Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Rio Claro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio Claro: $837 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Rio Claro
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Rio Claro Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Rio Claro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $837 in Rio Claro.

Phuket $1,208
Rio Claro $837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,268 in Rio Claro.

Phuket $2,027
Rio Claro $1,268

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,699 in Rio Claro.

Phuket $2,845
Rio Claro $1,699

Living in Phuket is roughly 44% more expensive than in Rio Claro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Rio Claro 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$5.67 R$28.74

-22.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$23.49 R$119

37.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$7.49 R$37.98

16.96%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.26 R$11.46

25.22%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.13 R$5.73

-20.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.69 R$3.51

-31.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$2.13 R$10.78

19.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.45 R$22.56

-13.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$0.91 R$4.60

90.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.99 R$10.11

-26.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.19 R$6.05

26.89%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.26 R$11.47

-3.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$9.00 R$45.60

118.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$4.48 R$22.73

-25.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$9.47 R$48.00

17.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.44 R$12.38

16.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.86 R$9.42

-8.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.40 R$7.08

56.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.36 R$6.90

50.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.96 R$4.88

51.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.20 R$6.09

15.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.90 R$4.54

18.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.80 R$4.03

-36.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.86 R$14.50

48.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$8.80 R$44.63

111.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.65 R$8.37

7.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$3.73 R$18.92

-23.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.95 R$4.82

137.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$39.85 R$202

-44.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.27 R$6.42

137.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$1.41 R$7.16

-24.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$9.27 R$46.99

-58.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.19 R$6.01

21.85%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$23.3K R$117.9K

13.22%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$34.3K R$173.7K

-21.38%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$42.36 R$215

127.53%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$9.36 R$47.45

17.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$18.17 R$92.1

-5.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$24.25 R$123

115.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$5.96 R$30.22

31.04%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$234 R$1,186

137.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$5,435 R$27.6K

113.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$54.5 R$276

17.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$57.6 R$292

-50.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$96.0 R$487

-0.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$72.8 R$369

20.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$282 R$1,429

161.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$222 R$1,127

108.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$431 R$2,187

385.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$327 R$1,658

267.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$765 R$3,876

356.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$671 R$3,402

275.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$515 R$2,610

-2.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.12

-49.91%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Rio Claro: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Rio Claro

$222 26.6% 51.9% $240

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Rio Claro

$208 24.9% 22.5% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Rio Claro

$70 8.4% 43.9% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Rio Claro

$126 15.1% 1.7% $2.1

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Rio Claro

$122 14.6% 0.4% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Rio Claro

$36 4.3% 46.6% $32

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Rio Claro

$52 6.2% 31.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $282 in Rio Claro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio Claro pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $23.00 in Rio Claro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $208 per month, with Rio Claro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇷 Rio Claro

🕒 Local time

01:30 1:30 AM

15:30 3:30 PM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

201,418

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Rio Claro 16,030 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Rio Claro

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 Claro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio Claro is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and utilities. The 44% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Rio Claro. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $737 in Phuket versus $282 in Rio Claro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $234 in Rio Claro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $837 in Rio Claro versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio Claro but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Rio Claro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Rio Claro 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Rio Claro 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 Rio Claro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.