Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Rio Branco

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio Branco: $837 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Rio Branco
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Rio Branco Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Rio Branco

🇧🇷 Brazil

$837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Rio Branco

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $837 in Rio Branco.

Phuket $1,294
Rio Branco $837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,322 in Rio Branco.

Phuket $2,204
Rio Branco $1,322

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,806 in Rio Branco.

Phuket $3,115
Rio Branco $1,806

Living in Phuket is roughly 54% more expensive than in Rio Branco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Rio Branco 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$6.58 R$35.92

-33.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,085

$23.93 R$131

35.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$6.84 R$37.35

27.19%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.5

$2.78 R$15.15

-2.16%

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

$0.93 ฿31.25

$1.33 R$7.24

-30.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.78

$0.72 R$3.94

-30.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.0

$1.88 R$10.25

34.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.87 R$15.67

26.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$0.99 R$5.40

75.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.73

$1.59 R$8.68

-8.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.20 R$6.54

25.00%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$2.08 R$11.37

4.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿641

$8.66 R$47.30

120.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$4.08 R$22.30

-16.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$7.81 R$42.65

39.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.8

$2.10 R$11.49

40.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$1.20 R$6.55

40.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.7

$1.09 R$5.94

100.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$1.45 R$7.92

46.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.99

$1.18 R$6.45

23.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.95

$1.05 R$5.71

30.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.14

$0.77 R$4.19

40.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.32

$0.71 R$3.88

-22.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$2.34 R$12.78

89.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿613

$7.53 R$41.12

142.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.5

$1.22 R$6.67

45.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$1.96 R$10.72

46.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.62

$0.62 R$3.40

133.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

$41.30 R$225

32.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.8

$1.23 R$6.72

22.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.06

$0.80 R$4.36

-2.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$7.25 R$39.59

-47.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.96

$1.29 R$7.05

15.50%

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

$26.9K ฿902.9K

$21.9K R$119.6K

22.72%

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

$26.3K ฿884.9K

$30.8K R$168.2K

-14.47%

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

$97.8 ฿3,285

$71.9 R$393

36.00%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$11.31 R$61.8

-0.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿577

$19.60 R$107

-12.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,295

$23.91 R$131

185.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$26.12 R$143

-58.19%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$6.84 R$37.35

8.63%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$260 R$1,420

103.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿630.9K

$6,586 R$36.0K

185.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,072

$52.3 R$286

17.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿949

$46.99 R$257

-39.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,225

$84.0 R$458

14.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,916

$67.4 R$368

28.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$342 R$1,865

111.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$225 R$1,229

126.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.5K

$634 R$3,461

207.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.9K

$448 R$2,448

211.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.8K

$1,585 R$8,653

164.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.8K

$1,506 R$8,223

119.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$241 R$1,316

103.98%

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 Rio Branco: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Rio Branco

$225 26.9% 55.8% $284

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Rio Branco

$180 21.5% 32.4% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Rio Branco

$103 12.3% 18.6% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Rio Branco

$113 13.5% 8.1% $9.9

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Rio Branco

$130 15.5% 8.6% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Rio Branco

$38 4.5% 54.8% $46

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Rio Branco

$49 5.9% 25.8% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $342 in Rio Branco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $24 in Rio Branco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $180 per month, with Rio Branco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇷 Rio Branco

🕒 Local time

18:52 6:52 PM

06:52 6:52 AM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

364,756

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 BRL = 0.183 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 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 Rio Branco 18,480 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Rio Branco

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 Rio Branco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio Branco is about 35% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Phuket is about 2 times higher, 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: $721 in Phuket versus $342 in Rio Branco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $260 in Rio Branco. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 48% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $837 in Rio Branco versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Rio Branco but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Rio Branco 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.

Expats usually find Rio Branco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.