Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Macaé

For one person, living is cheaper in Macaé: $887 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Macaé
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Macaé Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Macaé

🇧🇷 Brazil

$887

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Macaé

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $887 in Macaé.

Phuket $1,208
Macaé $887

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,495 in Macaé.

Phuket $2,027
Macaé $1,495

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $2,102 in Macaé.

Phuket $2,845
Macaé $2,102

Living in Phuket is roughly 36% more expensive than in Macaé, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Macaé 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$5.43 R$27.54

-18.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$29.78 R$151

8.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$6.91 R$35.00

26.77%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$1.72 R$8.73

64.53%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.39 R$7.04

-35.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.63 R$3.18

-25.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$1.21 R$6.16

110.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.79 R$14.16

37.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$0.96 R$4.85

80.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.56 R$7.91

-5.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.38 R$6.99

9.42%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.94 R$9.85

11.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$9.12 R$46.21

116.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$3.34 R$16.92

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$9.69 R$49.10

15.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$1.86 R$9.40

53.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.20 R$6.11

41.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$0.96 R$4.85

128.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.23 R$6.21

66.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.64 R$3.23

126.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.81 R$4.09

70.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.54 R$2.73

98.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.52 R$2.64

-1.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$1.56 R$7.88

173.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$6.09 R$30.86

205.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$0.95 R$4.82

87.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.25 R$6.35

128.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$1.61 R$8.16

40.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$83.9 R$425

-73.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.41 R$7.14

113.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.79 R$4.03

34.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$7.92 R$40.16

-51.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.29 R$6.53

12.40%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$21.5K R$109.0K

22.43%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$31.2K R$158.2K

-13.64%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$100.0 R$507

-3.57%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$10.21 R$51.7

8.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$18.76 R$95.1

-8.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$39.82 R$202

31.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$34.04 R$173

-67.22%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$6.79 R$34.44

15.02%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$648 R$3,283

-14.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$7,012 R$35.5K

65.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$63.1 R$320

1.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$32.02 R$162

-10.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$66.9 R$339

42.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$46.66 R$237

88.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$370 R$1,873

99.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$241 R$1,221

91.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$886 R$4,490

136.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$669 R$3,392

79.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$1,270 R$6,436

174.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$800 R$4,054

215.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$799 R$4,049

-37.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.67

-47.80%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Macaé: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Macaé

$241 27.2% 47.9% $221

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Macaé

$169 19.1% 37% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Macaé

$129 14.5% 3.5% $4.4

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Macaé

$94 10.6% 24.5% $30

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Macaé

$105 11.8% 13.7% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Macaé

$53 6% 21.2% $14

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Macaé

$96 10.8% 143% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $370 in Macaé. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Macaé pays 60% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $30.00 in Macaé for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $169 per month, with Macaé cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇷 Macaé

🕒 Local time

03:03 3:03 AM

17:03 5:03 PM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

246,391

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Macaé 15,490 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Macaé

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 Macaé: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Macaé differ by about 36% in total monthly costs ($1,208 vs $887 including rent). Macaé is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 60% lower in Macaé. 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: $737 in Phuket versus $370 in Macaé. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Macaé – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,208 per month in Phuket versus $887 in Macaé – a 36% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $887 in Macaé versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Macaé but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Macaé 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Macaé are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Macaé gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.