Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aracaju and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Aracaju: $659 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Aracaju
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Aracaju Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Aracaju

🇧🇷 Brazil

$659

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $659 in Aracaju versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Aracaju $659
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,043 in Aracaju versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Aracaju $1,043
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,427 in Aracaju versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Aracaju $1,427
Phuket $3,115

Living in Aracaju costs roughly 49% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Aracaju 51% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 R$25.28

$4.39 ฿148

5.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.63 R$118

$32.31 ฿1,090

-33.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.42 R$29.61

$8.70 ฿294

-37.70%

Cappuccino

$1.92 R$10.48

$2.72 ฿91.9

-29.41%

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

$1.07 R$5.85

$0.93 ฿31.39

15.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 R$3.02

$0.50 ฿16.85

10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.88 R$10.25

$2.53 ฿85.4

-25.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 R$15.85

$3.63 ฿122

-20.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 R$5.61

$1.74 ฿58.7

-40.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 R$7.65

$1.45 ฿48.95

-3.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.94

$1.50 ฿50.7

-27.33%

Eggs

$1.59 R$8.66

$2.17 ฿73.3

-26.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.99 R$38.20

$19.09 ฿644

-63.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.60 R$19.63

$3.40 ฿115

5.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.82 R$37.24

$10.90 ฿368

-37.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 R$10.57

$2.94 ฿99.2

-34.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.74

$1.69 ฿57.1

-27.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.66 R$3.59

$2.19 ฿74.0

-69.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.82 R$4.49

$2.12 ฿71.7

-61.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 R$5.61

$1.46 ฿49.21

-29.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 R$4.90

$1.37 ฿46.15

-34.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.51 R$2.79

$1.08 ฿36.30

-52.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 R$3.83

$0.55 ฿18.41

27.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.25 R$12.30

$4.43 ฿149

-49.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.58 R$30.48

$18.25 ฿616

-69.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R$6.22

$1.77 ฿59.8

-35.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 R$10.13

$2.88 ฿97.2

-35.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 R$4.65

$1.45 ฿48.84

-41.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.97 R$213

$54.9 ฿1,852

-29.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 R$6.33

$1.51 ฿51.0

-23.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 R$3.33

$0.78 ฿26.18

-21.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.05 R$33.05

$3.84 ฿130

57.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.50

$1.49 ฿50.2

-20.13%

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

$21.4K R$116.7K

$26.9K ฿907.0K

-20.52%

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

$31.0K R$169.1K

$26.3K ฿888.9K

17.57%

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

$58.7 R$320

$97.8 ฿3,300

-40.01%

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

$9.26 R$50.6

$11.29 ฿381

-17.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.77 R$86.1

$17.19 ฿580

-8.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.03 R$115

$68.3 ฿2,305

-69.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.96 R$142

$10.92 ฿368

137.73%

Cinema Ticket

$5.85 R$31.92

$7.43 ฿251

-21.27%

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

$277 R$1,513

$530 ฿17.9K

-47.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,017 R$27.4K

$18.8K ฿633.7K

-73.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 R$290

$61.7 ฿2,081

-13.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.44 R$177

$28.25 ฿953

14.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.1 R$443

$96.0 ฿3,239

-15.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.3 R$411

$86.8 ฿2,929

-13.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$280 R$1,530

$721 ฿24.3K

-61.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$135 R$736

$509 ฿17.2K

-73.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$590 R$3,224

$1,950 ฿65.8K

-69.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$250 R$1,366

$1,397 ฿47.1K

-82.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,204 R$6,573

$4,192 ฿141.4K

-71.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$849 R$4,636

$3,298 ฿111.3K

-74.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$422 R$2,302

$492 ฿16.6K

-14.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

79.53%

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

Last update for Aracaju: November 2, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Aracaju

$154 23.4%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 73.2% $113

Accommodation & Living

Aracaju

$135 20.5%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 278% $374

Clothing & Footwear

Aracaju

$109 16.5%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 12.8% $14

Eating Out

Aracaju

$98 14.9%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 22% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aracaju

$84 12.7%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 50.9% $43

Getting Around

Aracaju

$47 7.1%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 41.8% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Aracaju

$33 5%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 154% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $280 in Aracaju and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 17% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $22 in Aracaju vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $154 vs $267 per month, with Aracaju cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Aracaju

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

21:01 9:01 PM

07:01 7:01 AM

10 h ahead of Aracaju

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

602,757

79,308

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.11 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Aracaju Phuket 15,120 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Aracaju
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

Aracaju vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $659 in Aracaju and $1,294 in Phuket, so Aracaju is about 49% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Aracaju. 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: $280 in Aracaju versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $277 in Aracaju versus $530 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 73% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $659 in Aracaju versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Aracaju but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Aracaju the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Aracaju gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.