Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Florianopolis and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,279 in Florianopolis, rent and utilities included – about $860 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Florianopolis
Learn more

Florianopolis Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Florianopolis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,279

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,279 in Florianopolis versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Florianopolis $1,279
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,061 in Florianopolis versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Florianopolis $2,061
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,844 in Florianopolis versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Florianopolis $2,844
Phuket $2,867

Living in Florianopolis is roughly 6% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Florianopolis 5% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.79 R$49.62

$4.58 ฿153

113.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.31 R$225

$32.48 ฿1,086

36.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.82 R$39.65

$8.55 ฿286

-8.54%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R$12.53

$2.72 ฿91.0

-9.19%

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

$1.34 R$6.79

$0.94 ฿31.25

42.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 R$5.72

$0.49 ฿16.39

130.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R$15.17

$2.59 ฿86.6

15.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 R$17.87

$3.83 ฿128

-7.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 R$5.24

$1.74 ฿58.1

-40.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.43 ฿47.82

12.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 R$6.75

$1.53 ฿51.0

-13.07%

Eggs

$2.66 R$13.48

$2.17 ฿72.7

22.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.88 R$50.1

$19.15 ฿640

-48.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 R$20.66

$3.30 ฿110

23.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.15 R$51.5

$11.14 ฿372

-8.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.43 R$12.30

$2.95 ฿98.5

-17.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 R$6.58

$1.68 ฿56.1

-22.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$7.74

$2.30 ฿76.8

-33.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.71 R$8.67

$2.13 ฿71.3

-19.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 R$5.55

$1.53 ฿51.1

-28.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 R$4.58

$1.36 ฿45.55

-33.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 R$4.17

$1.12 ฿37.44

-26.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 R$3.62

$0.55 ฿18.24

29.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.03 R$15.36

$4.26 ฿142

-28.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.20 R$51.7

$18.19 ฿608

-43.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 R$7.56

$1.74 ฿58.2

-14.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 R$14.98

$2.79 ฿93.3

6.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R$7.08

$2.22 ฿74.1

-36.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.6 R$424

$22.06 ฿737

278.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 R$8.02

$2.91 ฿97.3

-45.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 R$7.91

$1.01 ฿33.79

54.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.99 R$60.8

$3.83 ฿128

213.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.81

$1.49 ฿49.85

-10.07%

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

$23.6K R$119.5K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-11.66%

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

$35.1K R$177.8K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

31.30%

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

$86.7 R$439

$99.4 ฿3,321

-12.80%

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

$12.69 R$64.3

$11.28 ฿377

12.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.36 R$113

$17.36 ฿580

28.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.07 R$152

$52.3 ฿1,747

-42.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.97 R$96.2

$10.85 ฿362

74.84%

Cinema Ticket

$8.04 R$40.75

$7.57 ฿253

6.21%

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

$777 R$3,940

$558 ฿18.7K

39.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K R$56.7K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-2.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.8 R$333

$62.9 ฿2,102

4.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$71.8 R$364

$28.58 ฿955

151.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 R$577

$96.1 ฿3,213

18.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.4 R$352

$88.1 ฿2,943

-21.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$657 R$3,333

$729 ฿24.4K

-9.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$497 R$2,517

$460 ฿15.4K

7.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,384 R$7,014

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-33.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 R$5,333

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-13.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,816 R$14.3K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-18.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,604 R$8,133

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-35.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,034 R$5,244

$493 ฿16.5K

109.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.61

5.57

90.48%

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

Last update for Florianopolis: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Florianopolis

$497 38.8%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 7.4% $37

Groceries & Markets

Florianopolis

$208 16.3%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 28.5% $59

Eating Out

Florianopolis

$163 12.8%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 25.7% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Florianopolis

$144 11.3%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 14.1% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Florianopolis

$122 9.5%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 5.2% $6.3

Getting Around

Florianopolis

$99 7.7%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 60.5% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Florianopolis

$46 3.6%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 46.1% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $657 in Florianopolis and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Florianopolis pays 110% 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: $44.00 in Florianopolis vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $208 vs $268, with Florianopolis cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Florianopolis

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

21:14 9:14 PM

07:14 7:14 AM

10 h ahead of Florianopolis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

537,211

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 19, 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 19, 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

Florianopolis Phuket 15,910 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Florianopolis
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

Florianopolis vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Florianopolis. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 110% higher in Florianopolis, 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: $657 in Florianopolis versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $44.00 in Florianopolis. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,279 per month in Florianopolis versus $1,207 in Phuket – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,279 in Florianopolis, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Florianopolis. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,207 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Florianopolis 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Florianopolis. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.