Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cariacica

For one person, living is cheaper in Cariacica: $880 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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 Cariacica
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Cariacica Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Cariacica

🇧🇷 Brazil

$880

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Cariacica

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $880 in Cariacica, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Cariacica $880

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $1,401 in Cariacica, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Cariacica $1,401

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

Phuket $2,845
Cariacica $1,922

Phuket costs about 37% more than Cariacica, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$6.06 R$30.70

-27.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$31.76 R$161

1.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$7.91 R$40.08

10.75%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.10 R$10.63

34.76%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.29 R$6.56

-30.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.82 R$4.18

-42.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$1.99 R$10.08

28.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.98 R$15.13

28.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.05 R$5.34

64.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.68 R$8.51

-12.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.24 R$6.26

21.77%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.15 R$10.90

0.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$9.55 R$48.42

106.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$4.17 R$21.12

-19.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$8.46 R$42.91

31.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.17 R$11.02

31.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.28 R$6.49

32.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.18 R$6.01

85.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.51 R$7.67

35.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.25 R$6.34

16.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.13 R$5.70

22.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.79 R$3.99

35.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.77 R$3.93

-33.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.47 R$12.51

72.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$8.00 R$40.53

132.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.33 R$6.72

33.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.13 R$10.81

33.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$1.01 R$5.11

123.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$43.96 R$223

-49.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.33 R$6.72

126.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.89 R$4.53

19.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$8.00 R$40.56

-51.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.27 R$6.45

14.17%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$24.0K R$121.5K

9.84%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$33.2K R$168.3K

-18.82%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$74.3 R$377

29.68%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$12.57 R$63.7

-12.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$20.82 R$106

-17.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$25.76 R$131

102.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$27.67 R$140

-59.67%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$7.24 R$36.69

7.87%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$277 R$1,402

101.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$7,134 R$36.2K

62.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$55.3 R$280

16.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$50.2 R$254

-42.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$89.1 R$451

7.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$73.7 R$374

19.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$361 R$1,831

104.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$244 R$1,236

89.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$675 R$3,423

210.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$477 R$2,416

152.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$1,741 R$8,828

100.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,183 R$5,996

113.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

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 Cariacica: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Cariacica

$244 27.7% 47.3% $219

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Cariacica

$192 21.8% 28.6% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Cariacica

$108 12.2% 13.5% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Cariacica

$121 13.7% 2.9% $3.6

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Cariacica

$122 13.8% 0.4% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Cariacica

$40 4.6% 40.7% $28

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Cariacica

$54 6.1% 36.4% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $361 in Cariacica. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $32.00 in Cariacica. Groceries tell a different story – $269 in Phuket vs $192 in Cariacica – so Cariacica wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇷 Cariacica

🕒 Local time

05:51 5:51 AM

19:51 7:51 PM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

353,491

💱 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

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Between locations

Phuket Cariacica 15,380 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Cariacica

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 Cariacica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $1,320 in Cariacica. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket and $32.00 in Cariacica. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,208 in Phuket and $880 in Cariacica. That's a gap of about 37%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cariacica, where all-in costs run around $880, than in Phuket at $1,208. In Cariacica it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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 Cariacica. 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.