Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puebla and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Puebla: $1,134 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $880 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

55

Cost of Living Index in Puebla
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Puebla Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Puebla

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,134

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Puebla 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 Puebla and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,134 in Puebla versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Puebla $1,134
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,818 in Puebla versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Puebla $1,818
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,503 in Puebla versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Puebla $2,503
Phuket $2,867

Living in Puebla costs roughly 6% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.66 MX$179

$4.58 ฿153

110.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.46 MX$877

$32.48 ฿1,086

46.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.56 MX$177

$8.55 ฿286

11.81%

Cappuccino

$3.13 MX$57.8

$2.72 ฿91.0

15.07%

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

$1.52 MX$28.02

$0.94 ฿31.25

61.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$21.94

$0.49 ฿16.39

142.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.66 MX$49.22

$2.59 ฿86.6

2.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 MX$70.1

$3.83 ฿128

-1.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.52

$1.74 ฿58.1

-11.49%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.2

$1.43 ฿47.82

112.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 MX$32.74

$1.53 ฿51.0

15.69%

Eggs

$3.39 MX$62.7

$2.17 ฿72.7

56.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.52 MX$120

$19.15 ฿640

-65.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.75 MX$106

$3.30 ฿110

74.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.22 MX$207

$11.14 ฿372

0.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.54

$2.95 ฿98.5

-12.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 MX$31.38

$1.68 ฿56.1

1.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.82

$2.30 ฿76.8

-18.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$2.13 ฿71.3

-5.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 MX$38.86

$1.53 ฿51.1

37.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.77

$1.36 ฿45.55

42.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.56

$1.12 ฿37.44

28.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 MX$23.82

$0.55 ฿18.24

134.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.06 MX$93.5

$4.26 ฿142

18.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.97 MX$258

$18.19 ฿608

-23.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 MX$26.99

$1.74 ฿58.2

-16.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 MX$47.41

$2.79 ฿93.3

-7.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.88

$2.22 ฿74.1

-76.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.90 MX$460

$22.06 ฿737

12.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.31 MX$98.1

$2.91 ฿97.3

82.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 MX$35.29

$1.01 ฿33.79

89.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.79 MX$292

$3.83 ฿128

312.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 MX$27.78

$1.49 ฿49.85

0.67%

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

$21.2K MX$391.4K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-20.61%

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

$24.3K MX$449.8K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-8.87%

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

$60.9 MX$1,126

$99.4 ฿3,321

-38.70%

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

$18.89 MX$349

$11.28 ฿377

67.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.61 MX$436

$17.36 ฿580

36.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.49 MX$785

$52.3 ฿1,747

-18.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.06 MX$241

$10.85 ฿362

20.37%

Cinema Ticket

$5.63 MX$104

$7.57 ฿253

-25.63%

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

$419 MX$7,742

$558 ฿18.7K

-24.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K MX$365.9K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

72.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.2 MX$1,094

$62.9 ฿2,102

-5.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.3 MX$1,133

$28.58 ฿955

114.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MX$1,871

$96.1 ฿3,213

5.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.7 MX$1,805

$88.1 ฿2,943

10.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$631 MX$11.7K

$729 ฿24.4K

-13.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$355 MX$6,555

$460 ฿15.4K

-22.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$874 MX$16.1K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-58.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$675 MX$12.5K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-44.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,652 MX$30.5K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-52.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$904 MX$16.7K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-63.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 MX$12.3K

$493 ฿16.5K

34.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.96

5.57

96.77%

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

Last update for Puebla: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Puebla

$355 31.3%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 29.7% $105

Groceries & Markets

Puebla

$261 23%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 2.5% $6.6

Eating Out

Puebla

$175 15.5%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 30.8% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Puebla

$144 12.7%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 13.7% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puebla

$103 9.1%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 23.8% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Puebla

$54 4.7%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 25.4% $14

Getting Around

Puebla

$42 3.7%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 7.2% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $631 in Puebla and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Puebla pays 35% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47.00 in Puebla vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $261 vs $268, with Puebla cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Puebla

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

05:47 5:47 AM

18:47 6:47 PM

13 h ahead of Puebla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,542,232

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 18, 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 18, 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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Between locations

Puebla Phuket 16,510 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Puebla
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

Puebla vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 35% higher in Puebla, 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: $631 in Puebla versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $419 in Puebla versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,134 in Puebla versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Puebla but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Puebla the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Puebla 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, 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.

Expats usually find Puebla 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.