Cost of Living Comparison Between Tepic and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Tepic and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,198 in Tepic versus $1,265 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,980 in Tepic versus $2,089 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,762 in Tepic versus $2,913 in Phuket.

Living in Tepic costs roughly 5% less than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tepic 13% lower, Phuket 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.61 MX$247

$4.66 ฿153

213.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.08 MX$829

$32.22 ฿1,060

52.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 MX$163

$8.68 ฿286

11.29%

Cappuccino

$3.48 MX$58.8

$2.90 ฿95.4

20.00%

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

$1.79 MX$30.24

$0.84 ฿27.78

113.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 MX$22.22

$0.49 ฿16.10

169.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.89 MX$48.81

$2.48 ฿81.7

16.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.51 MX$93.0

$3.73 ฿123

47.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 MX$28.22

$1.89 ฿62.0

-11.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.73 MX$46.02

$1.41 ฿46.36

93.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 MX$29.09

$1.62 ฿53.4

6.17%

Eggs

$2.25 MX$37.91

$2.24 ฿73.8

0.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.25 MX$88.7

$19.84 ฿653

-73.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 MX$173

$3.48 ฿114

194.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.28 MX$207

$11.37 ฿374

8.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$51.1

$2.90 ฿95.4

4.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 MX$29.98

$1.72 ฿56.8

3.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 MX$35.21

$2.27 ฿74.8

-7.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 MX$33.30

$2.13 ฿70.2

-7.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 MX$36.84

$1.47 ฿48.53

48.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 MX$32.65

$1.42 ฿46.73

35.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 MX$24.88

$1.10 ฿36.11

33.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$20.05

$0.60 ฿19.68

98.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 MX$81.0

$4.31 ฿142

11.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.36 MX$192

$18.60 ฿612

-38.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 MX$15.56

$1.80 ฿59.3

-48.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 MX$60.8

$2.97 ฿97.6

21.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 MX$14.51

$2.25 ฿73.9

-61.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.49 ฿773

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.38 MX$40.13

$3.10 ฿102

-23.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 MX$25.32

$1.08 ฿35.42

38.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.71 MX$215

$3.87 ฿127

228.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$25.82

$1.43 ฿46.97

6.99%

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

$23.0K MX$388.1K

$27.8K ฿914.4K

-17.28%

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

$26.1K MX$440.9K

$27.0K ฿888.0K

-3.23%

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

$46.23 MX$781

$105 ฿3,449

-55.89%

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

$13.37 MX$226

$11.39 ฿375

17.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.63 MX$551

$17.54 ฿577

86.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.98 MX$624

$54.3 ฿1,788

-31.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.38 MX$361

$11.44 ฿377

86.89%

Cinema Ticket

$7.21 MX$122

$7.78 ฿256

-7.33%

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

$268 MX$4,522

$576 ฿19.0K

-53.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MX$193.5K

$11.6K ฿381.2K

-1.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.2 MX$1,049

$63.6 ฿2,094

-2.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.80 MX$756

$29.10 ฿958

53.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 MX$1,953

$96.2 ฿3,167

20.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.9 MX$1,569

$90.0 ฿2,962

3.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$664 MX$11.2K

$733 ฿24.1K

-9.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 MX$7,059

$501 ฿16.5K

-16.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 MX$18.6K

$2,126 ฿70.0K

-48.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$836 MX$14.1K

$1,252 ฿41.2K

-33.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,989 MX$33.6K

$3,534 ฿116.3K

-43.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,244 MX$21.0K

$2,622 ฿86.3K

-52.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$709 MX$12.0K

$508 ฿16.7K

39.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

5.57

109.69%

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

Last update for Tepic: September 6, 2026

Last update for Phuket: September 6, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $664 in Tepic and $733 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tepic pays 40% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $49.00 in Tepic vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $273 vs $275, with Tepic 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

Tepic vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tepic is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Sport & Entertainment, Getting Around. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 40% higher in Tepic, 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: $664 in Tepic versus $733 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $268 in Tepic versus $576 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tepic – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,198 in Tepic versus $1,265 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tepic but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Tepic the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Tepic 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, Tepic 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 Tepic 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.