Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Paulista

For one person, living is cheaper in Paulista: $740 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Paulista
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Paulista Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Paulista

🇧🇷 Brazil

$740

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Paulista

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $740 in Paulista.

Phuket $1,294
Paulista $740

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,147 in Paulista.

Phuket $2,204
Paulista $1,147

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,554 in Paulista.

Phuket $3,115
Paulista $1,554

Living in Phuket is roughly 75% more expensive than in Paulista, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Paulista 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$6.67 R$36.60

-34.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,080

$14.68 R$80.6

120.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿291

$7.55 R$41.42

15.23%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.1

$1.49 R$8.15

82.55%

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

$0.93 ฿31.11

$0.98 R$5.35

-5.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.70

$0.38 R$2.10

31.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.6

$1.73 R$9.48

46.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$3.25 R$17.86

11.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$0.97 R$5.33

79.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.51

$1.69 R$9.25

-14.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$0.96 R$5.26

56.25%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.6

$2.00 R$10.99

8.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿638

$2.68 R$14.70

612.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$2.86 R$15.68

18.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$5.33 R$29.27

104.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.3

$1.91 R$10.46

53.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.6

$0.92 R$5.06

83.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.4

$0.83 R$4.58

163.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.0

$1.05 R$5.77

101.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.77

$1.32 R$7.24

10.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.74

$0.73 R$3.98

87.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.98

$0.39 R$2.12

176.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.85 R$4.65

-35.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$2.03 R$11.15

118.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿610

$3.50 R$19.23

421.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.3

$1.44 R$7.92

22.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.3

$2.98 R$16.35

-3.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.40

$0.92 R$5.06

57.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,835

$42.62 R$234

28.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.81 R$9.91

-16.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.94

$1.14 R$6.24

-31.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$2.90 R$15.93

32.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.74

$1.01 R$5.52

47.52%

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

$26.9K ฿898.9K

$13.0K R$71.4K

106.59%

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

$26.3K ฿881.0K

$27.9K R$152.8K

-5.42%

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

$97.8 ฿3,271

$42.50 R$233

130.14%

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

$11.29 ฿378

$21.66 R$119

-47.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿575

$22.70 R$125

-24.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,285

$24.07 R$132

183.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

$25.70 R$141

-57.51%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$5.74 R$31.49

29.44%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$65.6 R$360

709.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿628.1K

$6,380 R$35.0K

194.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,062

$16.86 R$92.5

265.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿945

$64.0 R$351

-55.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,210

$45.64 R$250

110.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,903

$55.7 R$305

55.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$340 R$1,866

112.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$229 R$1,259

121.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.2K

$627 R$3,441

210.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.7K

$440 R$2,417

217.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.2K

$1,564 R$8,583

168.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.3K

$1,161 R$6,372

184.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

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 Paulista: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Paulista

$229 31% 54.9% $279

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Paulista

$138 18.6% 48.4% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Paulista

$87 11.7% 31.2% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Paulista

$82 11.1% 33.2% $41

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Paulista

$114 15.5% 4.3% $5.1

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Paulista

$36 4.8% 57.3% $48

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Paulista

$54 7.3% 18.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $340 in Paulista. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $15 in Paulista for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $138 per month, with Paulista cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇷 Paulista

🕒 Local time

12:07 12:07 PM

02:07 2:07 AM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

342,167

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.54 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.16 BRL (1 BRL = 0.162 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Paulista 14,870 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Paulista

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 Paulista: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Paulista wins on cost – living expenses run 43% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Paulista the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $1,110 in Paulista 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 $340 in Paulista. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $66 in Paulista. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 94% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Paulista gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.