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: $1,015 in Tepic versus $1,261 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,651 in Tepic versus $2,286 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,288 in Tepic versus $3,310 in Phuket.

Living in Tepic costs roughly 20% less than in Phuket, driven mainly by Clothing & Footwear.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tepic 24% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.99 MX$139

$4.56 ฿150

75.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.04 MX$734

$46.63 ฿1,535

-9.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 MX$158

$8.47 ฿279

6.61%

Cappuccino

$3.21 MX$56.0

$3.03 ฿99.7

5.94%

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

$2.03 MX$35.47

$0.69 ฿22.69

194.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 MX$24.07

$0.37 ฿12.04

272.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.60 MX$45.39

$2.49 ฿81.9

4.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 MX$68.7

$3.66 ฿120

7.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 MX$26.05

$2.18 ฿71.8

-31.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.34 MX$40.76

$1.90 ฿62.6

23.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 MX$17.96

$2.20 ฿72.4

-53.18%

Eggs

$2.03 MX$35.44

$2.22 ฿73.2

-8.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.73 MX$82.6

$19.99 ฿658

-76.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.18 MX$230

$3.66 ฿121

260.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.76 MX$118

$13.25 ฿436

-48.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 MX$45.57

$3.23 ฿106

-19.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 MX$26.27

$1.70 ฿55.9

-11.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.40 MX$59.3

$2.39 ฿78.8

42.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 MX$27.68

$2.08 ฿68.4

-23.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 MX$31.80

$1.59 ฿52.4

14.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$34.71

$1.48 ฿48.83

34.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$25.33

$1.03 ฿33.90

40.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 MX$17.71

$0.52 ฿17.01

94.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$74.6

$4.25 ฿140

0.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 MX$192

$18.79 ฿618

-41.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 MX$13.43

$1.76 ฿57.8

-56.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 MX$28.00

$2.76 ฿90.8

-42.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$8.84

$1.36 ฿44.79

-62.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.36 ฿374

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.18 MX$38.06

$3.14 ฿103

-30.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 MX$8.80

$1.04 ฿34.10

-51.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.76 MX$188

$13.77 ฿453

-21.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 MX$22.01

$1.34 ฿44.26

-5.97%

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

$18.5K MX$322.7K

$27.7K ฿911.1K

-33.20%

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

$18.4K MX$321.7K

$33.9K ฿1.1M

-45.57%

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

$41.95 MX$732

$124 ฿4,069

-66.06%

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

$11.76 MX$205

$13.52 ฿445

-13.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.28 MX$441

$18.69 ฿615

35.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.42 MX$636

$61.8 ฿2,035

-41.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.66 MX$273

$17.25 ฿568

-9.22%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 MX$74.5

$9.14 ฿301

-53.28%

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

$210 MX$3,662

$703 ฿23.1K

-70.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,485 MX$60.8K

$15.9K ฿522.5K

-78.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.51 MX$742

$59.5 ฿1,958

-28.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.14 MX$282

$35.07 ฿1,154

-53.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.3 MX$1,157

$115 ฿3,795

-42.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.0 MX$1,309

$84.1 ฿2,767

-10.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$507 MX$8,847

$619 ฿20.4K

-18.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$403 MX$7,026

$433 ฿14.2K

-6.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$937 MX$16.4K

$2,062 ฿67.9K

-54.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 MX$13.4K

$1,511 ฿49.7K

-49.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,109 MX$36.8K

$3,646 ฿120.0K

-42.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,268 MX$22.1K

$2,626 ฿86.4K

-51.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$689 MX$12.0K

$507 ฿16.7K

35.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.75

5.33

120.45%

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

Last update for Tepic: June 9, 2026

Last update for Phuket: June 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $507 in Tepic and $619 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tepic pays 36% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $42.00 in Tepic vs $47.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $251 vs $293 per month, with Tepic 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

Tepic vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tepic is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Sport & Entertainment, Getting Around. The 24% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Tepic pays 36% more on average, 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: $507 in Tepic versus $619 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $210 in Tepic versus $703 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 $42.00 versus $47.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,015 in Tepic versus $1,261 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 24% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.