Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Recife

For one person, living is cheaper in Recife: $916 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Recife
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Recife Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Recife

🇧🇷 Brazil

$916

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Recife

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $916 in Recife.

Phuket $1,278
Recife $916

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,513 in Recife.

Phuket $2,216
Recife $1,513

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,111 in Recife.

Phuket $3,154
Recife $2,111

Living in Phuket is roughly 40% more expensive than in Recife, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Recife 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$5.14 R$27.67

-13.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$35.46 R$191

-8.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.07 R$48.81

-2.87%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.43 R$13.09

16.46%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.98 R$5.29

-11.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.55 R$2.97

-10.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.47 R$7.93

74.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.96 R$15.95

24.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.35 R$7.25

22.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.50 R$8.08

-2.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.55 R$8.32

-3.23%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.77 R$9.51

18.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$6.70 R$36.04

184.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.27 R$22.99

-22.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.49 R$40.31

45.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.31 R$7.05

123.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.29 R$6.96

31.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.70 R$3.77

221.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.13 R$6.10

84.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.37 R$7.35

10.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.05 R$5.63

31.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.45 R$2.42

137.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.82 R$4.42

-36.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.62 R$8.73

159.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.45 R$40.12

152.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.09 R$5.88

66.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.41 R$7.60

101.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.83 R$4.45

74.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$37.14 R$200

52.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.18 R$6.33

155.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.67 R$3.61

52.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$3.26 R$17.55

13.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.22 R$6.54

20.49%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$21.4K R$115.0K

25.31%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$32.3K R$173.9K

-17.41%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$106 R$573

-9.47%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$12.64 R$68.0

-10.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$16.28 R$87.6

3.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$20.91 R$113

221.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$32.58 R$175

-67.07%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$8.44 R$45.44

-11.14%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$259 R$1,392

83.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$11.3K R$61.0K

-0.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$42.64 R$229

46.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$47.48 R$256

-40.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$71.8 R$386

31.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$76.1 R$410

12.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$533 R$2,869

34.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$304 R$1,636

61.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$794 R$4,275

142.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$731 R$3,933

95.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$1,870 R$10.1K

123.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,099 R$5,913

177.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$395 R$2,123

27.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.75

-52.60%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Recife: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Recife

$304 33.2% 38.1% $187

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Recife

$169 18.5% 36.3% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Recife

$135 14.8% 8.7% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Recife

$107 11.7% 12.1% $15

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Recife

$117 12.8% 3.9% $4.7

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Recife

$38 4.1% 54% $44

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Recife

$45 4.9% 36.3% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $533 in Recife. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 27% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $35 in Recife. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $169, with Recife cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇷 Recife

🕒 Local time

17:18 5:18 PM

07:18 7:18 AM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,488,920

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.167 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.38 BRL (1 BRL = 0.186 USD). 1 EUR = 6.01 BRL (1 BRL = 0.167 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Recife 14,870 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Recife

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 Recife: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Recife is about 28% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 27% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $533 in Recife. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $259 in Recife. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Recife is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Recife is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Recife wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.