Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Nova Iguacu

For one person, living is cheaper in Nova Iguacu: $694 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Nova Iguacu
Learn more

Nova Iguacu Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Nova Iguacu

🇧🇷 Brazil

$694

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Nova Iguacu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $694 in Nova Iguacu.

Phuket $1,294
Nova Iguacu $694

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,129 in Nova Iguacu.

Phuket $2,204
Nova Iguacu $1,129

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,563 in Nova Iguacu.

Phuket $3,115
Nova Iguacu $1,563

Living in Phuket is roughly 86% more expensive than in Nova Iguacu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Nova Iguacu 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$3.37 R$18.39

30.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$28.00 R$153

15.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$7.06 R$38.53

23.23%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$1.79 R$9.77

51.96%

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

$0.93 ฿31.39

$1.08 R$5.91

-13.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.50 R$2.73

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$1.52 R$8.28

66.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$1.43 R$7.82

153.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.12 R$6.13

55.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.95

$1.43 R$7.82

1.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.10 R$6.02

36.36%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$1.87 R$10.23

16.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$7.49 R$40.90

154.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$2.66 R$14.51

27.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$6.52 R$35.61

67.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$1.26 R$6.88

133.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.27 R$6.93

33.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$0.90 R$4.93

143.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.7

$1.65 R$8.98

28.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.21

$0.95 R$5.21

53.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.15

$0.94 R$5.11

45.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.30

$0.39 R$2.11

176.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.41

$0.38 R$2.09

44.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$1.78 R$9.73

148.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$5.48 R$29.92

233.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$0.90 R$4.94

96.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$1.25 R$6.85

130.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.84

$1.36 R$7.44

6.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

$46.09 R$252

19.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.05 R$5.76

43.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.18

$1.22 R$6.66

-36.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

$6.80 R$37.13

-43.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.09 R$5.96

36.70%

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

$26.9K ฿907.0K

$22.3K R$121.6K

20.71%

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

$26.3K ฿888.9K

$31.2K R$170.3K

-15.51%

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

$97.8 ฿3,300

$45.05 R$246

117.11%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$11.18 R$61.0

0.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$17.16 R$93.7

0.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$22.13 R$121

208.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$36.33 R$198

-69.94%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$5.59 R$30.54

32.92%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$67.8 R$370

681.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.7K

$1,799 R$9,822

944.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,081

$50.3 R$275

22.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$34.70 R$189

-18.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,239

$60.0 R$327

60.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,929

$56.1 R$306

54.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$304 R$1,660

137.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$204 R$1,117

148.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$592 R$3,232

229.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$406 R$2,215

244.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$884 R$4,826

374.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$222 R$1,212

121.51%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Nova Iguacu: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Nova Iguacu

$204 29.5% 59.8% $304

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Nova Iguacu

$147 21.2% 44.8% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Nova Iguacu

$73 10.6% 41.9% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Nova Iguacu

$90 13% 26.3% $32

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Nova Iguacu

$86 12.4% 27.8% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Nova Iguacu

$33 4.8% 60% $50

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Nova Iguacu

$59 8.5% 11.2% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $304 in Nova Iguacu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $28 in Nova Iguacu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $147 per month, with Nova Iguacu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇷 Nova Iguacu

🕒 Local time

06:26 6:26 AM

20:26 8:26 PM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

785,867

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.11 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Nova Iguacu 15,620 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Nova Iguacu

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 Nova Iguacu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $694 in Nova Iguacu, so Nova Iguacu is about 46% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Phuket is about 2.2 times higher, 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 $304 in Nova Iguacu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,294 per month in Phuket versus $694 in Nova Iguacu – Nova Iguacu is about 46% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Nova Iguacu runs roughly 16% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $694 in Nova Iguacu versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Nova Iguacu but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Nova Iguacu 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 Nova Iguacu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.