Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guarulhos and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Guarulhos: $964 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

47

Cost of Living Index in Guarulhos
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Guarulhos Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Guarulhos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$964

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $964 per month in Guarulhos vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Guarulhos $964
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $1,764 per month in Guarulhos vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Guarulhos $1,764
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $2,565 per month in Guarulhos vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Guarulhos $2,565
Phuket $2,845

Guarulhos is about 20% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Guarulhos and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Guarulhos 29% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.69 R$44.06

$4.40 ฿147

97.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.01 R$203

$32.26 ฿1,078

24.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.00 R$45.61

$8.76 ฿293

2.74%

Cappuccino

$2.46 R$12.50

$2.83 ฿94.5

-13.07%

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

$1.35 R$6.82

$0.90 ฿30.14

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 R$4.37

$0.47 ฿15.56

82.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.39

$2.55 ฿85.2

-4.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 R$19.65

$3.83 ฿128

1.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 R$5.32

$1.73 ฿57.7

-39.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 R$9.52

$1.47 ฿49.11

27.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 R$6.76

$1.51 ฿50.6

-11.92%

Eggs

$2.46 R$12.47

$2.17 ฿72.7

13.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 R$63.9

$19.70 ฿658

-35.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 R$24.27

$3.34 ฿112

43.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.70 R$54.3

$11.16 ฿373

-4.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.38 R$12.07

$2.85 ฿95.1

-16.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 R$8.71

$1.70 ฿56.9

1.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$7.74

$2.19 ฿73.3

-30.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 R$7.76

$2.05 ฿68.4

-25.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.40

$1.45 ฿48.57

-13.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 R$6.00

$1.38 ฿46.16

-14.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 R$4.97

$1.07 ฿35.69

-8.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.32

$0.51 ฿16.91

66.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.49 R$12.65

$4.26 ฿142

-41.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.88 R$50.1

$18.58 ฿621

-46.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R$7.62

$1.78 ฿59.7

-15.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 R$12.64

$2.85 ฿95.2

-12.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 R$6.30

$2.26 ฿75.6

-45.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 R$532

$22.10 ฿738

374.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$5.94

$3.01 ฿101

-61.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 R$3.64

$1.06 ฿35.34

-32.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.49 R$43.03

$3.86 ฿129

119.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 R$6.50

$1.45 ฿48.45

-11.72%

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

$23.6K R$119.5K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-10.43%

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

$34.2K R$173.5K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

26.99%

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

$91.6 R$465

$96.4 ฿3,221

-4.92%

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

$14.98 R$75.9

$11.04 ฿369

35.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.33 R$113

$17.14 ฿573

30.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.22 R$143

$52.2 ฿1,744

-45.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$10.05 R$50.9

$7.81 ฿261

28.68%

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

$429 R$2,173

$556 ฿18.6K

-22.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K R$56.0K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-4.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.1 R$330

$64.2 ฿2,146

1.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 R$289

$28.69 ฿959

98.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 R$467

$95.4 ฿3,187

-3.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.5 R$403

$88.0 ฿2,940

-9.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$349 R$1,770

$737 ฿24.6K

-52.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$158 R$801

$462 ฿15.5K

-65.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 R$5,042

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-52.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$768 R$3,895

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-36.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,944 R$9,855

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-44.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,480 R$7,502

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-41.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$378 R$1,914

$501 ฿16.7K

-24.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.25

5.57

101.97%

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

Last update for Guarulhos: October 19, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Guarulhos

$227 23.5%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 18.4% $42

Accommodation & Living

Guarulhos

$158 16.4%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 193% $304

Eating Out

Guarulhos

$155 16.1%

Phuket

$121 10% 21.7% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Guarulhos

$132 13.7%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 6% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guarulhos

$129 13.4%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 3.4% $4.4

Getting Around

Guarulhos

$115 11.9%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 65.6% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Guarulhos

$48 5%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 40.3% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $349 in Guarulhos versus $737 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 33% 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 $40.00 in Guarulhos versus $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $227 in Guarulhos vs $269 in Phuket – so Guarulhos wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Guarulhos

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

10:19 10:19 AM

20:19 8:19 PM

10 h ahead of Guarulhos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,291,771

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

Guarulhos Phuket 15,900 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Guarulhos
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

Guarulhos vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 25% more than Guarulhos, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,446 per month in Guarulhos and $1,813 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Guarulhos and $32.00 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 $964 in Guarulhos and $1,208 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 25%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Guarulhos, where all-in costs run around $964, than in Phuket at $1,208. In Guarulhos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Guarulhos costs $964 versus $1,208 in Phuket. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Guarulhos. 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.