Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Jacareí

For one person, living is cheaper in Jacareí: $795 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Jacareí
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Jacareí Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Jacareí

🇧🇷 Brazil

$795

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Jacareí

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $795 in Jacareí.

Phuket $1,278
Jacareí $795

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,292 in Jacareí.

Phuket $2,216
Jacareí $1,292

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,789 in Jacareí.

Phuket $3,154
Jacareí $1,789

Living in Phuket is roughly 61% more expensive than in Jacareí, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Jacareí 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.35 R$33.95

-29.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$30.32 R$162

6.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.46 R$34.55

36.38%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.11 R$11.30

34.12%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.52 R$8.11

-42.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.86 R$4.62

-43.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.36 R$12.60

8.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.77 R$14.83

32.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.15 R$6.16

44.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.73 R$9.23

-15.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.14 R$6.09

31.58%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.31 R$12.34

-9.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$8.27 R$44.20

130.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.26 R$22.78

-22.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.29 R$49.68

17.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.42 R$12.92

21.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.68 R$8.97

0.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.71 R$9.16

31.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.67 R$8.91

24.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.23 R$6.58

22.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.20 R$6.44

15.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.97 R$5.19

10.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.71 R$3.78

-26.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.26 R$12.10

85.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.41 R$39.60

153.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.56 R$8.34

16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.75 R$14.71

3.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.90 R$4.82

61.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$43.10 R$230

31.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.19 R$6.34

153.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.28 R$6.85

-20.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$8.73 R$46.70

-57.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.17 R$6.24

25.64%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$22.3K R$119.0K

20.29%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$31.3K R$167.6K

-14.86%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$41.04 R$219

134.77%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$11.25 R$60.2

0.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$20.64 R$110

-18.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$25.12 R$134

167.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$28.23 R$151

-61.99%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.54 R$40.30

-0.53%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$258 R$1,378

84.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$7,008 R$37.5K

60.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$51.2 R$273

21.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$34.86 R$186

-18.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$89.7 R$480

5.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$55.4 R$296

54.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$290 R$1,553

146.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$200 R$1,071

145.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$700 R$3,744

175.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$399 R$2,131

258.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$1,698 R$9,081

145.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,262 R$6,746

141.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.12

-49.91%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Jacareí: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Jacareí

$200 25.2% 59.2% $291

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Jacareí

$200 25.2% 24.7% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Jacareí

$73 9.2% 41.4% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Jacareí

$104 13.1% 14.7% $18

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Jacareí

$122 15.4% 0.6% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Jacareí

$40 5.1% 51.1% $42

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Jacareí

$54 6.8% 23.1% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $290 in Jacareí. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $30 in Jacareí for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $200 per month, with Jacareí cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇷 Jacareí

🕒 Local time

04:50 4:50 AM

18:50 6:50 PM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

240,275

💱 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 28, 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 28, 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

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Between locations

Phuket Jacareí 15,850 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Jacareí

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 Jacareí: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jacareí wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Jacareí the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,192 in Jacareí 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $290 in Jacareí. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $258 in Jacareí. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

Expats usually find Jacareí gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.