Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Joao Pessoa

For one person, living is cheaper in Joao Pessoa: $969 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Joao Pessoa
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Joao Pessoa Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Joao Pessoa

🇧🇷 Brazil

$969

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Joao Pessoa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $969 in Joao Pessoa.

Phuket $1,294
Joao Pessoa $969

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,496 in Joao Pessoa.

Phuket $2,204
Joao Pessoa $1,496

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,023 in Joao Pessoa.

Phuket $3,115
Joao Pessoa $2,023

Living in Phuket is roughly 33% more expensive than in Joao Pessoa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Joao Pessoa 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$6.54 R$35.89

-32.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$27.48 R$151

17.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$7.37 R$40.46

18.05%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$1.42 R$7.82

91.55%

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

$0.93 ฿31.38

$0.97 R$5.33

-4.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.66 R$3.65

-24.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$1.70 R$9.35

48.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$3.39 R$18.61

7.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.13 R$6.20

53.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.90 R$10.42

-23.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.42 R$7.78

5.63%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$1.89 R$10.36

14.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$7.74 R$42.45

146.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$4.62 R$25.34

-26.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$6.85 R$37.61

59.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$2.95 R$16.20

-0.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.94 R$5.17

79.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$0.83 R$4.57

163.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$1.07 R$5.90

98.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.19

$1.51 R$8.27

-3.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.14

$1.17 R$6.42

17.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.29

$0.70 R$3.85

54.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.40

$0.99 R$5.45

-44.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$2.81 R$15.44

57.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$8.38 R$46.02

117.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.49 R$8.20

18.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$3.03 R$16.64

-4.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$0.99 R$5.43

46.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,851

$63.2 R$347

-13.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.85 R$10.15

-18.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.17

$1.89 R$10.38

-58.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$2.99 R$16.43

28.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.21 R$6.65

23.14%

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

$26.9K ฿906.7K

$22.0K R$120.5K

22.46%

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

$26.3K ฿888.6K

$30.7K R$168.5K

-14.21%

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

$97.8 ฿3,299

$119 R$654

-17.92%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$20.81 R$114

-45.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$21.65 R$119

-20.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$35.08 R$193

94.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$27.65 R$152

-60.51%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$9.70 R$53.2

-23.40%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$400 R$2,194

32.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.5K

$6,320 R$34.7K

197.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,080

$50.6 R$278

21.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$62.0 R$340

-54.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,238

$80.9 R$444

18.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,928

$71.6 R$393

21.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$369 R$2,025

95.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$251 R$1,375

103.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$612 R$3,357

218.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$483 R$2,653

189.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$2,264 R$12.4K

85.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$1,122 R$6,159

193.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$476 R$2,614

3.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-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 Joao Pessoa: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Joao Pessoa

$251 25.9% 50.8% $258

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Joao Pessoa

$191 19.7% 28.3% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Joao Pessoa

$162 16.7% 28% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Joao Pessoa

$119 12.3% 2.8% $3.5

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Joao Pessoa

$113 11.7% 5.2% $6.2

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Joao Pessoa

$54 5.6% 34.5% $29

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Joao Pessoa

$78 8.1% 18.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $369 in Joao Pessoa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 3% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $27 in Joao Pessoa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $191 per month, with Joao Pessoa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇷 Joao Pessoa

🕒 Local time

10:15 10:15 AM

00:15 12:15 AM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

833,932

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.72 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.14 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Joao Pessoa 14,870 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Joao Pessoa

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 Joao Pessoa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $969 in Joao Pessoa, so Joao Pessoa is about 25% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 3% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $369 in Joao Pessoa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $400 in Joao Pessoa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $969 in Joao Pessoa versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Joao Pessoa but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Joao Pessoa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Joao Pessoa wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.