Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Florianopolis

For one person, living is cheaper in Florianopolis: $1,171 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Florianopolis
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Florianopolis Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Florianopolis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,171

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Florianopolis

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,171 in Florianopolis.

Phuket $1,278
Florianopolis $1,171

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,913 in Florianopolis.

Phuket $2,216
Florianopolis $1,913

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,656 in Florianopolis.

Phuket $3,154
Florianopolis $2,656

Living in Phuket is roughly 9% more expensive than in Florianopolis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Florianopolis 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$9.03 R$48.29

-50.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$41.13 R$220

-21.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.39 R$39.52

19.22%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.32 R$12.43

21.98%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.24 R$6.61

-29.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.01 R$5.38

-51.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.87 R$15.34

-10.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.39 R$18.13

8.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.97 R$5.19

71.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.48 R$7.90

-1.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.19 R$6.39

26.05%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.41 R$12.86

-13.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$8.97 R$47.98

112.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.78 R$20.20

-12.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.40 R$50.3

16.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.20 R$11.78

33.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.16 R$6.18

45.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.43 R$7.62

57.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.55 R$8.30

34.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.02 R$5.46

48.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.90 R$4.82

53.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.75 R$3.99

42.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.65 R$3.45

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.77 R$14.83

51.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$9.07 R$48.51

107.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.39 R$7.41

30.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.78 R$14.89

2.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.28 R$6.82

13.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$76.7 R$410

-26.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.47 R$7.87

105.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.46 R$7.80

-30.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$11.30 R$60.4

-67.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.21 R$6.48

21.49%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$21.9K R$117.3K

22.09%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$32.7K R$174.8K

-18.36%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$78.1 R$418

23.40%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$11.83 R$63.3

-4.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$20.45 R$109

-17.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$30.09 R$161

123.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$17.59 R$94.0

-39.00%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.53 R$40.25

-0.40%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$719 R$3,846

-33.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$10.3K R$54.9K

9.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$59.5 R$318

4.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$65.5 R$350

-56.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$104 R$557

-9.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$63.7 R$341

34.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$640 R$3,419

11.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$450 R$2,405

9.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,240 R$6,627

55.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,001 R$5,352

42.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$2,696 R$14.4K

54.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,617 R$8,647

88.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$958 R$5,125

-47.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.61

-47.50%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Florianopolis: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Florianopolis

$450 38.4% 8.4% $41

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Florianopolis

$191 16.3% 28.4% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Florianopolis

$110 9.4% 11.3% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Florianopolis

$132 11.3% 8.2% $10

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Florianopolis

$152 13% 25.2% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Florianopolis

$45 3.9% 45.1% $37

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Florianopolis

$91 7.7% 28.3% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $640 in Florianopolis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Florianopolis pays 91% 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 $41 in Florianopolis. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $191, with Florianopolis cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇷 Florianopolis

🕒 Local time

08:01 8:01 AM

22:01 10:01 PM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

537,211

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Florianopolis 15,910 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Florianopolis

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 Florianopolis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Florianopolis wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Florianopolis the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 48% 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 $640 in Florianopolis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $41 in Florianopolis. 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 $1,171 in Florianopolis – Florianopolis is about 8% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

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.