Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barbacena and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Barbacena: $857 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Barbacena
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Barbacena Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Barbacena

🇧🇷 Brazil

$857

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $857 in Barbacena versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Barbacena $857
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,305 in Barbacena versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Barbacena $1,305
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,753 in Barbacena versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Barbacena $1,753
Phuket $2,867

Living in Barbacena costs roughly 29% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Barbacena 37% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.35 R$26.86

$4.58 ฿154

16.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.84 R$105

$32.48 ฿1,090

-35.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.93 R$29.74

$8.55 ฿287

-30.64%

Cappuccino

$1.74 R$8.73

$2.72 ฿91.3

-36.03%

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

$1.57 R$7.89

$0.94 ฿31.37

67.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 R$4.30

$0.49 ฿16.46

75.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.32 R$6.62

$2.59 ฿86.9

-49.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 R$11.37

$3.83 ฿129

-40.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 R$5.69

$1.74 ฿58.3

-34.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 R$10.36

$1.43 ฿48.01

44.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.12

$1.53 ฿51.2

-20.26%

Eggs

$2.38 R$11.96

$2.17 ฿73.0

9.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.81 R$54.3

$19.15 ฿642

-43.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.44 R$22.25

$3.30 ฿111

34.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.97 R$50.0

$11.14 ฿374

-10.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 R$14.54

$2.95 ฿98.9

-1.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.19

$1.68 ฿56.3

8.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 R$7.89

$2.30 ฿77.1

-31.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.79 R$9.00

$2.13 ฿71.6

-15.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 R$6.08

$1.53 ฿51.3

-20.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.20

$1.36 ฿45.73

-23.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 R$3.55

$1.12 ฿37.59

-36.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 R$3.50

$0.55 ฿18.31

27.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.02 R$15.17

$4.26 ฿143

-29.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 R$39.29

$18.19 ฿610

-56.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.93

$1.74 ฿58.4

-32.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.14

$2.79 ฿93.7

-13.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 R$4.87

$2.22 ฿74.3

-56.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.05 R$226

$22.06 ฿740

104.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.26 R$6.34

$2.91 ฿97.7

-56.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 R$4.26

$1.01 ฿33.93

-15.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.35 R$46.91

$3.83 ฿128

144.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 R$6.56

$1.49 ฿50.0

-12.08%

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

$23.5K R$118.0K

$26.7K ฿895.1K

-11.88%

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

$32.7K R$164.1K

$26.7K ฿896.1K

22.44%

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

$136 R$685

$99.4 ฿3,334

37.33%

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

$11.02 R$55.3

$11.28 ฿379

-2.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.95 R$115

$17.36 ฿582

32.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.50 R$133

$52.3 ฿1,754

-49.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.48 R$148

$10.85 ฿364

171.71%

Cinema Ticket

$7.94 R$39.85

$7.57 ฿254

4.89%

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

$596 R$2,992

$558 ฿18.7K

6.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$67.3K

$11.5K ฿385.4K

16.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.74 R$209

$62.9 ฿2,110

-33.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.77 R$245

$28.58 ฿959

70.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.6 R$379

$96.1 ฿3,226

-21.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.2 R$337

$88.1 ฿2,954

-23.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$234 R$1,172

$729 ฿24.5K

-67.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 R$841

$460 ฿15.4K

-63.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$434 R$2,178

$2,096 ฿70.3K

-79.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$307 R$1,539

$1,222 ฿41.0K

-74.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,629 R$8,175

$3,459 ฿116.0K

-52.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,334 R$6,692

$2,489 ฿83.5K

-46.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

5.57

114.18%

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

Last update for Barbacena: October 10, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Barbacena

$215 25.1%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 24.4% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barbacena

$170 19.9%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 24.9% $42

Accommodation & Living

Barbacena

$168 19.6%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 174% $292

Clothing & Footwear

Barbacena

$105 12.3%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 18.2% $19

Eating Out

Barbacena

$102 11.9%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 18.6% $19

Getting Around

Barbacena

$54 6.4%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 28.6% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Barbacena

$42 5%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 59% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $234 in Barbacena and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $21.00 in Barbacena vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $268 per month, with Barbacena cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Barbacena

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

09:45 9:45 AM

19:45 7:45 PM

10 h ahead of Barbacena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

125,317

79,308

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.62 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 33.55 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barbacena Phuket 15,700 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Barbacena
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

Barbacena vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barbacena and Phuket differ by about 41% in total monthly costs ($857 vs $1,207 including rent). Barbacena is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,286 in Barbacena and $1,811 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: $234 in Barbacena versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $857 per month in Barbacena versus $1,207 in Phuket – a 41% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Barbacena runs roughly 104% less than in Phuket. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $857 in Barbacena versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Barbacena but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Barbacena 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.

Safety-wise, Barbacena 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 Barbacena gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.