Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Pipa

For one person, living is cheaper in Pipa: $772 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Pipa
Learn more

Pipa Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Pipa

🇧🇷 Brazil

$772

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Pipa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $772 in Pipa.

Phuket $1,278
Pipa $772

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,234 in Pipa.

Phuket $2,216
Pipa $1,234

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,695 in Pipa.

Phuket $3,154
Pipa $1,695

Living in Phuket is roughly 65% more expensive than in Pipa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Pipa 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$5.25 R$28.10

-14.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$27.47 R$147

17.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.48 R$34.66

35.96%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$1.73 R$9.24

63.58%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.11 R$5.96

-21.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.61 R$3.28

-19.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$1.81 R$9.70

41.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.75 R$14.74

33.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.99 R$5.32

67.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.50 R$8.04

-2.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.18 R$6.32

27.12%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.03 R$10.87

2.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$8.21 R$43.93

132.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.66 R$19.59

-9.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.52 R$40.26

45.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.15 R$11.48

36.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.25 R$6.70

35.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.14 R$6.09

97.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.46 R$7.79

42.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.20 R$6.41

25.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.09 R$5.81

26.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.66 R$3.51

62.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.61 R$3.28

-14.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.08 R$11.13

101.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.51 R$40.19

150.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.19 R$6.39

52.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.02 R$10.81

40.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.93 R$4.98

55.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$38.47 R$206

47.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.09 R$5.85

177.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.74 R$3.97

37.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$6.49 R$34.71

-43.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.08 R$5.75

36.11%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$20.2K R$108.3K

32.35%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$27.5K R$147.3K

-3.03%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$60.7 R$325

58.84%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$13.53 R$72.4

-16.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$18.97 R$102

-11.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$22.88 R$122

193.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$21.80 R$117

-50.78%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.48 R$34.66

15.74%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$282 R$1,507

69.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$6,517 R$34.9K

72.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$47.88 R$256

30.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$42.95 R$230

-33.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$75.6 R$405

24.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$63.5 R$340

35.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$321 R$1,717

123.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$215 R$1,151

128.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$579 R$3,096

233.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$427 R$2,283

235.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$1,455 R$7,788

186.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,030 R$5,510

195.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.92

-48.99%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Pipa: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Pipa

$215 27.9% 56.2% $276

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Pipa

$174 22.6% 34.6% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Pipa

$93 12.1% 25.2% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Pipa

$103 13.4% 15.1% $18

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Pipa

$104 13.4% 14.8% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Pipa

$36 4.6% 56.4% $46

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Pipa

$47 6.1% 33.4% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $321 in Pipa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $27 in Pipa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $174 per month, with Pipa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇷 Pipa

🕒 Local time

01:39 1:39 AM

15:39 3:39 PM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

25,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.96 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Pipa 14,880 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Pipa

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 Pipa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pipa is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 65% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,159 in Pipa 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: $716 in Phuket versus $321 in Pipa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $282 in Pipa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Pipa are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Pipa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.