Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Itajai and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Itajai: $1,002 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Itajai
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Itajai Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Itajai

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,002

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,002 per month in Itajai vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Itajai $1,002
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $1,225 per month in Itajai vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Itajai $1,225
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $1,448 per month in Itajai vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Itajai $1,448
Phuket $2,867

Itajai is about 17% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Itajai and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Itajai 26% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.87 R$29.75

$4.58 ฿153

28.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.47 R$205

$32.48 ฿1,086

24.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.05 R$45.86

$8.55 ฿286

5.85%

Cappuccino

$2.52 R$12.77

$2.72 ฿91.0

-7.35%

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

$1.16 R$5.88

$0.94 ฿31.25

23.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$4.87

$0.49 ฿16.39

95.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 R$13.83

$2.59 ฿86.6

5.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 R$15.63

$3.83 ฿128

-19.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 R$4.93

$1.74 ฿58.1

-44.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 R$7.95

$1.43 ฿47.82

9.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 R$5.22

$1.53 ฿51.0

-32.68%

Eggs

$2.19 R$11.12

$2.17 ฿72.7

0.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.78 R$49.60

$19.15 ฿640

-48.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.51 R$22.87

$3.30 ฿110

36.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.78 R$39.44

$11.14 ฿372

-30.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.30

$2.95 ฿98.5

-37.63%

Banana (1kg)

$0.96 R$4.84

$1.68 ฿56.1

-42.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 R$5.09

$2.30 ฿76.8

-56.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.92

$2.13 ฿71.3

-36.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 R$4.20

$1.53 ฿51.1

-45.75%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 R$2.95

$1.36 ฿45.55

-57.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.79

$1.12 ฿37.44

-33.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 R$3.94

$0.55 ฿18.24

41.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.95 R$14.97

$4.26 ฿142

-30.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.31 R$37.03

$18.19 ฿608

-59.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.30

$1.74 ฿58.2

-51.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 R$9.65

$2.79 ฿93.3

-31.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 R$4.45

$2.22 ฿74.1

-60.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 R$6.46

$2.91 ฿97.3

-56.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.21

$1.01 ฿33.79

-17.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.10 R$30.93

$3.83 ฿128

59.27%

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$119.8K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-11.42%

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

$33.4K R$169.3K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

25.06%

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

$101 R$514

$99.4 ฿3,321

1.94%

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

$11.17 R$56.6

$11.28 ฿377

-0.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.25 R$118

$17.36 ฿580

33.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.46 R$139

$52.3 ฿1,747

-47.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.69 R$38.96

$7.57 ฿253

1.59%

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

$283 R$1,435

$558 ฿18.7K

-49.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,139 R$26.1K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-55.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 R$369

$62.9 ฿2,102

15.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$74.0 R$375

$28.58 ฿955

159.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.9 R$496

$96.1 ฿3,213

1.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.9 R$410

$88.1 ฿2,943

-8.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$498 R$2,524

$729 ฿24.4K

-31.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 R$1,812

$460 ฿15.4K

-22.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,427 R$7,232

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-31.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,324 R$11.8K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-32.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$632 R$3,201

$493 ฿16.5K

28.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.68

5.57

91.74%

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

Last update for Itajai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Itajai

$357 35.7%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 28.7% $103

Groceries & Markets

Itajai

$178 17.8%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 50.4% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Itajai

$146 14.6%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 15.3% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Itajai

$136 13.6%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 5.7% $7.7

Eating Out

Itajai

$133 13.2%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 8.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Itajai

$43 4.3%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 57.4% $25

Getting Around

Itajai

$8.9 * 0.9%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 335% $30

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $498 in Itajai versus $729 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 28% higher in Itajai, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Itajai versus $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $178 in Itajai vs $268 in Phuket – so Itajai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Itajai

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

01:18 1:18 AM

11:18 11:18 AM

10 h ahead of Itajai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

264,054

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

Itajai Phuket 15,950 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Itajai
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

Itajai vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,002 in Itajai, $1,207 in Phuket – roughly 20% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,503 per month in Itajai and $1,811 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,002 in Itajai and $1,207 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 20%.

Kindergarten costs $283 per month in Itajai and $558 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Itajai, where all-in costs run around $1,002, than in Phuket at $1,207. In Itajai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,002 in Itajai to $1,207 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Itajai. 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.