Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Rio Grande, Brazil

Name: Rio Grande
Address: Rio Grande, BR

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio Grande: $789 a month against $1,294 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
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Rio Grande
Learn more

Rio Grande Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Rio Grande

🇧🇷 Brazil

$789

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $789 in Rio Grande.

Phuket $1,294
Rio Grande $789

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,246 in Rio Grande.

Phuket $2,204
Rio Grande $1,246

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,703 in Rio Grande.

Phuket $3,115
Rio Grande $1,703

Living in Phuket is roughly 64% more expensive than in Rio Grande, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Rio Grande 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$7.36 R$40.40

-40.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$24.58 R$135

31.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$6.39 R$35.09

36.15%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$1.27 R$6.98

114.17%

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

$0.93 ฿31.38

$1.11 R$6.07

-16.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.76 R$4.19

-34.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$2.24 R$12.31

12.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.80 R$15.39

29.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$0.96 R$5.27

81.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.55 R$8.52

-6.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.01 R$5.54

48.51%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$1.89 R$10.39

14.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$3.64 R$19.96

424.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$4.59 R$25.20

-25.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$9.54 R$52.4

14.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$2.31 R$12.66

27.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.41 R$7.74

19.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$1.32 R$7.24

65.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$0.58 R$3.19

265.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.19

$1.14 R$6.28

28.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.14

$0.62 R$3.41

120.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.29

$0.36 R$1.95

200.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.40

$0.54 R$2.98

1.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$2.29 R$12.55

93.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$7.33 R$40.24

148.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.05 R$5.74

68.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$2.02 R$11.07

42.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.00 R$5.49

45.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,851

$41.06 R$225

33.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.25 R$6.84

20.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.17

$0.75 R$4.11

4.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$7.85 R$43.08

-51.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.10 R$6.02

35.45%

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

$26.9K ฿906.7K

$21.6K R$118.6K

24.41%

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

$26.3K ฿888.6K

$31.5K R$172.9K

-16.38%

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

$97.8 ฿3,299

$72.5 R$398

34.89%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$8.56 R$47.00

31.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$20.64 R$113

-16.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$23.80 R$131

187.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$25.52 R$140

-57.21%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$2.71 R$14.86

174.17%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$256 R$1,407

106.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.5K

$6,654 R$36.5K

182.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,080

$30.12 R$165

104.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$37.08 R$204

-23.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,238

$73.2 R$402

31.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,928

$74.6 R$410

16.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$343 R$1,881

110.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$230 R$1,262

121.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$644 R$3,532

202.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$453 R$2,487

208.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$1,563 R$8,579

168.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$1,123 R$6,166

193.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.5

-51.57%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Rio Grande: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Rio Grande

$230 29.1% 54.8% $279

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Rio Grande

$164 20.8% 38.6% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Rio Grande

$102 12.9% 19.5% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Rio Grande

$97 12.3% 21.2% $26

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Rio Grande

$118 14.9% 1.6% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Rio Grande

$29 3.7% 64.9% $54

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Rio Grande

$50 6.3% 24.2% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $343 in Rio Grande. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $25 in Rio Grande for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $164 per month, with Rio Grande cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇷 Rio Grande

🕒 Local time

09:55 9:55 AM

23:55 11:55 PM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

198,935

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.72 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.14 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Rio Grande 15,950 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Rio Grande

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 Grande: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio Grande is about 39% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $1,184 in Rio Grande 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: $721 in Phuket versus $343 in Rio Grande. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $256 in Rio Grande. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 63% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $789 in Rio Grande versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Rio Grande but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Rio Grande 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 Grande gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.