Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Lages

For one person, living is cheaper in Lages: $874 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Lages
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Lages Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Lages

🇧🇷 Brazil

$874

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Lages

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $874 in Lages, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Lages $874

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $1,405 in Lages, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Lages $1,405

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $1,936 in Lages, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Lages $1,936

Phuket costs about 48% more than Lages, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Lages are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Lages 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$7.51 R$41.19

-41.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$36.89 R$202

-12.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$6.32 R$34.66

37.66%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$2.32 R$12.72

17.24%

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

$0.93 ฿31.38

$1.26 R$6.92

-26.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.98 R$5.35

-48.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$2.17 R$11.91

16.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.72 R$14.95

33.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$0.95 R$5.24

83.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.62 R$8.89

-10.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.03 R$5.67

45.63%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$2.36 R$12.96

-8.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$9.60 R$52.7

98.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$4.41 R$24.22

-22.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$9.31 R$51.1

17.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$2.30 R$12.60

27.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.35 R$7.40

25.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$1.28 R$7.01

71.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$1.53 R$8.41

38.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.19

$1.13 R$6.22

29.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.14

$1.06 R$5.80

29.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.29

$0.81 R$4.46

33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.40

$0.76 R$4.15

-27.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$2.38 R$13.09

86.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$7.49 R$41.08

143.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.10 R$6.02

60.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$2.08 R$11.39

38.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.00 R$5.49

45.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,851

$42.32 R$232

29.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.18 R$6.46

27.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.17

$0.78 R$4.30

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$7.54 R$41.36

-49.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.24 R$6.78

20.16%

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

$26.9K ฿906.7K

$21.8K R$119.7K

23.27%

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

$26.3K ฿888.6K

$32.0K R$175.6K

-17.68%

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

$97.8 ฿3,299

$70.2 R$385

39.43%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$11.79 R$64.7

-4.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$20.70 R$114

-16.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$24.37 R$134

180.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$26.06 R$143

-58.10%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$6.87 R$37.71

8.15%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$257 R$1,410

106.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.5K

$6,584 R$36.1K

185.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,080

$47.40 R$260

30.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$54.3 R$298

-47.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,238

$96.8 R$531

-0.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,928

$73.6 R$404

17.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$331 R$1,818

117.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$234 R$1,284

117.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$630 R$3,457

209.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$447 R$2,451

212.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$1,609 R$8,830

160.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$1,126 R$6,178

193.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.5

-51.57%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Lages: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Lages

$234 26.8% 54% $275

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Lages

$193 22.1% 27.7% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Lages

$103 11.8% 18.7% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Lages

$122 14% 0.2% $0.3

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Lages

$132 15.1% 10.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Lages

$38 4.4% 54.2% $45

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Lages

$51 5.9% 22.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $331 in Lages. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $37 in Lages. Groceries tell a different story – $267 in Phuket vs $193 in Lages – so Lages wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇷 Lages

🕒 Local time

08:48 8:48 AM

22:48 10:48 PM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

164,981

💱 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 Lages 16,050 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Lages

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 Lages: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,294 in Phuket, $874 in Lages – Lages comes out roughly 32% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $1,310 in Lages. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lages, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $331 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Kindergarten costs $530 per month in Phuket and $257 in Lages. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Lages, where all-in costs run around $874, than in Phuket at $1,294. In Lages it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lages – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.