Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Araraquara

For one person, living is cheaper in Araraquara: $620 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Araraquara
Learn more

Araraquara Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Araraquara

🇧🇷 Brazil

$620

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Araraquara

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 Araraquara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $620 in Araraquara.

Phuket $1,278
Araraquara $620

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,027 in Araraquara.

Phuket $2,216
Araraquara $1,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,434 in Araraquara.

Phuket $3,154
Araraquara $1,434

Living in Phuket is roughly 106% more expensive than in Araraquara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Araraquara 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$5.59 R$29.91

-20.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$22.50 R$120

44.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.70 R$35.82

31.49%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.10 R$11.23

34.76%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.54 R$8.21

-43.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.79 R$4.20

-37.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$1.90 R$10.16

34.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.76 R$20.12

-2.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.82 R$4.41

102.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.19 R$6.39

22.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.07 R$5.70

40.19%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.32 R$12.39

-9.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$6.24 R$33.35

205.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.20 R$17.10

3.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$5.75 R$30.75

89.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.29 R$6.88

127.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.88 R$4.71

92.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.84 R$4.50

167.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.17 R$6.28

77.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.79 R$4.24

91.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.70 R$3.77

97.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.58 R$3.08

84.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.69 R$3.70

-24.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.90 R$10.18

121.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$4.75 R$25.41

295.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.91 R$4.89

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.51 R$8.09

88.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.01 R$5.42

43.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$24.46 R$131

131.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.18 R$6.33

155.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.97 R$5.21

5.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$8.84 R$47.24

-58.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.09 R$5.84

34.86%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$21.7K R$116.3K

23.15%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$22.4K R$119.9K

19.02%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$40.58 R$217

137.43%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$9.21 R$49.24

22.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$16.87 R$90.2

-0.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$24.45 R$131

174.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$18.70 R$100.0

-42.62%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$3.73 R$19.95

101.07%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$280 R$1,495

70.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$7,013 R$37.5K

60.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$43.26 R$231

44.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$41.02 R$219

-30.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$86.8 R$464

8.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$51.2 R$274

67.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$212 R$1,135

237.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$132 R$708

270.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$465 R$2,487

314.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$322 R$1,721

344.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$1,288 R$6,888

224.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$430 R$2,300

16.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.12

-49.91%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Araraquara: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Araraquara

$132 21.4% 73% $359

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Araraquara

$138 22.3% 48.1% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Araraquara

$67 10.8% 46.4% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Araraquara

$100 16.1% 17.9% $22

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Araraquara

$116 18.8% 4.4% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Araraquara

$32 5.2% 61.2% $50

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Araraquara

$35 5.6% 51% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $212 in Araraquara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 17% 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: $32 in Phuket vs $22 in Araraquara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $138 per month, with Araraquara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇷 Araraquara

🕒 Local time

08:03 8:03 AM

22:03 10:03 PM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

242,228

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Araraquara 16,120 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Araraquara

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 Araraquara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $620 in Araraquara, so Araraquara is about 51% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 17% higher in Phuket, 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: $716 in Phuket versus $212 in Araraquara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 93% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Araraquara – a meal for two runs $22 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $620 in Araraquara versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Araraquara but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Araraquara 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 Araraquara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.