Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Itapema and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Itapema: $772 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Itapema
Learn more

Itapema Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Itapema

🇧🇷 Brazil

$772

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $772 in Itapema versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Itapema $772
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,233 in Itapema versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Itapema $1,233
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,694 in Itapema versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Itapema $1,694
Phuket $2,845

Living in Itapema costs roughly 36% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Itapema 43% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.55 R$28.13

$4.40 ฿147

26.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.67 R$140

$32.26 ฿1,078

-14.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.45 R$32.69

$8.76 ฿293

-26.37%

Cappuccino

$1.75 R$8.89

$2.83 ฿94.5

-38.16%

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

$1.08 R$5.46

$0.90 ฿30.14

20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 R$3.26

$0.47 ฿15.56

36.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 R$9.05

$2.55 ฿85.2

-29.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 R$13.45

$3.83 ฿128

-30.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 R$5.03

$1.73 ฿57.7

-42.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 R$7.59

$1.47 ฿49.11

2.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 R$5.79

$1.51 ฿50.6

-24.50%

Eggs

$2.03 R$10.28

$2.17 ฿72.7

-6.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.39 R$42.52

$19.70 ฿658

-57.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 R$18.52

$3.34 ฿112

9.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.28 R$36.90

$11.16 ฿373

-34.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.06 R$10.46

$2.85 ฿95.1

-27.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.30

$1.70 ฿56.9

-27.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.16 R$5.87

$2.19 ฿73.3

-47.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 R$7.57

$2.05 ฿68.4

-27.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 R$5.82

$1.45 ฿48.57

-20.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 R$5.33

$1.38 ฿46.16

-23.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 R$3.42

$1.07 ฿35.69

-36.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 R$3.19

$0.51 ฿16.91

23.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.09 R$10.62

$4.26 ฿142

-50.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.45 R$37.75

$18.58 ฿621

-59.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 R$6.30

$1.78 ฿59.7

-30.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 R$10.43

$2.85 ฿95.2

-27.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 R$4.67

$2.26 ฿75.6

-59.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.79 R$192

$22.10 ฿738

71.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 R$5.54

$3.01 ฿101

-63.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 R$3.57

$1.06 ฿35.34

-33.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.54 R$33.18

$3.86 ฿129

69.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 R$5.25

$1.45 ฿48.45

-28.28%

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

$21.0K R$106.5K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-20.22%

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

$28.1K R$142.6K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

4.43%

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

$59.5 R$302

$96.4 ฿3,221

-38.27%

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

$13.32 R$67.5

$11.04 ฿369

20.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.44 R$93.5

$17.14 ฿573

7.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.93 R$116

$52.2 ฿1,744

-56.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.84 R$111

$11.16 ฿373

95.70%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 R$32.89

$7.81 ฿261

-16.90%

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

$278 R$1,410

$556 ฿18.6K

-49.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,357 R$32.2K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-45.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.61 R$236

$64.2 ฿2,146

-27.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.86 R$217

$28.69 ฿959

49.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.2 R$386

$95.4 ฿3,187

-20.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.5 R$317

$88.0 ฿2,940

-28.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$320 R$1,623

$737 ฿24.6K

-56.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$217 R$1,099

$462 ฿15.5K

-53.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$571 R$2,897

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-72.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$427 R$2,164

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-64.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,472 R$7,464

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-57.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,044 R$5,292

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-58.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.92

5.57

96.05%

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

Last update for Itapema: October 20, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Itapema

$217 28.1%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 113% $246

Groceries & Markets

Itapema

$174 22.5%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 54.6% $95

Eating Out

Itapema

$106 13.7%

Phuket

$121 10% 14.5% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Itapema

$103 13.3%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 21.1% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Itapema

$91 11.8%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 36.5% $33

Getting Around

Itapema

$46 6%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 14.4% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Itapema

$36 4.7%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 88.8% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $320 in Itapema and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $28.00 in Itapema vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $174 vs $269 per month, with Itapema cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Itapema

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:52 6:52 PM

04:52 4:52 AM

10 h ahead of Itapema

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,940

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 21, 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 21, 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

Itapema Phuket 15,940 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Itapema
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

Itapema vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Itapema is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 56% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,159 in Itapema and $1,813 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: $320 in Itapema versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $772 per month in Itapema versus $1,208 in Phuket – a 56% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Itapema runs roughly 71% less than in Phuket. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $772 in Itapema versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Itapema but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Itapema the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Itapema is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Itapema 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 Itapema gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.