Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bauru

For one person, living is cheaper in Bauru: $777 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Bauru
Learn more

Bauru Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Bauru

🇧🇷 Brazil

$777

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bauru

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $777 in Bauru.

Phuket $1,278
Bauru $777

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,191 in Bauru.

Phuket $2,216
Bauru $1,191

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,606 in Bauru.

Phuket $3,154
Bauru $1,606

Living in Phuket is roughly 64% more expensive than in Bauru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Bauru 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.78 R$25.74

-6.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$24.95 R$134

29.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.12 R$38.32

23.74%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.55 R$8.36

82.58%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.85 R$4.60

2.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.50 R$2.68

-2.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.46 R$7.86

75.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.47 R$13.28

48.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.87 R$4.70

90.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.36 R$7.33

7.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.18 R$6.35

27.12%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.30 R$12.37

-9.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$7.27 R$39.11

162.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.13 R$22.20

-20.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$5.98 R$32.16

82.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.92 R$10.35

52.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.30 R$7.00

30.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.19 R$6.38

89.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.71 R$9.21

21.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.33 R$7.18

13.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.17 R$6.31

17.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.31 R$7.07

-18.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.90 R$4.87

-42.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.21 R$11.92

90.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.66 R$35.87

182.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.13 R$6.10

61.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.15 R$11.59

32.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.95 R$5.11

52.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$27.87 R$150

103.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.78 R$9.59

69.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$1.19 R$6.42

-14.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$3.66 R$19.68

0.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.06 R$5.69

38.68%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$22.5K R$121.1K

18.96%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$32.6K R$175.2K

-18.01%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$130 R$699

-25.80%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$9.51 R$51.2

18.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$18.40 R$99.0

-8.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$17.47 R$94.0

284.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$21.60 R$116

-50.32%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.01 R$26.96

49.70%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$241 R$1,297

97.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$5,563 R$29.9K

102.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$64.0 R$344

-2.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$46.43 R$250

-38.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$103 R$555

-8.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$73.3 R$394

17.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$227 R$1,220

215.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$154 R$831

217.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$430 R$2,312

348.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$285 R$1,533

402.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$1,517 R$8,166

175.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$669 R$3,600

355.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$355 R$1,909

41.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.59

-41.92%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bauru: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Bauru

$154 19.9% 68.5% $337

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Bauru

$173 22.3% 35% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Bauru

$158 20.3% 26.7% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Bauru

$129 16.6% 5.9% $7.2

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Bauru

$96 12.3% 21.2% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Bauru

$27 3.5% 66.6% $55

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Bauru

$39 5.1% 44.2% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $227 in Bauru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 42% 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 $25 in Bauru for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $173 per month, with Bauru cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇷 Bauru

🕒 Local time

18:34 6:34 PM

08:34 8:34 AM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

379,146

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.167 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.38 BRL (1 BRL = 0.186 USD). 1 EUR = 6.01 BRL (1 BRL = 0.167 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Bauru 16,180 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Bauru

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 Bauru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bauru wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bauru the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 42% 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 $227 in Bauru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bauru – a meal for two runs $25 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $777 in Bauru – Bauru is about 39% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 Bauru gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.