Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lavras and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Lavras: $885 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Lavras
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Lavras Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Lavras

🇧🇷 Brazil

$885

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $885 in Lavras versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Lavras $885
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,256 in Lavras versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Lavras $1,256
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,626 in Lavras versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Lavras $1,626
Phuket $2,845

Living in Lavras costs roughly 27% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lavras 35% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.24 R$21.52

$4.40 ฿147

-3.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.15 R$92.0

$32.26 ฿1,078

-43.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.08 R$40.94

$8.76 ฿293

-7.76%

Cappuccino

$1.89 R$9.60

$2.83 ฿94.5

-33.22%

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

$1.27 R$6.41

$0.90 ฿30.14

41.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.34

$0.47 ฿15.56

40.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 R$10.93

$2.55 ฿85.2

-15.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 R$11.71

$3.83 ฿128

-39.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 R$3.88

$1.73 ฿57.7

-55.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 R$9.11

$1.47 ฿49.11

22.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 R$6.86

$1.51 ฿50.6

-10.60%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.52

$2.17 ฿72.7

4.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.68 R$49.06

$19.70 ฿658

-50.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.42 R$22.41

$3.34 ฿112

32.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.84 R$39.77

$11.16 ฿373

-29.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.21 R$6.15

$2.85 ฿95.1

-57.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

$1.70 ฿56.9

-25.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.82 R$4.14

$2.19 ฿73.3

-62.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.20

$2.05 ฿68.4

-40.49%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 R$3.90

$1.45 ฿48.57

-46.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 R$5.14

$1.38 ฿46.16

-26.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 R$4.03

$1.07 ฿35.69

-25.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 R$3.92

$0.51 ฿16.91

50.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.53 R$12.85

$4.26 ฿142

-40.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.00 R$40.54

$18.58 ฿621

-56.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.97

$1.78 ฿59.7

-33.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 R$8.28

$2.85 ฿95.2

-42.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 R$5.20

$2.26 ฿75.6

-54.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.6 R$307

$22.10 ฿738

174.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 R$5.24

$3.01 ฿101

-65.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 R$3.83

$1.06 ฿35.34

-29.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.45 R$32.68

$3.86 ฿129

67.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.59

$1.45 ฿48.45

-10.34%

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

$22.9K R$116.2K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-12.97%

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

$33.6K R$170.2K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

24.64%

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

$76.4 R$387

$96.4 ฿3,221

-20.76%

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

$10.43 R$52.9

$11.04 ฿369

-5.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.61 R$104

$17.14 ฿573

20.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.07 R$152

$52.2 ฿1,744

-42.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.16 R$92.1

$11.16 ฿373

62.72%

Cinema Ticket

$7.92 R$40.16

$7.81 ฿261

1.41%

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

$286 R$1,452

$556 ฿18.6K

-48.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,301 R$16.7K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-71.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.6 R$307

$64.2 ฿2,146

-5.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.25 R$250

$28.69 ฿959

71.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.2 R$503

$95.4 ฿3,187

4.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.8 R$359

$88.0 ฿2,940

-19.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$359 R$1,819

$737 ฿24.6K

-51.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$252 R$1,278

$462 ฿15.5K

-45.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$347 R$1,759

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-83.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$276 R$1,400

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-77.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,212 R$6,142

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-65.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$997 R$5,055

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-60.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$482 R$2,445

$501 ฿16.7K

-3.68%

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 Lavras: October 19, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lavras

$252 28.5%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 83.4% $210

Groceries & Markets

Lavras

$180 20.3%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 49.4% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Lavras

$126 14.2%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 1.3% $1.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lavras

$107 12.1%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 16% $17

Eating Out

Lavras

$104 11.8%

Phuket

$121 10% 16.6% $17

Getting Around

Lavras

$70 7.9%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 43.3% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Lavras

$46 5.2%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 47.7% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $359 in Lavras and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 4% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $18.00 in Lavras vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $180 vs $269 per month, with Lavras cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Lavras

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

23:22 11:22 PM

09:22 9:22 AM

10 h ahead of Lavras

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

104,761

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 22, 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 22, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Lavras Phuket 15,820 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Lavras
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

Lavras vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lavras wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lavras the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 4% lower in Phuket. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $359 in Lavras versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lavras runs roughly 174% less than in Phuket. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $286 in Lavras versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $885 in Lavras versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Lavras but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Lavras the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lavras delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $885 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lavras hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lavras 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 Lavras gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.