Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bauru and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Bauru: $777 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Bauru
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Bauru Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Bauru

🇧🇷 Brazil

$777

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $777 in Bauru versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Bauru $777
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,191 in Bauru versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Bauru $1,191
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,606 in Bauru versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Bauru $1,606
Phuket $3,154

Living in Bauru costs roughly 39% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bauru 43% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.78 R$25.74

$4.47 ฿151

6.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.95 R$134

$32.41 ฿1,094

-23.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.12 R$38.32

$8.81 ฿297

-19.18%

Cappuccino

$1.55 R$8.36

$2.83 ฿95.4

-45.23%

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

$0.85 R$4.60

$0.87 ฿29.42

-2.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 R$2.68

$0.49 ฿16.66

2.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.46 R$7.86

$2.56 ฿86.3

-42.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 R$13.28

$3.68 ฿124

-32.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 R$4.70

$1.66 ฿56.0

-47.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 R$7.33

$1.46 ฿49.32

-6.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 R$6.35

$1.50 ฿50.5

-21.33%

Eggs

$2.30 R$12.37

$2.09 ฿70.5

10.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.27 R$39.11

$19.07 ฿643

-61.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.13 R$22.20

$3.30 ฿111

25.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.98 R$32.16

$10.91 ฿368

-45.19%

Apples (1kg)

$1.92 R$10.35

$2.93 ฿98.9

-34.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 R$7.00

$1.69 ฿57.0

-23.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.19 R$6.38

$2.25 ฿75.8

-47.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.71 R$9.21

$2.08 ฿70.1

-17.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 R$7.18

$1.51 ฿51.0

-11.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.31

$1.38 ฿46.54

-15.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 R$7.07

$1.07 ฿35.97

22.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 R$4.87

$0.52 ฿17.51

73.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.21 R$11.92

$4.20 ฿142

-47.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.66 R$35.87

$18.79 ฿634

-64.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R$6.10

$1.82 ฿61.5

-37.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 R$11.59

$2.84 ฿95.9

-24.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 R$5.11

$1.45 ฿49.00

-34.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.87 R$150

$56.7 ฿1,912

-50.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.78 R$9.59

$3.02 ฿102

-41.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 R$6.42

$1.02 ฿34.34

16.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.66 R$19.68

$3.69 ฿125

-0.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.69

$1.47 ฿49.78

-27.89%

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

$22.5K R$121.1K

$26.8K ฿903.7K

-15.94%

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

$32.6K R$175.2K

$26.7K ฿900.8K

21.96%

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

$130 R$699

$96.4 ฿3,252

34.77%

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

$9.51 R$51.2

$11.26 ฿380

-15.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.40 R$99.0

$16.85 ฿569

9.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.47 R$94.0

$67.2 ฿2,269

-74.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.60 R$116

$10.73 ฿362

101.30%

Cinema Ticket

$5.01 R$26.96

$7.50 ฿253

-33.20%

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

$241 R$1,297

$476 ฿16.1K

-49.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,563 R$29.9K

$11.3K ฿380.1K

-50.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.0 R$344

$62.4 ฿2,105

2.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.43 R$250

$28.41 ฿959

63.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 R$555

$94.3 ฿3,182

9.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 R$394

$85.8 ฿2,896

-14.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$227 R$1,220

$716 ฿24.2K

-68.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$154 R$831

$491 ฿16.6K

-68.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$430 R$2,312

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-77.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$285 R$1,533

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-80.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,517 R$8,166

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-63.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$669 R$3,600

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-78.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$355 R$1,909

$502 ฿17.0K

-29.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.59

5.57

72.17%

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

Last update for Bauru: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bauru

$173 22.3%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 53.8% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bauru

$158 20.3%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 21.1% $33

Accommodation & Living

Bauru

$154 19.9%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 218% $337

Clothing & Footwear

Bauru

$129 16.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 5.6% $7.2

Eating Out

Bauru

$96 12.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 26.9% $26

Getting Around

Bauru

$39 5.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 79.1% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Bauru

$27 3.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 199% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $227 in Bauru and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 42% 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: $25 in Bauru vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $173 vs $266 per month, with Bauru cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Bauru

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

06:35 6:35 AM

16:35 4:35 PM

10 h ahead of Bauru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

379,146

79,308

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.167 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.38 BRL (1 BRL = 0.186 USD). 1 EUR = 6.01 BRL (1 BRL = 0.167 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bauru Phuket 16,180 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Bauru
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

Bauru vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bauru wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bauru the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 29% lower in Bauru. 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: $227 in Bauru versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bauru – a meal for two runs $25 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $777 per month in Bauru versus $1,278 in Phuket – Bauru is about 39% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 Bauru gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.