Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Guarulhos

For one person, living is cheaper in Guarulhos: $964 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Guarulhos
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Guarulhos Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Guarulhos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$964

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Guarulhos

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $964 in Guarulhos, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Guarulhos $964

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $1,764 in Guarulhos, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Guarulhos $1,764

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $2,565 in Guarulhos, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Guarulhos $2,565

Phuket costs about 25% more than Guarulhos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Phuket and Guarulhos are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Guarulhos 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$8.69 R$44.06

-49.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$40.01 R$203

-19.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$9.00 R$45.61

-2.67%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.46 R$12.50

15.04%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.35 R$6.82

-33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.86 R$4.37

-45.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$2.44 R$12.39

4.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.88 R$19.65

-1.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.05 R$5.32

64.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.88 R$9.52

-21.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.33 R$6.76

13.53%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.46 R$12.47

-11.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$12.61 R$63.9

56.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$4.79 R$24.27

-30.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$10.70 R$54.3

4.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.38 R$12.07

19.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.72 R$8.71

-1.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.53 R$7.74

43.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.53 R$7.76

33.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.26 R$6.40

15.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.18 R$6.00

16.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.98 R$4.97

9.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.85 R$4.32

-40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.49 R$12.65

71.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$9.88 R$50.1

88.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.50 R$7.62

18.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.49 R$12.64

14.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$1.24 R$6.30

82.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$105 R$532

-78.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.17 R$5.94

157.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.72 R$3.64

47.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$8.49 R$43.03

-54.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.28 R$6.50

13.28%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$23.6K R$119.5K

11.64%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$34.2K R$173.5K

-21.26%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$91.6 R$465

5.17%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$14.98 R$75.9

-26.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$22.33 R$113

-23.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$28.22 R$143

84.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$10.05 R$50.9

-22.29%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$429 R$2,173

29.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$11.0K R$56.0K

4.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$65.1 R$330

-1.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$57.1 R$289

-49.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$92.2 R$467

3.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$79.5 R$403

10.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$349 R$1,770

111.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$158 R$801

192.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$995 R$5,042

110.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$768 R$3,895

56.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$1,944 R$9,855

79.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,480 R$7,502

70.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$378 R$1,914

32.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.25

-50.49%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Guarulhos: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Guarulhos

$158 16.4% 65.8% $304

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Guarulhos

$227 23.5% 15.6% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Guarulhos

$129 13.4% 3.5% $4.4

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Guarulhos

$132 13.7% 6.4% $7.9

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Guarulhos

$155 16.1% 27.8% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Guarulhos

$48 5% 28.7% $19

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Guarulhos

$115 11.9% 191% $75

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $349 in Guarulhos. 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 33% 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 $32.00 in Phuket versus $40.00 in Guarulhos. Groceries tell a different story – $269 in Phuket vs $227 in Guarulhos – so Guarulhos wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇷 Guarulhos

🕒 Local time

23:57 11:57 PM

13:57 1:57 PM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,291,771

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Guarulhos 15,900 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Guarulhos

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 Guarulhos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 25% more than Guarulhos, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $1,446 in Guarulhos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guarulhos, 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 $40.00 in Guarulhos. 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 $964 in Guarulhos. That's a gap of about 25%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Guarulhos, where all-in costs run around $964, than in Phuket at $1,208. In Guarulhos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Guarulhos costs $964 versus $1,208 in Phuket. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Guarulhos. 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.