Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tampico and Phuket

For one person, living costs are similar in Tampico and in Phuket: $1,304 and $1,278 a month, rent and utilities included.

63

Cost of Living Index in Tampico
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Tampico Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Tampico

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,304

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,304 in Tampico versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Tampico $1,304
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,065 in Tampico versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Tampico $2,065
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,825 in Tampico versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Tampico $2,825
Phuket $3,154

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Tampico 4% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.28 MX$156

$4.47 ฿151

85.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.0 MX$1,015

$32.41 ฿1,094

66.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.58 MX$180

$8.81 ฿297

8.74%

Cappuccino

$2.97 MX$55.8

$2.83 ฿95.4

4.95%

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

$1.19 MX$22.43

$0.87 ฿29.42

36.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.83

$0.49 ฿16.66

71.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 MX$83.3

$2.56 ฿86.3

73.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 MX$90.1

$3.68 ฿124

30.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$27.29

$1.66 ฿56.0

-12.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.98 MX$74.9

$1.46 ฿49.32

172.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.84

$1.50 ฿50.5

-8.67%

Eggs

$3.98 MX$74.8

$2.09 ฿70.5

90.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.94 MX$92.9

$19.07 ฿643

-74.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.76 MX$183

$3.30 ฿111

195.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 MX$242

$10.91 ฿368

18.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.41 MX$64.0

$2.93 ฿98.9

16.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 MX$20.60

$1.69 ฿57.0

-34.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.72

$2.25 ฿75.8

-10.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 MX$40.96

$2.08 ฿70.1

4.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.31

$1.51 ฿51.0

35.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.69 MX$50.5

$1.38 ฿46.54

94.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 MX$39.16

$1.07 ฿35.97

94.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 MX$16.29

$0.52 ฿17.51

67.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.68 MX$87.9

$4.20 ฿142

11.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 MX$28.72

$1.82 ฿61.5

-15.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MX$14.06

$1.45 ฿49.00

-48.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.24 MX$512

$56.7 ฿1,912

-51.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 MX$49.76

$3.02 ฿102

-12.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.68 MX$50.3

$1.02 ฿34.34

162.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.10 MX$95.8

$3.69 ฿125

38.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 MX$25.97

$1.47 ฿49.78

-6.12%

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

$32.1K MX$602.9K

$26.8K ฿903.7K

19.80%

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

$23.9K MX$449.4K

$26.7K ฿900.8K

-10.41%

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

$102 MX$1,916

$96.4 ฿3,252

5.82%

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

$27.25 MX$512

$11.26 ฿380

142.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.53 MX$442

$16.85 ฿569

39.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.28 MX$813

$67.2 ฿2,269

-35.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.27 MX$306

$10.73 ฿362

51.63%

Cinema Ticket

$5.41 MX$102

$7.50 ฿253

-27.87%

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

$269 MX$5,060

$476 ฿16.1K

-43.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,934 MX$149.1K

$11.3K ฿380.1K

-29.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.5 MX$1,380

$62.4 ฿2,105

17.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.9 MX$1,238

$28.41 ฿959

131.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$161 MX$3,017

$94.3 ฿3,182

70.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$239 MX$4,493

$85.8 ฿2,896

178.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$508 MX$9,546

$716 ฿24.2K

-29.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$380 MX$7,136

$491 ฿16.6K

-22.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 MX$17.5K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-51.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$662 MX$12.4K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-53.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$539 MX$10.1K

$502 ฿17.0K

7.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Tampico: 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

Tampico

$380 29.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 29.3% $111

Groceries & Markets

Tampico

$258 * 19.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 3% $7.8

Clothing & Footwear

Tampico

$243 18.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 49.7% $121

Eating Out

Tampico

$171 13.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 28.6% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tampico

$153 11.7%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 18.5% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Tampico

$54 4.2%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 52% $28

Getting Around

Tampico

$46 3.6%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 52.6% $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 $508 in Tampico and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tampico pays 7% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $54 in Tampico vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $266, with Tampico cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Tampico

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

02:00 2:00 AM

15:00 3:00 PM

13 h ahead of Tampico

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

297,562

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 = 2.66 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 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 = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tampico Phuket 16,230 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Tampico
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

Tampico vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 7% higher in Tampico, 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: $508 in Tampico versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $269 in Tampico versus $476 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 versus $54 in Tampico. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

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