Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Imbituba and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Imbituba: $795 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Imbituba
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Imbituba Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Imbituba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$795

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $795 in Imbituba versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Imbituba $795
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,262 in Imbituba versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Imbituba $1,262
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,729 in Imbituba versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Imbituba $1,729
Phuket $3,115

Living in Imbituba costs roughly 39% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Imbituba 41% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.73 R$25.83

$4.39 ฿147

7.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.27 R$154

$32.31 ฿1,078

-12.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.38 R$34.85

$8.70 ฿290

-26.67%

Cappuccino

$1.79 R$9.76

$2.72 ฿90.9

-34.19%

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

$1.06 R$5.78

$0.93 ฿31.06

13.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 R$2.66

$0.50 ฿16.67

-2.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 R$12.05

$2.53 ฿84.5

-13.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 R$12.33

$3.63 ฿121

-37.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 R$5.10

$1.74 ฿58.1

-46.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 R$6.30

$1.45 ฿48.42

-20.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 R$4.73

$1.50 ฿50.1

-42.00%

Eggs

$2.05 R$11.19

$2.17 ฿72.5

-5.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.55 R$41.25

$19.09 ฿637

-60.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.95 R$16.10

$3.40 ฿113

-13.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.19 R$33.81

$10.90 ฿364

-43.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.47 R$8.04

$2.94 ฿98.2

-50.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.77 R$4.20

$1.69 ฿56.5

-54.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.25

$2.19 ฿73.2

-47.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.77 R$4.22

$2.12 ฿70.9

-63.68%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 R$3.96

$1.46 ฿48.68

-50.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 R$6.44

$1.37 ฿45.66

-13.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 R$7.52

$1.08 ฿35.91

27.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 R$5.07

$0.55 ฿18.21

69.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$16.45

$4.43 ฿148

-32.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.63 R$47.15

$18.25 ฿609

-52.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 R$5.87

$1.77 ฿59.2

-39.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 R$16.35

$2.88 ฿96.2

3.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 R$5.05

$1.45 ฿48.32

-36.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.53 R$227

$54.9 ฿1,832

-24.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.89 R$10.35

$1.51 ฿50.5

25.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 R$8.25

$0.78 ฿25.90

93.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.12 R$49.86

$3.84 ฿128

137.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 R$6.66

$1.49 ฿49.65

-18.12%

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

$22.5K R$123.0K

$26.9K ฿897.3K

-16.22%

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

$31.6K R$172.4K

$26.3K ฿879.4K

19.79%

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

$57.4 R$313

$97.8 ฿3,265

-41.37%

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

$10.64 R$58.2

$11.29 ฿377

-5.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.85 R$108

$17.19 ฿574

15.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.31 R$133

$68.3 ฿2,281

-64.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.89 R$141

$10.92 ฿365

137.09%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 R$45.56

$7.43 ฿248

12.25%

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

$301 R$1,642

$530 ฿17.7K

-43.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,099 R$33.3K

$18.8K ฿626.9K

-67.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.34 R$231

$61.7 ฿2,059

-31.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$85.8 R$469

$28.25 ฿943

203.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.1 R$459

$96.0 ฿3,204

-12.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.5 R$352

$86.8 ฿2,898

-25.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$330 R$1,801

$721 ฿24.1K

-54.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$228 R$1,246

$509 ฿17.0K

-55.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$631 R$3,450

$1,950 ฿65.1K

-67.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 R$2,410

$1,397 ฿46.6K

-68.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,549 R$8,460

$4,192 ฿139.9K

-63.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,156 R$6,315

$3,298 ฿110.1K

-64.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.5

5.57

88.51%

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

Last update for Imbituba: October 31, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Imbituba

$228 28.7%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 123% $281

Groceries & Markets

Imbituba

$159 20%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 68.2% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Imbituba

$125 15.7%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 1.4% $1.8

Eating Out

Imbituba

$100 12.6%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 19.4% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Imbituba

$88 11.1%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 43.8% $38

Getting Around

Imbituba

$55 6.9%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 20.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Imbituba

$41 5.2%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 103% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $330 in Imbituba and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $28 in Imbituba vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $159 vs $267 per month, with Imbituba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Imbituba

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

16:19 4:19 PM

02:19 2:19 AM

10 h ahead of Imbituba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,579

79,308

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.14 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.51 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Imbituba Phuket 15,890 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Imbituba
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

Imbituba vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Imbituba is about 39% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,192 in Imbituba and $1,940 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $330 in Imbituba versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 68% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Imbituba – a meal for two runs $28 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $795 in Imbituba versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Imbituba but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Imbituba the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Imbituba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.