Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Montes Claros

For one person, living is cheaper in Montes Claros: $818 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Montes Claros
Learn more

Montes Claros Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Montes Claros

🇧🇷 Brazil

$818

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Montes Claros

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $818 in Montes Claros.

Phuket $1,294
Montes Claros $818

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,288 in Montes Claros.

Phuket $2,204
Montes Claros $1,288

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,758 in Montes Claros.

Phuket $3,115
Montes Claros $1,758

Living in Phuket is roughly 58% more expensive than in Montes Claros, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Montes Claros 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$3.26 R$17.79

34.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,085

$29.27 R$160

10.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$7.33 R$40.03

18.69%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.5

$1.81 R$9.87

50.28%

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

$0.93 ฿31.25

$1.19 R$6.47

-21.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.78

$0.69 R$3.77

-27.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.0

$1.35 R$7.35

87.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.83 R$15.44

28.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$0.93 R$5.05

87.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.73

$1.59 R$8.67

-8.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.15 R$6.29

30.43%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$2.08 R$11.35

4.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿641

$9.47 R$51.7

101.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$3.98 R$21.71

-14.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$7.86 R$42.91

38.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.8

$2.42 R$13.23

21.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$1.22 R$6.65

38.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.7

$1.06 R$5.78

106.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$1.51 R$8.26

40.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.99

$1.23 R$6.74

18.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.95

$1.00 R$5.46

37.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.14

$0.73 R$3.98

47.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.32

$0.65 R$3.58

-15.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$2.20 R$12.00

101.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿613

$7.21 R$39.39

153.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.5

$1.25 R$6.82

41.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$2.08 R$11.34

38.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.62

$0.92 R$5.02

57.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

$40.11 R$219

36.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.8

$1.15 R$6.27

31.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.06

$0.71 R$3.85

9.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$7.12 R$38.88

-46.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.96

$0.99 R$5.40

50.51%

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

$26.9K ฿902.9K

$19.7K R$107.6K

36.41%

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

$26.3K ฿884.9K

$34.4K R$187.6K

-23.32%

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

$97.8 ฿3,285

$79.0 R$431

23.84%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$10.66 R$58.2

5.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿577

$18.00 R$98.3

-4.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,295

$24.05 R$131

184.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$25.54 R$139

-57.24%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$7.42 R$40.52

0.13%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$296 R$1,616

79.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿630.9K

$6,015 R$32.8K

212.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,072

$51.2 R$279

20.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿949

$45.32 R$247

-37.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,225

$81.1 R$443

18.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,916

$68.1 R$372

27.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$341 R$1,862

111.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$240 R$1,313

111.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.5K

$645 R$3,524

202.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.9K

$453 R$2,473

208.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.8K

$1,777 R$9,703

135.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.8K

$1,287 R$7,028

156.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$373 R$2,034

31.96%

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 Montes Claros: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Montes Claros

$240 29.4% 52.8% $268

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Montes Claros

$182 22.3% 31.6% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Montes Claros

$108 13.2% 14.8% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Montes Claros

$111 13.5% 9.9% $12

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Montes Claros

$90 11% 25% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Montes Claros

$39 4.8% 53.2% $44

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Montes Claros

$48 5.9% 26.7% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $341 in Montes Claros. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 32% 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 $29 in Montes Claros for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $182 per month, with Montes Claros cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇷 Montes Claros

🕒 Local time

18:04 6:04 PM

08:04 8:04 AM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

414,240

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 BRL = 0.183 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.14 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Montes Claros 15,810 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Montes Claros

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 Montes Claros: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $818 in Montes Claros, so Montes Claros is about 37% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 32% 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 $341 in Montes Claros. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Montes Claros runs roughly 27% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $296 in Montes Claros. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $818 in Montes Claros versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Montes Claros but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Montes Claros 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.

Expats usually find Montes Claros gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.