Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Escondido and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Escondido: $1,219 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $710 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Escondido
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Puerto Escondido Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Puerto Escondido

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,219

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,219 in Puerto Escondido versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Puerto Escondido $1,219
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,895 in Puerto Escondido versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Puerto Escondido $1,895
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,572 in Puerto Escondido versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Puerto Escondido $2,572
Phuket $3,154

Living in Puerto Escondido costs roughly 5% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Puerto Escondido 10% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.04 MX$189

$4.47 ฿151

124.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.27 MX$794

$32.41 ฿1,094

30.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.37 MX$157

$8.81 ฿297

-4.99%

Cappuccino

$3.49 MX$65.6

$2.83 ฿95.4

23.32%

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

$1.32 MX$24.90

$0.87 ฿29.42

51.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 MX$18.93

$0.49 ฿16.66

106.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 MX$56.0

$2.56 ฿86.3

16.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 MX$77.3

$3.68 ฿124

11.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 MX$33.87

$1.66 ฿56.0

8.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 MX$52.9

$1.46 ฿49.32

92.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 MX$29.06

$1.50 ฿50.5

3.33%

Eggs

$2.69 MX$50.6

$2.09 ฿70.5

28.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.00 MX$150

$19.07 ฿643

-58.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.93 MX$205

$3.30 ฿111

231.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.46 MX$215

$10.91 ฿368

5.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 MX$51.7

$2.93 ฿98.9

-6.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 MX$30.96

$1.69 ฿57.0

-2.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 MX$35.15

$2.25 ฿75.8

-16.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.77 MX$33.31

$2.08 ฿70.1

-14.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 MX$30.21

$1.51 ฿51.0

6.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 MX$38.46

$1.38 ฿46.54

48.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 MX$27.58

$1.07 ฿35.97

37.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 MX$21.32

$0.52 ฿17.51

117.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 MX$83.2

$4.20 ฿142

5.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 MX$195

$18.79 ฿634

-44.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 MX$43.51

$1.82 ฿61.5

27.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 MX$57.0

$2.84 ฿95.9

6.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MX$14.80

$1.45 ฿49.00

-45.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.45 MX$591

$56.7 ฿1,912

-44.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 MX$48.99

$3.02 ฿102

-13.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 MX$33.25

$1.02 ฿34.34

73.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.22 MX$211

$3.69 ฿125

204.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 MX$25.33

$1.47 ฿49.78

-8.16%

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

$21.2K MX$397.7K

$26.8K ฿903.7K

-20.97%

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

$21.8K MX$409.1K

$26.7K ฿900.8K

-18.45%

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

$51.7 MX$972

$96.4 ฿3,252

-46.31%

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

$22.32 MX$420

$11.26 ฿380

98.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.63 MX$670

$16.85 ฿569

111.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.21 MX$511

$67.2 ฿2,269

-59.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.22 MX$380

$10.73 ฿362

88.44%

Cinema Ticket

$5.02 MX$94.3

$7.50 ฿253

-33.07%

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

$216 MX$4,051

$476 ฿16.1K

-54.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,627 MX$87.0K

$11.3K ฿380.1K

-58.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 MX$953

$62.4 ฿2,105

-18.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.62 MX$820

$28.41 ฿959

53.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 MX$1,599

$94.3 ฿3,182

-9.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.7 MX$1,835

$85.8 ฿2,896

13.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$598 MX$11.2K

$716 ฿24.2K

-16.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$439 MX$8,242

$491 ฿16.6K

-10.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$938 MX$17.6K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-51.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$753 MX$14.2K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-47.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,004 MX$37.7K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-52.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,179 MX$22.2K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-61.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$329 MX$6,181

$502 ฿17.0K

-34.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.31

5.57

103.05%

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

Last update for Puerto Escondido: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Puerto Escondido

$439 36%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 11.9% $52

Groceries & Markets

Puerto Escondido

$283 23.2%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 5.9% $17

Eating Out

Puerto Escondido

$180 14.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 32.3% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Puerto Escondido

$125 10.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 2.2% $2.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puerto Escondido

$110 9%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 13.5% $15

Getting Around

Puerto Escondido

$46 3.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 53.3% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Puerto Escondido

$37 3.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 121% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $598 in Puerto Escondido and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 53% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $42 in Puerto Escondido vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Puerto Escondido

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

20:47 8:47 PM

09:47 9:47 AM

13 h ahead of Puerto Escondido

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,902

79,308

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Puerto Escondido Phuket 16,870 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Puerto Escondido
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

Puerto Escondido vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Puerto Escondido is about 5% cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 35% lower in Puerto Escondido. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $598 in Puerto Escondido versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $216 in Puerto Escondido versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Puerto Escondido gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Puerto Escondido 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, Puerto Escondido and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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