Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Contagem and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Contagem: $776 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Contagem
Learn more

Contagem Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Contagem

🇧🇷 Brazil

$776

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $788 per month in Contagem vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Contagem $788
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $1,272 per month in Contagem vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Contagem $1,272
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $1,755 per month in Contagem vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Contagem $1,755
Phuket $2,867

Contagem is about 35% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Contagem and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Contagem 42% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.86 R$29.69

$4.40 ฿147

33.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.09 R$153

$32.26 ฿1,078

-6.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.07 R$35.84

$8.76 ฿293

-19.29%

Cappuccino

$1.69 R$8.58

$2.83 ฿94.5

-40.28%

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

$1.35 R$6.85

$0.90 ฿30.14

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 R$3.13

$0.47 ฿15.56

31.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.26 R$6.41

$2.55 ฿85.2

-50.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.72

$3.83 ฿128

-34.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 R$4.84

$1.73 ฿57.7

-45.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 R$9.30

$1.47 ฿49.11

24.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 R$6.85

$1.51 ฿50.6

-10.60%

Eggs

$2.01 R$10.20

$2.17 ฿72.7

-7.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.67 R$49.00

$19.70 ฿658

-50.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.39 R$17.16

$3.34 ฿112

1.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.58 R$38.41

$11.16 ฿373

-32.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 R$9.51

$2.85 ฿95.1

-34.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 R$6.14

$1.70 ฿56.9

-28.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.96 R$4.87

$2.19 ฿73.3

-56.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 R$8.31

$2.05 ฿68.4

-20.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 R$5.49

$1.45 ฿48.57

-25.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 R$4.86

$1.38 ฿46.16

-30.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 R$4.25

$1.07 ฿35.69

-21.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 R$4.20

$0.51 ฿16.91

62.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.60 R$8.12

$4.26 ฿142

-62.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 R$29.41

$18.58 ฿621

-68.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 R$4.79

$1.78 ฿59.7

-47.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 R$7.17

$2.85 ฿95.2

-50.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 R$7.31

$2.26 ฿75.6

-36.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.3 R$402

$22.10 ฿738

258.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.13 R$5.74

$3.01 ฿101

-62.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 R$3.63

$1.06 ฿35.34

-32.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.28 R$31.82

$3.86 ฿129

62.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 R$6.48

$1.45 ฿48.45

-11.72%

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

$23.4K R$118.8K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-10.98%

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

$32.2K R$163.0K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

19.34%

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

$77.6 R$393

$96.4 ฿3,221

-19.52%

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

$10.12 R$51.3

$11.04 ฿369

-8.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.31 R$97.9

$17.14 ฿573

12.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.80 R$136

$52.2 ฿1,744

-48.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.87 R$121

$11.16 ฿373

113.89%

Cinema Ticket

$7.02 R$35.59

$7.81 ฿261

-10.12%

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

$143 R$725

$556 ฿18.6K

-74.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,614 R$13.2K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-77.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 R$304

$64.2 ฿2,146

-6.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.09 R$249

$28.69 ฿959

71.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.1 R$340

$95.4 ฿3,187

-29.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.13 R$244

$88.0 ฿2,940

-45.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$223 R$1,132

$737 ฿24.6K

-69.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$154 R$779

$462 ฿15.5K

-66.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$472 R$2,391

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-77.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$319 R$1,617

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-73.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,016 R$10.2K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-42.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,004 R$5,087

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-60.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$263 R$1,331

$501 ฿16.7K

-47.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

5.57

91.56%

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

Last update for Contagem: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Contagem

$176 22.7%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 52.4% $92

Accommodation & Living

Contagem

$154 19.8%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 201% $309

Eating Out

Contagem

$108 13.9%

Phuket

$121 10% 12.7% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Contagem

$107 13.8%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 16.4% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Contagem

$101 13%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 23.2% $23

Getting Around

Contagem

$90 11.6%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 56.1% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Contagem

$41 5.3%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 66% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $232 in Contagem versus $729 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 89% higher in Phuket, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Contagem versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $179 vs $268 – making Contagem the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Contagem

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:02 7:02 AM

17:02 5:02 PM

10 h ahead of Contagem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

621,863

79,308

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Contagem Phuket 15,760 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Contagem
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

Contagem vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 53%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,183 per month in Contagem and $1,811 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Contagem, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 263% less in Contagem. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $144 per month in Contagem and $558 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Contagem, where all-in costs run around $788, than in Phuket at $1,207. In Contagem it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Contagem – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Contagem. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.