Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Aracatuba

For one person, living is cheaper in Aracatuba: $876 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Aracatuba
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Aracatuba Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Aracatuba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$876

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Aracatuba

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Aracatuba actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $876 in Aracatuba, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Aracatuba $876

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $1,399 in Aracatuba, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Aracatuba $1,399

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $1,922 in Aracatuba, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Aracatuba $1,922

Phuket costs about 38% more than Aracatuba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Aracatuba are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Aracatuba 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$6.10 R$30.92

-27.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$32.65 R$165

-1.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$7.61 R$38.59

15.11%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.06 R$10.42

37.38%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.27 R$6.46

-29.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.77 R$3.91

-38.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$2.02 R$10.22

26.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.05 R$15.45

25.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.05 R$5.33

64.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.73 R$8.78

-15.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.30 R$6.60

16.15%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.24 R$11.34

-3.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$9.25 R$46.89

112.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$4.27 R$21.65

-21.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$8.60 R$43.59

29.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.21 R$11.19

28.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.27 R$6.43

33.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.22 R$6.17

79.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.59 R$8.08

28.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.22 R$6.17

18.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.11 R$5.63

24.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.84 R$4.25

27.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.79 R$3.99

-35.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.53 R$12.80

68.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$7.89 R$39.97

135.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.27 R$6.45

40.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.13 R$10.80

33.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$1.04 R$5.25

117.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$43.23 R$219

-48.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.27 R$6.43

137.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.91 R$4.63

16.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$7.86 R$39.85

-50.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.32 R$6.70

9.85%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$24.2K R$122.9K

8.60%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$32.7K R$165.9K

-17.68%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$75.1 R$381

28.32%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$12.43 R$63.0

-11.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$20.99 R$106

-18.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$25.96 R$132

101.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$27.51 R$139

-59.43%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$7.16 R$36.28

9.08%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$279 R$1,417

98.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$7,322 R$37.1K

58.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$56.4 R$286

13.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$50.5 R$256

-43.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$91.4 R$463

4.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$72.9 R$369

20.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$360 R$1,826

104.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$238 R$1,206

94.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$681 R$3,452

207.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$468 R$2,371

156.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$1,706 R$8,646

104.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,190 R$6,033

112.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$386 R$1,956

29.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-49.36%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Aracatuba: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Aracatuba

$238 27.2% 48.6% $225

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Aracatuba

$193 22.1% 28% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Aracatuba

$109 12.4% 12.9% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Aracatuba

$122 13.9% 1.8% $2.3

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Aracatuba

$121 13.8% 0.5% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Aracatuba

$40 4.6% 40.6% $28

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Aracatuba

$53 6.1% 34.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $360 in Aracatuba. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 30% higher in Phuket, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $33.00 in Aracatuba. Groceries tell a different story – $269 in Phuket vs $193 in Aracatuba – so Aracatuba wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇷 Aracatuba

🕒 Local time

01:49 1:49 AM

15:49 3:49 PM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

200,124

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Aracatuba 16,360 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Aracatuba

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

Phuket vs Aracatuba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,208 in Phuket, $876 in Aracatuba – roughly 38% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $1,314 in Aracatuba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aracatuba, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $556 per month in Phuket and $279 in Aracatuba. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Phuket, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Aracatuba, where all-in costs run around $876, than in Phuket at $1,208. In Aracatuba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $876 in Aracatuba to $1,208 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Aracatuba. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.