Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Castanhal

For one person, living is cheaper in Castanhal: $824 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Castanhal, Brazil
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,294
/mo nomad
Castanhal
🇧🇷 Brazil
$824
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Castanhal

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $824 in Castanhal.

  • Phuket $1,294
  • Castanhal $824

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,314 in Castanhal.

  • Phuket $2,204
  • Castanhal $1,314

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,805 in Castanhal.

  • Phuket $3,115
  • Castanhal $1,805

Living in Phuket is roughly 57% more expensive than in Castanhal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Castanhal 39% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Castanhal
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.39 ฿148
$5.50 R$30.04
-20.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.31 ฿1,090
$29.53 R$161
9.41%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.70 ฿294
$7.32 R$39.98
18.85%
Cappuccino
$2.72 ฿91.9
$1.91 R$10.42
42.41%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.93 ฿31.39
$1.24 R$6.78
-25.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 ฿16.85
$0.76 R$4.15
-34.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.53 ฿85.4
$1.87 R$10.21
35.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ฿122
$2.71 R$14.82
33.95%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Castanhal
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 ฿58.7
$0.93 R$5.07
87.10%
White Bread (500g)
$1.45 ฿48.95
$1.54 R$8.40
-5.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.7
$1.15 R$6.27
30.43%
Eggs
$2.17 ฿73.3
$1.99 R$10.87
9.05%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.09 ฿644
$8.54 R$46.65
123.54%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.40 ฿115
$4.06 R$22.16
-16.26%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.90 ฿368
$8.17 R$44.61
33.41%
Apples (1kg)
$2.94 ฿99.2
$2.06 R$11.24
42.72%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.1
$1.19 R$6.52
42.02%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.19 ฿74.0
$1.08 R$5.88
102.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 ฿71.7
$1.50 R$8.19
41.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.46 ฿49.21
$1.13 R$6.19
29.20%
Onion (1kg)
$1.37 ฿46.15
$1.00 R$5.44
37.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 ฿36.30
$0.72 R$3.90
50.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ฿18.41
$0.77 R$4.18
-28.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.43 ฿149
$2.30 R$12.56
92.61%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.25 ฿616
$7.54 R$41.17
142.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿59.8
$1.23 R$6.70
43.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 ฿97.2
$1.97 R$10.78
46.19%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Castanhal
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.84
$0.93 R$5.08
55.91%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.9 ฿1,852
$41.67 R$228
31.73%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$1.23 R$6.71
22.76%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 ฿26.18
$0.86 R$4.68
-9.30%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.84 ฿130
$7.47 R$40.82
-48.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 ฿50.2
$1.16 R$6.35
28.45%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.9K ฿907.0K
$21.7K R$118.4K
24.00%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.3K ฿888.9K
$31.1K R$169.8K
-15.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Castanhal
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$97.8 ฿3,300
$71.0 R$388
37.80%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.29 ฿381
$11.48 R$62.7
-1.66%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.19 ฿580
$19.99 R$109
-14.01%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Castanhal
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$68.3 ฿2,305
$24.27 R$133
181.54%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.92 ฿368
$26.15 R$143
-58.24%
Cinema Ticket
$7.43 ฿251
$6.73 R$36.77
10.40%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Castanhal
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$530 ฿17.9K
$256 R$1,399
107.01%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.8K ฿633.7K
$6,804 R$37.2K
176.05%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Castanhal
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.7 ฿2,081
$52.8 R$288
16.80%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.25 ฿953
$46.31 R$253
-39.00%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.0 ฿3,239
$83.8 R$458
14.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.8 ฿2,929
$67.4 R$368
28.86%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Castanhal
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$721 ฿24.3K
$340 R$1,855
112.31%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$509 ฿17.2K
$229 R$1,250
122.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,950 ฿65.8K
$634 R$3,460
207.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,397 ฿47.1K
$456 R$2,492
206.04%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,192 ฿141.4K
$1,567 R$8,555
167.58%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,298 ฿111.3K
$1,165 R$6,362
183.10%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Castanhal
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$492 ฿16.6K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
11
-49.36%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Castanhal: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$509
Castanhal
$229 55% $280
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$267
Castanhal
$180 32.7% $87
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$126
Castanhal
$102 18.9% $24
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$123
Castanhal
$113 8.2% $10
Eating Out
Phuket
$120
Castanhal
$112 6.6% $7.9
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$83
Castanhal
$38 54.6% $45
Getting Around
Phuket
$66
Castanhal
$51 23% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $340 in Castanhal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $30 in Castanhal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $180 per month, with Castanhal cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇧🇷 Castanhal
🕒 Local time
22:34 10:34 PM
12:34 12:34 PM
10 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
192,256
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.11 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Castanhal 16,210 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Castanhal

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 Castanhal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Phuket or Castanhal?
Castanhal wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Castanhal the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Phuket and in Castanhal?
You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $1,236 in Castanhal to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Phuket compared to Castanhal?
Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $340 in Castanhal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Phuket and in Castanhal?
Dining out is cheaper in Castanhal – a meal for two runs $30 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Phuket compared to Castanhal?
All in, you’ll spend $1,294 per month in Phuket versus $824 in Castanhal – Castanhal is about 36% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Can you live on $800/month in Phuket or in Castanhal?
Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Castanhal is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Phuket or Castanhal?
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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Castanhal gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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