Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Palmas

For one person, living is cheaper in Palmas: $830 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Palmas
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Palmas Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Palmas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$830

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Palmas

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $830 in Palmas, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Palmas $830

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $1,281 in Palmas, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Palmas $1,281

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $1,733 in Palmas, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Palmas $1,733

Phuket costs about 56% more than Palmas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Palmas are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Palmas 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$3.83 R$21.01

14.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$21.86 R$120

47.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$7.41 R$40.65

17.41%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$1.73 R$9.48

57.23%

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

$0.93 ฿31.38

$1.63 R$8.96

-42.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.81 R$4.45

-38.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$1.46 R$7.99

73.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.72 R$14.91

33.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.02 R$5.60

70.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.34 R$7.36

8.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$2.76 R$15.15

-45.65%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$2.41 R$13.24

-9.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$6.62 R$36.36

188.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$2.95 R$16.20

15.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$5.75 R$31.58

89.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$2.18 R$11.97

34.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.56 R$8.57

8.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$1.13 R$6.21

93.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$1.08 R$5.93

96.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.19

$1.19 R$6.51

22.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.14

$1.04 R$5.72

31.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.29

$0.75 R$4.13

44.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.40

$0.71 R$3.90

-22.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$2.06 R$11.30

115.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$6.42 R$35.25

184.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.24 R$6.81

42.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$2.01 R$11.02

43.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$0.74 R$4.09

95.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,851

$41.72 R$229

31.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.30 R$7.14

16.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.17

$0.70 R$3.83

11.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$6.26 R$34.35

-38.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.11 R$6.08

34.23%

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

$26.9K ฿906.7K

$19.7K R$108.0K

36.61%

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

$26.3K ฿888.6K

$30.8K R$169.3K

-14.60%

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

$97.8 ฿3,299

$106 R$581

-7.58%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$10.92 R$59.9

3.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$18.50 R$102

-7.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$21.99 R$121

210.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$26.12 R$143

-58.19%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$6.13 R$33.62

21.21%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$142 R$779

273.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.5K

$6,428 R$35.3K

192.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,080

$33.94 R$186

81.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$49.29 R$271

-42.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,238

$106 R$582

-9.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,928

$66.9 R$367

29.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$309 R$1,696

133.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$233 R$1,276

118.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$611 R$3,354

219.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$461 R$2,532

202.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$1,616 R$8,869

159.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$1,140 R$6,257

189.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

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 Palmas: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Palmas

$233 28% 54.3% $276

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Palmas

$167 20.1% 37.6% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Palmas

$135 16.3% 7.1% $9

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Palmas

$115 13.9% 6.1% $7.4

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Palmas

$96 11.6% 19.6% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Palmas

$34 4.1% 58.8% $49

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Palmas

$49 6% 25.1% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $309 in Palmas. 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 $22 in Palmas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $167 – making Palmas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇷 Palmas

🕒 Local time

13:35 1:35 PM

03:35 3:35 AM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

302,692

💱 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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Between locations

Phuket Palmas 16,350 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Palmas

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 Palmas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,294 in Phuket, $830 in Palmas – Palmas comes out roughly 36% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $1,244 in Palmas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Palmas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $309 there versus $721 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $22 in Palmas. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $830 in Palmas. That makes Palmas about 36% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Palmas, where all-in costs run around $830, than in Phuket at $1,294. In Palmas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Palmas is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 36% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.