Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Rio Verde

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio Verde: $879 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Rio Verde
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Rio Verde Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Rio Verde

🇧🇷 Brazil

$879

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $879 in Rio Verde.

Phuket $1,207
Rio Verde $879

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,365 in Rio Verde.

Phuket $2,037
Rio Verde $1,365

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $1,852 in Rio Verde.

Phuket $2,867
Rio Verde $1,852

Living in Phuket is roughly 37% more expensive than in Rio Verde, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Rio Verde 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿154

$3.91 R$19.60

17.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,090

$15.98 R$80.2

103.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿287

$6.98 R$35.04

22.49%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.3

$1.78 R$8.93

52.81%

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

$0.94 ฿31.37

$0.98 R$4.93

-4.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.46

$0.82 R$4.12

-40.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.9

$2.65 R$13.32

-2.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿129

$2.94 R$14.77

30.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$0.95 R$4.76

83.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿48.01

$1.67 R$8.37

-14.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.2

$0.99 R$4.96

54.55%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$1.93 R$9.66

12.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿642

$7.85 R$39.38

143.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.97 R$19.93

-16.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿374

$6.54 R$32.83

70.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.9

$1.63 R$8.20

80.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.3

$1.74 R$8.73

-3.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿77.1

$0.83 R$4.18

177.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.6

$1.96 R$9.83

8.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.3

$1.16 R$5.83

31.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.73

$1.53 R$7.69

-11.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.59

$0.83 R$4.14

34.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.31

$0.79 R$3.94

-30.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿143

$2.85 R$14.30

49.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿610

$10.61 R$53.2

71.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$2.09 R$10.47

-16.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.7

$1.72 R$8.64

62.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.3

$1.05 R$5.27

111.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿740

$47.74 R$240

-53.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.7

$1.33 R$6.65

118.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.93

$1.11 R$5.59

-9.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$6.17 R$30.95

-37.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.32 R$6.63

12.88%

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

$26.7K ฿895.1K

$24.3K R$122.0K

9.75%

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

$26.7K ฿896.1K

$32.9K R$165.0K

-18.77%

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

$99.4 ฿3,334

$71.1 R$357

39.82%

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

$11.28 ฿379

$14.00 R$70.2

-19.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿582

$21.58 R$108

-19.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,754

$26.30 R$132

98.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿364

$29.37 R$147

-63.06%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿254

$10.16 R$51.0

-25.49%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$419 R$2,104

33.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿385.4K

$8,298 R$41.6K

38.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,110

$54.7 R$274

15.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿959

$69.2 R$347

-58.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,226

$88.8 R$446

8.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,954

$105 R$527

-16.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.5K

$359 R$1,804

102.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$237 R$1,189

94.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.3K

$664 R$3,334

215.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿41.0K

$480 R$2,408

154.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿116.0K

$1,849 R$9,277

87.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.5K

$1,072 R$5,381

132.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.95

-49.13%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Rio Verde: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Rio Verde

$237 27% 48.5% $223

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Rio Verde

$187 21.3% 30.1% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Rio Verde

$107 12.1% 16.7% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Rio Verde

$143 16.3% 15.2% $19

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Rio Verde

$100 11.4% 17.6% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Rio Verde

$47 5.3% 30.9% $21

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Rio Verde

$59 6.7% 51.3% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $359 in Rio Verde. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $16.00 in Rio Verde for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $187 per month, with Rio Verde cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇷 Rio Verde

🕒 Local time

03:12 3:12 AM

17:12 5:12 PM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

225,696

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 33.55 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.62 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Phuket Rio Verde 16,520 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Rio Verde

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 Verde: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio Verde is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 37% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,811 in Phuket and $1,318 in Rio Verde 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: $729 in Phuket versus $359 in Rio Verde. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $419 in Rio Verde. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $879 in Rio Verde versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Rio Verde but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Rio Verde the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Rio Verde 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 Verde 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 Verde gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.