Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Curitiba and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Curitiba: $1,005 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Curitiba
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Curitiba Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Curitiba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,005

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,005 in Curitiba versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Curitiba $1,005
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,555 in Curitiba versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Curitiba $1,555
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,105 in Curitiba versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Curitiba $2,105
Phuket $3,154

Living in Curitiba costs roughly 21% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Curitiba 26% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.58 R$41.25

$4.47 ฿151

69.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.75 R$200

$32.41 ฿1,093

13.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 R$45.79

$8.81 ฿297

-4.43%

Cappuccino

$2.61 R$14.22

$2.83 ฿95.4

-7.77%

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

$1.04 R$5.63

$0.87 ฿29.41

19.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 R$4.76

$0.49 ฿16.65

77.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 R$13.98

$2.56 ฿86.3

0.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 R$20.67

$3.68 ฿124

3.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 R$5.49

$1.66 ฿55.9

-39.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 R$9.32

$1.46 ฿49.31

17.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.70

$1.50 ฿50.5

-18.00%

Eggs

$2.41 R$13.13

$2.09 ฿70.5

15.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.71 R$52.8

$19.07 ฿643

-49.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.62 R$25.13

$3.30 ฿111

40.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.70 R$52.8

$10.91 ฿368

-11.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 R$9.10

$2.93 ฿98.9

-43.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.00 R$5.43

$1.69 ฿57.0

-40.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.98 R$5.33

$2.25 ฿75.8

-56.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 R$7.00

$2.08 ฿70.0

-37.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 R$4.14

$1.51 ฿51.0

-49.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 R$4.03

$1.38 ฿46.52

-46.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 R$3.78

$1.07 ฿35.96

-35.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 R$4.47

$0.52 ฿17.51

57.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.84 R$15.44

$4.20 ฿142

-32.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.60 R$35.93

$18.79 ฿634

-64.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$6.41

$1.82 ฿61.5

-35.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 R$12.77

$2.84 ฿95.8

-17.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 R$6.01

$1.45 ฿48.98

-24.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.2 R$365

$56.7 ฿1,912

18.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 R$6.49

$3.02 ฿102

-60.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 R$3.94

$1.02 ฿34.33

-29.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.52 R$30.05

$3.69 ฿125

49.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.89

$1.47 ฿49.76

-13.61%

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

$22.6K R$122.8K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-15.72%

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

$31.5K R$171.3K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

17.99%

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

$98.2 R$534

$96.4 ฿3,251

1.93%

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

$13.78 R$75.0

$11.26 ฿380

22.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.88 R$119

$16.85 ฿568

29.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.83 R$141

$67.2 ฿2,268

-61.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.57 R$101

$10.73 ฿362

73.07%

Cinema Ticket

$7.49 R$40.76

$7.50 ฿253

-0.13%

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

$358 R$1,948

$476 ฿16.1K

-24.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K R$57.0K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-6.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.2 R$284

$62.4 ฿2,104

-16.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.7 R$281

$28.41 ฿958

81.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.3 R$480

$94.3 ฿3,181

-6.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.5 R$405

$85.8 ฿2,895

-13.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 R$2,522

$716 ฿24.2K

-35.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$301 R$1,635

$491 ฿16.6K

-38.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$779 R$4,240

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-59.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,876

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-63.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,306 R$12.5K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-44.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,708 R$9,288

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-43.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$650 R$3,538

$502 ฿16.9K

29.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.54

5.57

107.18%

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

Last update for Curitiba: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Curitiba

$301 29.9%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 63.3% $190

Groceries & Markets

Curitiba

$188 18.7%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 41.6% $78

Eating Out

Curitiba

$145 14.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 16.3% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Curitiba

$134 13.3%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 7% $9.4

Clothing & Footwear

Curitiba

$120 11.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 1.6% $1.9

Getting Around

Curitiba

$76 7.6%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 7.6% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Curitiba

$41 4.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 101% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $464 in Curitiba and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Curitiba pays 30% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $37 in Curitiba vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $188 vs $266, with Curitiba cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Curitiba

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:52 1:52 PM

23:52 11:52 PM

10 h ahead of Curitiba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,773,718

79,308

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.165 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Curitiba Phuket 16,070 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Curitiba
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

Curitiba vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Curitiba wins on cost – living expenses run 21% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Curitiba the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 30% higher in Curitiba, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $464 in Curitiba versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 16% less than in Curitiba. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $358 in Curitiba versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

Both work as nomad bases, but Curitiba delivers better value at $1,005 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Curitiba hard to pass up.