Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Curitiba

For one person, living is cheaper in Curitiba: $1,005 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Curitiba
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Curitiba Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Curitiba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,005

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Curitiba

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,005 in Curitiba.

Phuket $1,278
Curitiba $1,005

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,555 in Curitiba.

Phuket $2,216
Curitiba $1,555

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,105 in Curitiba.

Phuket $3,154
Curitiba $2,105

Living in Phuket is roughly 27% more expensive than in Curitiba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Curitiba 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$7.58 R$41.25

-41.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$36.75 R$200

-11.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.42 R$45.79

4.63%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.61 R$14.22

8.43%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$1.04 R$5.63

-16.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.87 R$4.76

-43.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.57 R$13.98

-0.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.80 R$20.67

-3.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.01 R$5.49

64.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.71 R$9.32

-14.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.23 R$6.70

21.95%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.41 R$13.13

-13.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$9.71 R$52.8

96.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.62 R$25.13

-28.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.70 R$52.8

12.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.67 R$9.10

75.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.00 R$5.43

69.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.98 R$5.33

129.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.29 R$7.00

61.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.76 R$4.14

98.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.74 R$4.03

86.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.69 R$3.78

55.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.82 R$4.47

-36.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.84 R$15.44

47.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.60 R$35.93

184.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.18 R$6.41

54.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.35 R$12.77

20.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$1.10 R$6.01

31.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$67.2 R$365

-15.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.19 R$6.49

153.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.72 R$3.94

41.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$5.52 R$30.05

-33.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.27 R$6.89

15.75%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$22.6K R$122.8K

18.65%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$31.5K R$171.3K

-15.25%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$98.2 R$534

-1.89%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$13.78 R$75.0

-18.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$21.88 R$119

-22.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$25.83 R$141

160.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$18.57 R$101

-42.22%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.49 R$40.76

0.13%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$358 R$1,948

32.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$10.5K R$57.0K

7.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$52.2 R$284

19.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$51.7 R$281

-45.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$88.3 R$480

6.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$74.5 R$405

15.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$464 R$2,522

54.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$301 R$1,635

63.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$779 R$4,240

147.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$529 R$2,876

170.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,306 R$12.5K

81.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,708 R$9,288

78.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$650 R$3,538

-22.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.54

-51.73%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Curitiba: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Curitiba

$301 29.9% 38.8% $190

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Curitiba

$188 18.7% 29.4% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Curitiba

$134 13.3% 7.6% $9.4

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Curitiba

$120 11.9% 1.6% $1.9

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Curitiba

$145 14.5% 19.5% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Curitiba

$41 4.1% 50.4% $41

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Curitiba

$76 7.6% 8.3% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $464 in Curitiba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Curitiba pays 30% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $37 in Curitiba. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $188, with Curitiba cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇷 Curitiba

🕒 Local time

20:26 8:26 PM

10:26 10:26 AM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,773,718

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.165 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Curitiba 16,070 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Curitiba

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 Curitiba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Curitiba wins on cost – living expenses run 21% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Curitiba the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 23% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $464 in Curitiba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 16% less than in Curitiba. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $358 in Curitiba. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Curitiba is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Curitiba delivers better value at $1,005 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Curitiba hard to pass up.