Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Salvador

For one person, living is cheaper in Salvador: $977 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Salvador
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Salvador Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Salvador

🇧🇷 Brazil

$977

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Salvador

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $977 in Salvador.

Phuket $1,207
Salvador $977

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,501 in Salvador.

Phuket $2,037
Salvador $1,501

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $2,024 in Salvador.

Phuket $2,867
Salvador $2,024

Living in Phuket is roughly 24% more expensive than in Salvador, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Salvador 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$8.31 R$42.12

-44.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$36.15 R$183

-10.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$7.90 R$40.06

8.23%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$2.59 R$13.15

5.02%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$1.33 R$6.73

-29.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.88 R$4.46

-44.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$2.53 R$12.84

2.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.02 R$20.40

-4.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.42 R$7.20

22.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.53 R$7.76

-6.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$1.26 R$6.38

21.43%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.11 R$10.70

2.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$9.44 R$47.86

102.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$4.53 R$22.98

-27.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$7.08 R$35.90

57.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$2.16 R$10.93

36.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.55 R$7.86

8.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.17 R$5.94

96.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$1.38 R$6.99

54.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$1.09 R$5.55

40.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$1.33 R$6.75

2.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$0.79 R$4.03

41.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$1.11 R$5.65

-50.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.43 R$12.31

75.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$6.09 R$30.86

198.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.29 R$6.54

34.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$2.04 R$10.32

36.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$1.21 R$6.15

83.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$59.7 R$303

-63.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$1.67 R$8.46

74.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$1.19 R$6.02

-15.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$9.79 R$49.63

-60.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.34 R$6.77

11.19%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$23.4K R$118.5K

14.12%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$33.3K R$168.8K

-19.80%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$94.2 R$478

5.48%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$9.72 R$49.30

16.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$17.47 R$88.6

-0.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$26.01 R$132

101.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$17.77 R$90.1

-38.94%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$7.50 R$38.01

0.93%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$373 R$1,890

49.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$15.6K R$78.9K

-26.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$58.9 R$298

6.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$35.45 R$180

-19.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$89.2 R$452

7.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$83.1 R$421

6.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$526 R$2,669

38.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$279 R$1,416

64.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$949 R$4,810

120.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$456 R$2,310

168.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$2,145 R$10.9K

61.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$1,372 R$6,956

81.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$397 R$2,010

24.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-44.30%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Salvador: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Salvador

$279 28.6% 39.3% $181

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Salvador

$192 19.7% 28.2% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Salvador

$121 12.4% 5.2% $6.6

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Salvador

$120 12.3% 3.3% $4.1

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Salvador

$151 15.4% 24.3% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Salvador

$41 4.2% 39.2% $26

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Salvador

$72 7.4% 85.6% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $526 in Salvador. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 24% 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: $32.00 in Phuket vs $36.00 in Salvador. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $192, with Salvador cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇷 Salvador

🕒 Local time

20:31 8:31 PM

10:31 10:31 AM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

2,417,678

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Salvador 15,270 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Salvador

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 Salvador: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Salvador is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 24% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 24% 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: $729 in Phuket versus $526 in Salvador. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $373 in Salvador. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $977 in Salvador versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Salvador but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Salvador the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Salvador 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 Salvador 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 Salvador gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.