Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montes Claros and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Montes Claros: $818 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Montes Claros
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Montes Claros Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Montes Claros

🇧🇷 Brazil

$818

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $818 in Montes Claros versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Montes Claros $818
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,288 in Montes Claros versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Montes Claros $1,288
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,758 in Montes Claros versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Montes Claros $1,758
Phuket $3,115

Living in Montes Claros costs roughly 37% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Montes Claros 39% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.26 R$17.79

$4.39 ฿147

-25.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.27 R$160

$32.31 ฿1,085

-9.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.33 R$40.03

$8.70 ฿292

-15.75%

Cappuccino

$1.81 R$9.87

$2.72 ฿91.5

-33.46%

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

$1.19 R$6.47

$0.93 ฿31.25

27.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 R$3.77

$0.50 ฿16.78

38.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.35 R$7.35

$2.53 ฿85.0

-46.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 R$15.44

$3.63 ฿122

-22.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 R$5.05

$1.74 ฿58.4

-46.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 R$8.67

$1.45 ฿48.73

9.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.15 R$6.29

$1.50 ฿50.5

-23.33%

Eggs

$2.08 R$11.35

$2.17 ฿73.0

-4.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.47 R$51.7

$19.09 ฿641

-50.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.98 R$21.71

$3.40 ฿114

17.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.86 R$42.91

$10.90 ฿366

-27.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 R$13.23

$2.94 ฿98.8

-17.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.65

$1.69 ฿56.8

-27.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.78

$2.19 ฿73.7

-51.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 R$8.26

$2.12 ฿71.4

-28.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.74

$1.46 ฿48.99

-15.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 R$5.46

$1.37 ฿45.95

-27.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 R$3.98

$1.08 ฿36.14

-32.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 R$3.58

$0.55 ฿18.32

18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.20 R$12.00

$4.43 ฿149

-50.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.21 R$39.39

$18.25 ฿613

-60.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 R$6.82

$1.77 ฿59.5

-29.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 R$11.34

$2.88 ฿96.8

-27.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 R$5.02

$1.45 ฿48.62

-36.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.11 R$219

$54.9 ฿1,844

-26.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.15 R$6.27

$1.51 ฿50.8

-23.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 R$3.85

$0.78 ฿26.06

-8.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.12 R$38.88

$3.84 ฿129

85.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 R$5.40

$1.49 ฿49.96

-33.56%

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

$19.7K R$107.6K

$26.9K ฿902.9K

-26.69%

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

$34.4K R$187.6K

$26.3K ฿884.9K

30.41%

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

$79.0 R$431

$97.8 ฿3,285

-19.25%

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

$10.66 R$58.2

$11.29 ฿379

-5.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.00 R$98.3

$17.19 ฿577

4.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.05 R$131

$68.3 ฿2,295

-64.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.54 R$139

$10.92 ฿367

133.88%

Cinema Ticket

$7.42 R$40.52

$7.43 ฿250

-0.13%

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

$296 R$1,616

$530 ฿17.8K

-44.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,015 R$32.8K

$18.8K ฿630.9K

-67.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.2 R$279

$61.7 ฿2,072

-17.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.32 R$247

$28.25 ฿949

60.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.1 R$443

$96.0 ฿3,225

-15.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.1 R$372

$86.8 ฿2,916

-21.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$341 R$1,862

$721 ฿24.2K

-52.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$240 R$1,313

$509 ฿17.1K

-52.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$645 R$3,524

$1,950 ฿65.5K

-66.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 R$2,473

$1,397 ฿46.9K

-67.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,777 R$9,703

$4,192 ฿140.8K

-57.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,287 R$7,028

$3,298 ฿110.8K

-60.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$373 R$2,034

$492 ฿16.5K

-24.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

97.49%

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

Last update for Montes Claros: November 2, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montes Claros

$240 29.4%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 112% $268

Groceries & Markets

Montes Claros

$182 22.3%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 46.3% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Montes Claros

$111 13.5%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 11% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montes Claros

$108 13.2%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 17.3% $19

Eating Out

Montes Claros

$90 11%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 33.4% $30

Getting Around

Montes Claros

$48 5.9%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 36.3% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Montes Claros

$39 4.8%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 114% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $341 in Montes Claros and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 32% 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: $29 in Montes Claros vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $182 vs $267 per month, with Montes Claros cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Montes Claros

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:55 7:55 AM

17:55 5:55 PM

10 h ahead of Montes Claros

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

414,240

79,308

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Montes Claros Phuket 15,810 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Montes Claros
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

Montes Claros vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $818 in Montes Claros and $1,294 in Phuket, so Montes Claros is about 37% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 24% lower in Montes Claros. 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: $341 in Montes Claros versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Montes Claros runs roughly 27% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $296 in Montes Claros versus $530 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $818 in Montes Claros versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Montes Claros but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Montes Claros 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 Montes Claros 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.