Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cabo Frio

For one person, living is cheaper in Cabo Frio: $625 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Cabo Frio
Learn more

Cabo Frio Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Cabo Frio

🇧🇷 Brazil

$625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Cabo Frio

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $625 in Cabo Frio, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Cabo Frio $625

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $1,031 in Cabo Frio, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Cabo Frio $1,031

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $1,438 in Cabo Frio, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Cabo Frio $1,438

Phuket costs about 107% more than Cabo Frio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Cabo Frio are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Cabo Frio 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$5.58 R$30.63

-21.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$27.85 R$153

16.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$6.46 R$35.46

34.67%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$1.62 R$8.90

67.90%

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

$0.93 ฿31.38

$1.26 R$6.91

-26.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.50 R$2.75

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$1.13 R$6.20

123.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$1.79 R$9.84

102.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$0.77 R$4.22

125.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.41 R$7.72

2.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.76 R$4.19

97.37%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$1.43 R$7.85

51.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$7.20 R$39.49

165.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$3.18 R$17.47

6.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$9.19 R$50.4

18.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$1.77 R$9.71

66.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.10 R$6.06

53.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$0.90 R$4.95

143.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$1.18 R$6.50

79.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.19

$0.64 R$3.51

128.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.14

$0.75 R$4.14

82.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.29

$0.53 R$2.92

103.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.40

$0.54 R$2.94

1.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$1.50 R$8.21

195.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$5.50 R$30.20

231.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$0.88 R$4.81

101.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$1.32 R$7.24

118.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.25 R$6.87

16.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,851

$74.7 R$410

-26.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.22 R$6.68

23.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.17

$0.73 R$4.00

6.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$7.24 R$39.72

-46.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.08 R$5.91

37.96%

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

$26.9K ฿906.7K

$19.7K R$108.2K

36.35%

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

$26.3K ฿888.6K

$28.6K R$156.8K

-7.81%

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

$97.8 ฿3,299

$54.1 R$297

80.86%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$7.04 R$38.66

60.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$12.74 R$69.9

34.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$20.35 R$112

235.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$4.39 R$24.10

69.25%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$135 R$740

293.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.5K

$2,436 R$13.4K

671.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,080

$42.09 R$231

46.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$37.34 R$205

-24.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,238

$51.9 R$285

84.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,928

$44.49 R$244

95.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$418 R$2,295

72.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$108 R$594

370.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$611 R$3,355

218.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$262 R$1,439

432.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$256 R$1,407

91.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.67

-47.80%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cabo Frio: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Cabo Frio

$108 17.3% 78.7% $401

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Cabo Frio

$151 24.1% 43.6% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Cabo Frio

$74 11.8% 41.5% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Cabo Frio

$79 12.7% 35.5% $44

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Cabo Frio

$100 16% 16.6% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Cabo Frio

$29 4.7% 65% $54

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Cabo Frio

$85 13.5% 27.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $418 in Cabo Frio. 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 92% 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 in Phuket versus $28 in Cabo Frio. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $151 – making Cabo Frio the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇷 Cabo Frio

🕒 Local time

12:09 12:09 PM

02:09 2:09 AM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

222,161

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.72 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.14 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Cabo Frio 15,470 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Cabo Frio

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 Cabo Frio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 107%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $938 in Cabo Frio. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cabo Frio, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $418 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $625 in Cabo Frio. That makes Cabo Frio about 52% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 26% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cabo Frio, where all-in costs run around $625, than in Phuket at $1,294. In Cabo Frio it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cabo Frio – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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