Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fortaleza and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Fortaleza: $872 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Fortaleza
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Fortaleza Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Fortaleza

🇧🇷 Brazil

$872

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $872 per month in Fortaleza vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Fortaleza $872
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,391 per month in Fortaleza vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Fortaleza $1,391
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $1,909 per month in Fortaleza vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Fortaleza $1,909
Phuket $3,154

Fortaleza is about 32% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Fortaleza and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Fortaleza 36% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.67 R$30.30

$4.47 ฿151

26.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.52 R$147

$32.41 ฿1,094

-15.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 R$40.06

$8.81 ฿297

-14.98%

Cappuccino

$2.18 R$11.68

$2.83 ฿95.5

-22.97%

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

$1.08 R$5.75

$0.87 ฿29.43

24.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 R$3.40

$0.49 ฿16.67

30.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.09 R$11.18

$2.56 ฿86.4

-18.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 R$20.20

$3.68 ฿124

2.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 R$5.94

$1.66 ฿56.0

-33.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 R$10.01

$1.46 ฿49.35

28.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 R$6.00

$1.50 ฿50.6

-25.33%

Eggs

$1.65 R$8.84

$2.09 ฿70.5

-21.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.19 R$38.45

$19.07 ฿644

-62.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.84 R$20.55

$3.30 ฿111

16.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.71 R$46.58

$10.91 ฿368

-20.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 R$14.57

$2.93 ฿99.0

-7.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 R$6.99

$1.69 ฿57.1

-22.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.76 R$4.07

$2.25 ฿75.8

-66.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.70 R$9.11

$2.08 ฿70.1

-18.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 R$6.34

$1.51 ฿51.0

-21.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 R$5.37

$1.38 ฿46.56

-27.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 R$4.96

$1.07 ฿35.99

-13.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 R$5.24

$0.52 ฿17.52

88.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.06 R$10.99

$4.20 ฿142

-50.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.52 R$34.88

$18.79 ฿634

-65.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R$7.42

$1.82 ฿61.5

-23.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 R$7.91

$2.84 ฿95.9

-47.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 R$5.21

$1.45 ฿49.03

-33.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.47 R$243

$56.7 ฿1,913

-19.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.26 R$6.75

$3.02 ฿102

-58.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$4.17

$1.02 ฿34.36

-23.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 R$37.40

$3.69 ฿125

89.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 R$6.71

$1.47 ฿49.81

-14.97%

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

$22.2K R$118.4K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-17.27%

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

$31.1K R$166.1K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

16.41%

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

$114 R$610

$96.4 ฿3,254

18.50%

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

$10.10 R$54.0

$11.26 ฿380

-10.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.69 R$105

$16.85 ฿569

16.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.72 R$127

$67.2 ฿2,270

-64.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.82 R$213

$10.73 ฿362

271.11%

Cinema Ticket

$7.31 R$39.06

$7.50 ฿253

-2.53%

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

$199 R$1,063

$476 ฿16.1K

-58.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,707 R$19.8K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-67.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 R$322

$62.4 ฿2,106

-3.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.6 R$303

$28.41 ฿959

99.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 R$635

$94.3 ฿3,184

25.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.4 R$344

$85.8 ฿2,898

-24.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$307 R$1,644

$716 ฿24.2K

-57.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$197 R$1,052

$491 ฿16.6K

-59.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$546 R$2,917

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-71.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$432 R$2,308

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-69.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,356 R$12.6K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-43.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,270 R$6,792

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-58.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$460 R$2,460

$502 ฿17.0K

-8.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.38

5.57

104.31%

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

Last update for Fortaleza: 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

Fortaleza

$197 22.6%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 150% $294

Groceries & Markets

Fortaleza

$185 21.2%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 44% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fortaleza

$144 16.5%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 13.5% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Fortaleza

$135 15.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 9.7% $13

Eating Out

Fortaleza

$119 13.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 2.4% $2.8

Getting Around

Fortaleza

$55 6.3%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 29.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Fortaleza

$38 4.4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 115% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $307 in Fortaleza versus $716 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 9% 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 $28 in Fortaleza versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $185 vs $266 – making Fortaleza the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Fortaleza

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:43 2:43 PM

00:43 12:43 AM

10 h ahead of Fortaleza

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,428,708

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 = 5.95 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 = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Fortaleza Phuket 15,230 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Fortaleza
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

Fortaleza vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 47% more than Fortaleza, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,308 per month in Fortaleza and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Fortaleza, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $307 there versus $716 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28 in Fortaleza and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $872 in Fortaleza and $1,278 in Phuket. That’s a gap of about 47%.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $872 in Fortaleza and $1,278 in Phuket. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Fortaleza costs $872 versus $1,278 in Phuket. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Fortaleza. 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.