Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Paulista and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Paulista: $740 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Paulista
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Paulista Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Paulista

🇧🇷 Brazil

$740

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $740 in Paulista versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Paulista $740
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,147 in Paulista versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Paulista $1,147
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,554 in Paulista versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Paulista $1,554
Phuket $3,115

Living in Paulista costs roughly 43% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Paulista 45% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.67 R$36.60

$4.39 ฿147

51.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.68 R$80.6

$32.31 ฿1,080

-54.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.55 R$41.42

$8.70 ฿291

-13.22%

Cappuccino

$1.49 R$8.15

$2.72 ฿91.1

-45.22%

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

$0.98 R$5.35

$0.93 ฿31.11

5.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 R$2.10

$0.50 ฿16.70

-24.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 R$9.48

$2.53 ฿84.6

-31.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 R$17.86

$3.63 ฿121

-10.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 R$5.33

$1.74 ฿58.2

-44.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 R$9.25

$1.45 ฿48.51

16.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 R$5.26

$1.50 ฿50.2

-36.00%

Eggs

$2.00 R$10.99

$2.17 ฿72.6

-7.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.68 R$14.70

$19.09 ฿638

-85.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.86 R$15.68

$3.40 ฿114

-15.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.33 R$29.27

$10.90 ฿364

-51.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.91 R$10.46

$2.94 ฿98.3

-35.03%

Banana (1kg)

$0.92 R$5.06

$1.69 ฿56.6

-45.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.83 R$4.58

$2.19 ฿73.4

-62.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.05 R$5.77

$2.12 ฿71.0

-50.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 R$7.24

$1.46 ฿48.77

-9.59%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 R$3.98

$1.37 ฿45.74

-46.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.39 R$2.12

$1.08 ฿35.98

-63.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.65

$0.55 ฿18.24

54.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.03 R$11.15

$4.43 ฿148

-54.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.50 R$19.23

$18.25 ฿610

-80.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 R$7.92

$1.77 ฿59.3

-18.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 R$16.35

$2.88 ฿96.3

3.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 R$5.06

$1.45 ฿48.40

-36.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.62 R$234

$54.9 ฿1,835

-22.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 R$9.91

$1.51 ฿50.6

19.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 R$6.24

$0.78 ฿25.94

46.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 R$15.93

$3.84 ฿128

-24.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 R$5.52

$1.49 ฿49.74

-32.21%

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

$13.0K R$71.4K

$26.9K ฿898.9K

-51.60%

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

$27.9K R$152.8K

$26.3K ฿881.0K

5.73%

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

$42.50 R$233

$97.8 ฿3,271

-56.55%

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

$21.66 R$119

$11.29 ฿378

91.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.70 R$125

$17.19 ฿575

32.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.07 R$132

$68.3 ฿2,285

-64.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.70 R$141

$10.92 ฿365

135.35%

Cinema Ticket

$5.74 R$31.49

$7.43 ฿248

-22.75%

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

$65.6 R$360

$530 ฿17.7K

-87.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,380 R$35.0K

$18.8K ฿628.1K

-66.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.86 R$92.5

$61.7 ฿2,062

-72.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.0 R$351

$28.25 ฿945

126.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.64 R$250

$96.0 ฿3,210

-52.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.7 R$305

$86.8 ฿2,903

-35.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$340 R$1,866

$721 ฿24.1K

-52.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$229 R$1,259

$509 ฿17.0K

-54.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$627 R$3,441

$1,950 ฿65.2K

-67.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$440 R$2,417

$1,397 ฿46.7K

-68.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,564 R$8,583

$4,192 ฿140.2K

-62.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,161 R$6,372

$3,298 ฿110.3K

-64.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

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 Paulista: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Paulista

$229 31%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 122% $279

Groceries & Markets

Paulista

$138 18.6%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 93.8% $129

Eating Out

Paulista

$114 15.5%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 4.5% $5.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Paulista

$87 11.7%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 45.4% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Paulista

$82 11.1%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 49.7% $41

Getting Around

Paulista

$54 7.3%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 22.8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Paulista

$36 4.8%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 134% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $340 in Paulista and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $15 in Paulista vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $138 vs $267 per month, with Paulista cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Paulista

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

23:53 11:53 PM

09:53 9:53 AM

10 h ahead of Paulista

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,167

79,308

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.16 BRL (1 BRL = 0.162 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.54 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Paulista Phuket 14,870 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Paulista
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

Paulista vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Paulista wins on cost – living expenses run 43% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Paulista the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,110 in Paulista and $1,940 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: $340 in Paulista versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $66 in Paulista versus $530 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 94% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Paulista gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.