Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Macaé and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Macaé: $887 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 Macaé
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Macaé Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Macaé

🇧🇷 Brazil

$887

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $887 in Macaé versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Macaé $887
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,495 in Macaé versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Macaé $1,495
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,102 in Macaé versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Macaé $2,102
Phuket $2,845

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.43 R$27.54

$4.40 ฿147

23.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.78 R$151

$32.26 ฿1,078

-7.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.91 R$35.00

$8.76 ฿293

-21.12%

Cappuccino

$1.72 R$8.73

$2.83 ฿94.5

-39.22%

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

$1.39 R$7.04

$0.90 ฿30.14

54.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 R$3.18

$0.47 ฿15.56

34.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 R$6.16

$2.55 ฿85.2

-52.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 R$14.16

$3.83 ฿128

-27.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 R$4.85

$1.73 ฿57.7

-44.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 R$7.91

$1.47 ฿49.11

6.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 R$6.99

$1.51 ฿50.6

-8.61%

Eggs

$1.94 R$9.85

$2.17 ฿72.7

-10.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.12 R$46.21

$19.70 ฿658

-53.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 R$16.92

$3.34 ฿112

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 R$49.10

$11.16 ฿373

-13.17%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 R$9.40

$2.85 ฿95.1

-34.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.11

$1.70 ฿56.9

-29.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.96 R$4.85

$2.19 ฿73.3

-56.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.21

$2.05 ฿68.4

-40.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 R$3.23

$1.45 ฿48.57

-55.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 R$4.09

$1.38 ฿46.16

-41.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 R$2.73

$1.07 ฿35.69

-49.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 R$2.64

$0.51 ฿16.91

1.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.56 R$7.88

$4.26 ฿142

-63.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.09 R$30.86

$18.58 ฿621

-67.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.82

$1.78 ฿59.7

-46.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 R$6.35

$2.85 ฿95.2

-56.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.61 R$8.16

$2.26 ฿75.6

-28.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.9 R$425

$22.10 ฿738

279.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.41 R$7.14

$3.01 ฿101

-53.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R$4.03

$1.06 ฿35.34

-25.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.92 R$40.16

$3.86 ฿129

105.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$1.45 ฿48.45

-11.03%

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

$21.5K R$109.0K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-18.32%

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

$31.2K R$158.2K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

15.79%

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

$100.0 R$507

$96.4 ฿3,221

3.70%

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

$10.21 R$51.7

$11.04 ฿369

-7.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.76 R$95.1

$17.14 ฿573

9.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.82 R$202

$52.2 ฿1,744

-23.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.04 R$173

$11.16 ฿373

205.02%

Cinema Ticket

$6.79 R$34.44

$7.81 ฿261

-13.06%

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

$648 R$3,283

$556 ฿18.6K

16.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,012 R$35.5K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-39.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.1 R$320

$64.2 ฿2,146

-1.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.02 R$162

$28.69 ฿959

11.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.9 R$339

$95.4 ฿3,187

-29.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.66 R$237

$88.0 ฿2,940

-46.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$370 R$1,873

$737 ฿24.6K

-49.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$241 R$1,221

$462 ฿15.5K

-47.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$886 R$4,490

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-57.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R$3,392

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-44.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,270 R$6,436

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-63.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$800 R$4,054

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-68.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$799 R$4,049

$501 ฿16.7K

59.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

5.57

91.56%

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

Last update for Macaé: October 17, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Macaé

$241 27.2%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 92% $221

Groceries & Markets

Macaé

$169 19.1%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 58.6% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Macaé

$129 14.5%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 3.4% $4.4

Eating Out

Macaé

$105 11.8%

Phuket

$121 10% 15.9% $17

Getting Around

Macaé

$96 10.8%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 58.8% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Macaé

$94 10.6%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 32.4% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Macaé

$53 6%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 26.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $370 in Macaé and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Macaé pays 60% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $30.00 in Macaé vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $169 vs $269 per month, with Macaé cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Macaé

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

11:07 11:07 AM

21:07 9:07 PM

10 h ahead of Macaé

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

246,391

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

Macaé Phuket 15,490 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Macaé
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

Macaé vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Macaé and Phuket differ by about 36% in total monthly costs ($887 vs $1,208 including rent). Macaé is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 60% higher in Macaé, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $370 in Macaé versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Macaé – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $887 per month in Macaé versus $1,208 in Phuket – a 36% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $887 in Macaé versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Macaé but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Macaé 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.

Safety-wise, Macaé 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 Macaé gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.