Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cuiaba and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuiaba: $1,018 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Cuiaba
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Cuiaba Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Cuiaba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,018

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,018 in Cuiaba versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Cuiaba $1,018
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,540 in Cuiaba versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Cuiaba $1,540
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,062 in Cuiaba versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Cuiaba $2,062
Phuket $3,154

Living in Cuiaba costs roughly 20% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cuiaba 25% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.16 R$27.61

$4.47 ฿151

15.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.37 R$146

$32.41 ฿1,094

-15.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 R$40.25

$8.81 ฿297

-14.64%

Cappuccino

$1.71 R$9.16

$2.83 ฿95.5

-39.58%

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

$1.36 R$7.28

$0.87 ฿29.43

56.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 R$3.83

$0.49 ฿16.67

46.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.91 R$10.20

$2.56 ฿86.4

-25.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$13.57

$3.68 ฿124

-30.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 R$6.09

$1.66 ฿56.0

-31.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 R$7.99

$1.46 ฿49.35

2.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 R$9.03

$1.50 ฿50.6

12.67%

Eggs

$2.95 R$15.78

$2.09 ฿70.5

41.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.16 R$86.5

$19.07 ฿644

-15.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.24 R$22.70

$3.30 ฿111

28.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.25 R$54.8

$10.91 ฿368

-6.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.21 R$11.82

$2.93 ฿99.0

-24.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 R$12.48

$1.69 ฿57.1

37.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 R$12.82

$2.25 ฿75.8

6.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 R$15.30

$2.08 ฿70.1

37.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 R$12.72

$1.51 ฿51.0

57.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 R$10.55

$1.38 ฿46.56

42.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 R$8.20

$1.07 ฿35.99

42.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R$7.43

$0.52 ฿17.52

167.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.17 R$11.61

$4.20 ฿142

-48.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.90 R$58.3

$18.79 ฿634

-41.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 R$9.78

$1.82 ฿61.5

0.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 R$15.43

$2.84 ฿95.9

1.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 R$5.09

$1.45 ฿49.03

-34.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.73 R$191

$56.7 ฿1,913

-36.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.44

$1.47 ฿49.81

-18.37%

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

$28.1K R$150.1K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

4.76%

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

$31.3K R$167.3K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

17.15%

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

$165 R$881

$96.4 ฿3,254

70.80%

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

$17.94 R$96.0

$11.26 ฿380

59.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.18 R$129

$16.85 ฿569

43.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.40 R$131

$67.2 ฿2,270

-63.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.93 R$101

$10.73 ฿362

76.42%

Cinema Ticket

$5.66 R$30.26

$7.50 ฿253

-24.53%

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

$408 R$2,181

$476 ฿16.1K

-14.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,796 R$47.1K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-21.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 R$386

$62.4 ฿2,106

15.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.11 R$247

$28.41 ฿959

62.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$141 R$754

$94.3 ฿3,184

49.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.1 R$343

$85.8 ฿2,898

-25.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$310 R$1,658

$716 ฿24.2K

-56.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$218 R$1,169

$491 ฿16.6K

-55.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 R$3,928

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-61.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$391 R$2,090

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-72.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,266 R$6,772

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-69.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$742 R$3,969

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-75.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$365 R$1,953

$502 ฿17.0K

-27.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.1

5.57

189.05%

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

Last update for Cuiaba: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cuiaba

$265 26%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 0.6% $1.5

Accommodation & Living

Cuiaba

$218 21.5%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 125% $272

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cuiaba

$207 20.3%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 39.8% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Cuiaba

$146 14.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 16.2% $24

Eating Out

Cuiaba

$107 10.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 13.4% $14

Getting Around

Cuiaba

$40 * 3.9%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 78.5% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Cuiaba

$36 3.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 130% $47

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 $310 in Cuiaba and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 38% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $27 in Cuiaba vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $265 vs $266 per month, with Cuiaba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Cuiaba

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:04 7:04 AM

18:04 6:04 PM

11 h ahead of Cuiaba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

650,877

79,308

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.96 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cuiaba Phuket 17,110 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Cuiaba
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

Cuiaba vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cuiaba wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cuiaba the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Cuiaba. 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: $310 in Cuiaba versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $408 in Cuiaba versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cuiaba – a meal for two runs $27 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Cuiaba is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Cuiaba wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.