Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Petrolina

For one person, living is cheaper in Petrolina: $736 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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 Petrolina
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Petrolina Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Petrolina

🇧🇷 Brazil

$736

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Petrolina

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $736 in Petrolina, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Petrolina $736

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $1,155 in Petrolina, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Petrolina $1,155

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $1,574 in Petrolina, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Petrolina $1,574

Phuket costs about 76% more than Petrolina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Petrolina are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Petrolina 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$5.42 R$29.74

-19.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,080

$29.35 R$161

10.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿291

$7.30 R$40.07

19.18%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.1

$1.86 R$10.20

46.24%

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

$0.93 ฿31.11

$1.23 R$6.75

-24.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.70

$0.70 R$3.85

-28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.6

$1.81 R$9.94

39.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$2.85 R$15.65

27.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.04 R$5.71

67.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.51

$0.85 R$4.66

70.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$1.11 R$6.06

35.14%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.6

$1.54 R$8.47

40.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿638

$8.60 R$47.17

121.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$3.48 R$19.10

-2.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$7.45 R$40.90

46.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.3

$2.26 R$12.39

30.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.6

$0.84 R$4.62

101.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.4

$1.07 R$5.89

104.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.0

$1.44 R$7.92

47.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.77

$1.12 R$6.16

30.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.74

$0.73 R$3.99

87.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.98

$0.72 R$3.93

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.45 R$2.45

22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$2.34 R$12.81

89.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿610

$6.48 R$35.56

181.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.3

$1.23 R$6.78

43.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.3

$1.95 R$10.68

47.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.40

$1.00 R$5.48

45.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,835

$42.15 R$231

30.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.23 R$6.76

22.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.94

$0.86 R$4.72

-9.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$7.43 R$40.75

-48.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.74

$1.23 R$6.77

21.14%

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

$26.9K ฿898.9K

$19.5K R$107.0K

37.80%

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

$26.3K ฿881.0K

$24.6K R$134.9K

7.17%

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

$97.8 ฿3,271

$62.7 R$344

56.12%

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

$11.29 ฿378

$8.18 R$44.86

38.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿575

$11.37 R$62.4

51.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,285

$17.51 R$96.1

290.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

$25.72 R$141

-57.54%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$3.76 R$20.63

97.61%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$226 R$1,241

134.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿628.1K

$6,623 R$36.3K

183.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,062

$18.43 R$101

234.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿945

$46.58 R$256

-39.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,210

$50.9 R$279

88.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,903

$78.2 R$429

10.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$256 R$1,405

181.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$221 R$1,213

130.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.2K

$556 R$3,048

251.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.7K

$379 R$2,081

268.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.2K

$1,587 R$8,710

164.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.3K

$1,139 R$6,248

189.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

$558 R$3,061

-11.87%

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 Petrolina: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Petrolina

$221 30% 56.6% $288

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Petrolina

$159 21.6% 40.4% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Petrolina

$82 11.2% 34.9% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Petrolina

$87 11.9% 28.8% $35

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Petrolina

$110 15% 7.9% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Petrolina

$25 3.4% 69.9% $58

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Petrolina

$52 7% 21.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $256 in Petrolina. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 13% higher in Petrolina, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $29 in Petrolina. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $159 – making Petrolina the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇷 Petrolina

🕒 Local time

09:53 9:53 AM

23:53 11:53 PM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

386,791

💱 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

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Between locations

Phuket Petrolina 15,490 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Petrolina

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 Petrolina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 76% more than Petrolina, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $1,104 in Petrolina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Petrolina, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $256 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Kindergarten costs $530 per month in Phuket and $226 in Petrolina. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 68% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

For expats, Petrolina is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 43% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.