Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zihuatanejo and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Zihuatanejo: $1,131 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $920 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

55

Cost of Living Index in Zihuatanejo
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Zihuatanejo Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Zihuatanejo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,131

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,131 in Zihuatanejo versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Zihuatanejo $1,131
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,824 in Zihuatanejo versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Zihuatanejo $1,824
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,517 in Zihuatanejo versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Zihuatanejo $2,517
Phuket $2,845

Living in Zihuatanejo costs roughly 6% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Zihuatanejo 17% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$203

$4.40 ฿148

146.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.16 MX$827

$32.26 ฿1,088

36.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.74 MX$164

$8.76 ฿296

-0.23%

Cappuccino

$3.48 MX$65.2

$2.83 ฿95.3

22.97%

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

$1.36 MX$25.45

$0.90 ฿30.42

51.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 MX$19.08

$0.47 ฿15.71

117.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 MX$45.89

$2.55 ฿86.0

-3.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 MX$74.4

$3.83 ฿129

3.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 MX$31.05

$1.73 ฿58.2

-4.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 MX$47.69

$1.47 ฿49.56

73.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 MX$30.90

$1.51 ฿51.0

9.27%

Eggs

$2.44 MX$45.61

$2.17 ฿73.3

12.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.11 MX$152

$19.70 ฿664

-58.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.52 MX$159

$3.34 ฿113

155.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.56 MX$216

$11.16 ฿376

3.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 MX$51.0

$2.85 ฿96.0

-4.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 MX$29.27

$1.70 ฿57.5

-8.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$2.19 ฿73.9

-11.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.77 MX$33.10

$2.05 ฿69.0

-13.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.24

$1.45 ฿49.02

33.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 MX$35.15

$1.38 ฿46.59

36.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 MX$26.71

$1.07 ฿36.02

33.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$20.47

$0.51 ฿17.07

113.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 MX$80.1

$4.26 ฿144

0.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.27 MX$192

$18.58 ฿627

-44.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 MX$34.04

$1.78 ฿60.2

2.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 MX$57.3

$2.85 ฿96.0

7.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MX$12.77

$2.26 ฿76.3

-69.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿745

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 MX$48.93

$3.01 ฿102

-13.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 MX$37.88

$1.06 ฿35.67

90.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.18 MX$209

$3.86 ฿130

189.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.93

$1.45 ฿48.90

-0.69%

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

$21.3K MX$398.4K

$26.3K ฿888.1K

-19.15%

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

$23.9K MX$447.0K

$26.9K ฿908.8K

-11.37%

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

$57.3 MX$1,072

$96.4 ฿3,251

-40.59%

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

$23.00 MX$431

$11.04 ฿372

108.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.80 MX$558

$17.14 ฿578

73.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.76 MX$651

$52.2 ฿1,760

-33.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.02 MX$375

$11.16 ฿376

79.39%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.2

$7.81 ฿263

-34.19%

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

$216 MX$4,041

$556 ฿18.8K

-61.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,526 MX$84.7K

$11.6K ฿390.6K

-60.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 MX$1,038

$64.2 ฿2,166

-13.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.25 MX$753

$28.69 ฿968

40.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 MX$1,844

$95.4 ฿3,217

3.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 MX$1,684

$88.0 ฿2,968

2.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$596 MX$11.1K

$737 ฿24.9K

-19.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$384 MX$7,182

$462 ฿15.6K

-17.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 MX$19.7K

$2,095 ฿70.7K

-49.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$759 MX$14.2K

$1,201 ฿40.5K

-36.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,915 MX$35.8K

$3,488 ฿117.6K

-45.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,149 MX$21.5K

$2,523 ฿85.1K

-54.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.9K

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 Zihuatanejo: October 19, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zihuatanejo

$384 34%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 20.5% $79

Groceries & Markets

Zihuatanejo

$264 23.3%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 1.8% $4.9

Eating Out

Zihuatanejo

$185 16.3%

Phuket

$121 10% 34.3% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Zihuatanejo

$128 11.3%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 2.8% $3.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zihuatanejo

$110 9.7%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 13.2% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Zihuatanejo

$45 4%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 50.5% $23

Getting Around

Zihuatanejo

$15 * 1.4%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 155% $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 $596 in Zihuatanejo and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44 in Zihuatanejo vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $264 vs $269, with Zihuatanejo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Zihuatanejo

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

03:16 3:16 AM

16:16 4:16 PM

13 h ahead of Zihuatanejo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,408

79,308

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 18.72 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.84 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zihuatanejo Phuket 16,430 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Zihuatanejo
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

Zihuatanejo vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zihuatanejo is cheaper overall, especially in transport and leisure. The 7% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,696 in Zihuatanejo and $1,813 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $596 in Zihuatanejo versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $44 in Zihuatanejo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $216 in Zihuatanejo versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Zihuatanejo 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.

Safety-wise, Zihuatanejo 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.