Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Escondido and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Escondido and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,255 in Puerto Escondido versus $1,232 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,974 in Puerto Escondido versus $2,054 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,693 in Puerto Escondido versus $2,876 in Phuket.

Living in Puerto Escondido is roughly 2% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Puerto Escondido 8% lower, Phuket 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.20 MX$193

$4.41 ฿147

153.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.27 MX$815

$32.26 ฿1,077

46.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.59 MX$148

$8.93 ฿298

-3.81%

Cappuccino

$3.67 MX$63.4

$2.90 ฿96.6

26.55%

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

$1.45 MX$24.93

$0.88 ฿29.38

64.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 MX$19.02

$0.48 ฿16.06

129.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.30 MX$56.9

$2.35 ฿78.5

40.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.31 MX$74.3

$3.72 ฿124

15.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 MX$33.29

$1.87 ฿62.3

3.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$52.1

$1.47 ฿48.94

105.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MX$28.88

$1.55 ฿51.8

8.39%

Eggs

$2.98 MX$51.4

$2.10 ฿70.1

41.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.59 MX$148

$19.59 ฿654

-56.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.60 MX$200

$3.42 ฿114

239.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.44 MX$215

$11.38 ฿380

9.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 MX$50.9

$2.98 ฿99.6

-1.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 MX$31.08

$1.68 ฿56.2

7.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$34.29

$2.21 ฿73.7

-9.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.96 MX$33.74

$2.16 ฿72.1

-9.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 MX$30.35

$1.52 ฿50.9

15.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 MX$36.80

$1.34 ฿44.67

58.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 MX$27.40

$1.13 ฿37.67

40.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 MX$19.72

$0.55 ฿18.24

107.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 MX$82.7

$4.26 ฿142

12.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.52 MX$199

$19.09 ฿637

-39.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 MX$43.47

$1.78 ฿59.4

41.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 MX$56.2

$2.78 ฿92.9

17.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 MX$14.86

$2.23 ฿74.4

-61.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.74 ฿759

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.36 MX$40.73

$3.03 ฿101

-22.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 MX$38.00

$1.02 ฿34.15

115.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.64 MX$218

$3.89 ฿130

224.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$25.23

$1.49 ฿49.77

-2.01%

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

$25.0K MX$430.7K

$26.6K ฿887.3K

-6.03%

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

$22.0K MX$378.9K

$27.0K ฿902.2K

-18.70%

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

$55.9 MX$963

$102 ฿3,420

-45.48%

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

$23.32 MX$402

$11.33 ฿378

105.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.03 MX$673

$17.40 ฿581

124.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.67 MX$512

$52.1 ฿1,738

-43.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.13 MX$364

$11.07 ฿370

90.88%

Cinema Ticket

$5.31 MX$91.5

$7.69 ฿257

-30.95%

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

$251 MX$4,331

$561 ฿18.7K

-55.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,114 MX$88.2K

$11.5K ฿384.1K

-55.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 MX$947

$63.0 ฿2,104

-12.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.54 MX$665

$29.52 ฿986

30.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.9 MX$1,723

$98.0 ฿3,272

1.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.1 MX$1,657

$88.5 ฿2,954

8.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$11.3K

$738 ฿24.6K

-11.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$414 MX$7,133

$482 ฿16.1K

-14.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 MX$17.3K

$2,107 ฿70.3K

-52.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$821 MX$14.1K

$1,226 ฿40.9K

-33.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,902 MX$32.8K

$3,617 ฿120.7K

-47.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,137 MX$19.6K

$2,603 ฿86.9K

-56.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$345 MX$5,945

$494 ฿16.5K

-30.14%

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 Puerto Escondido: September 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: September 15, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $654 in Puerto Escondido and $738 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 43% 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 Puerto Escondido vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $304 vs $274 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

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

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Eating Out, Clothing & Footwear, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 2% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 43% lower in Phuket. 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: $654 in Puerto Escondido versus $738 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $251 in Puerto Escondido versus $561 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 $32.00 versus $47.00 in Puerto Escondido. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,232 in Phuket versus $1,255 in Puerto Escondido, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Puerto Escondido. 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 Puerto Escondido, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Puerto Escondido 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Puerto Escondido. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.