Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Paulinia

For one person, living is cheaper in Paulinia: $931 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Paulinia
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Paulinia Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Paulinia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$931

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Paulinia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $931 in Paulinia.

Phuket $1,294
Paulinia $931

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,468 in Paulinia.

Phuket $2,204
Paulinia $1,468

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,005 in Paulinia.

Phuket $3,115
Paulinia $2,005

Living in Phuket is roughly 39% more expensive than in Paulinia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Paulinia 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$8.27 R$45.41

-46.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$33.83 R$186

-4.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$8.47 R$46.46

2.72%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$2.22 R$12.18

22.52%

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

$0.93 ฿31.38

$1.32 R$7.24

-29.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.86 R$4.74

-41.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$2.19 R$11.99

15.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$3.74 R$20.51

-2.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$0.99 R$5.42

75.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.78 R$9.75

-18.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.25 R$6.85

20.00%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$2.31 R$12.68

-6.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$11.41 R$62.6

67.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$4.57 R$25.09

-25.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$9.75 R$53.5

11.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$2.05 R$11.23

43.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.37 R$7.54

23.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$1.46 R$8.00

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$1.45 R$7.98

46.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.19

$1.18 R$6.46

23.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.14

$1.16 R$6.37

18.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.29

$0.91 R$5.01

18.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.40

$0.80 R$4.41

-31.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$2.26 R$12.40

96.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$7.42 R$40.70

145.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.41 R$7.76

25.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$2.42 R$13.27

19.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$0.98 R$5.40

47.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,851

$41.58 R$228

32.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.15 R$6.33

31.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.17

$0.73 R$4.00

6.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$8.14 R$44.68

-52.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.17 R$6.42

27.35%

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

$26.9K ฿906.7K

$21.8K R$119.4K

23.52%

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

$26.3K ฿888.6K

$31.4K R$172.3K

-16.07%

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

$97.8 ฿3,299

$97.6 R$536

0.24%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$13.59 R$74.6

-16.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$20.96 R$115

-17.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$36.90 R$203

85.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$25.87 R$142

-57.79%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$8.09 R$44.38

-8.16%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$373 R$2,047

42.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.5K

$9,591 R$52.6K

95.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,080

$50.6 R$278

21.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$46.93 R$258

-39.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,238

$87.9 R$482

9.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,928

$64.3 R$353

35.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$338 R$1,855

113.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$232 R$1,274

119.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$635 R$3,484

207.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$442 R$2,424

216.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$1,550 R$8,507

170.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$1,124 R$6,166

193.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-53.58%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Paulinia: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Paulinia

$232 24.9% 54.4% $277

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Paulinia

$206 22.1% 22.9% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Paulinia

$132 14.2% 4.6% $5.8

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Paulinia

$112 12.1% 8.4% $10

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Paulinia

$145 15.6% 21.6% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Paulinia

$53 5.7% 36.2% $30

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Paulinia

$50 5.4% 23.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $338 in Paulinia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $34 in Paulinia. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $206, with Paulinia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇷 Paulinia

🕒 Local time

10:35 10:35 AM

00:35 12:35 AM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

110,537

💱 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 Paulinia 15,980 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Paulinia

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 Paulinia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $931 in Paulinia, so Paulinia is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $1,396 in Paulinia to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $338 in Paulinia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $34 in Paulinia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,294 per month in Phuket versus $931 in Paulinia – Paulinia is about 28% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $931 in Paulinia versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Paulinia but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Paulinia 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.