla vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Puebla pays 40% more on average, 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: $550 in Puebla versus $613 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $375 in Puebla versus $693 in Phuket. 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 $45.00 versus $53.0 in Puebla. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,265 in Phuket versus $1,270 in Puebla, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Puebla. 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 Puebla, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Puebla 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.

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