Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Santos

For one person, living is cheaper in Santos: $1,150 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Santos
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Santos Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Santos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,150

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Santos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,150 in Santos.

Phuket $1,208
Santos $1,150

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,736 in Santos.

Phuket $2,027
Santos $1,736

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $2,322 in Santos.

Phuket $2,845
Santos $2,322

Living in Phuket is roughly 5% more expensive than in Santos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Santos 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$8.12 R$41.18

-45.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$31.84 R$161

1.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$7.14 R$36.19

22.69%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.75 R$13.96

2.91%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.43 R$7.24

-37.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.92 R$4.68

-48.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$2.52 R$12.76

1.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.92 R$14.79

31.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.09 R$5.50

58.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.85 R$9.39

-20.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.36 R$6.91

11.03%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.49 R$12.61

-12.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$12.14 R$61.6

62.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$4.86 R$24.63

-31.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$9.91 R$50.2

12.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.11 R$10.69

35.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.23 R$6.23

38.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.99 R$10.07

10.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.85 R$9.37

10.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.35 R$6.86

7.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.29 R$6.56

6.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.16 R$5.87

-7.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.95 R$4.80

-46.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.35 R$11.89

81.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$7.98 R$40.46

132.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.33 R$6.76

33.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.94 R$9.83

46.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$1.12 R$5.66

101.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$49.37 R$250

-55.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.56 R$7.89

92.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$1.61 R$8.16

-34.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$17.80 R$90.2

-78.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.24 R$6.31

16.94%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$23.7K R$120.3K

10.97%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$33.5K R$169.6K

-19.48%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$104 R$529

-7.58%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$11.95 R$60.6

-7.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$21.90 R$111

-21.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$28.96 R$147

80.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$57.0 R$289

-80.43%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$8.59 R$43.55

-9.08%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$280 R$1,418

98.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$10.2K R$52.0K

12.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$55.5 R$281

15.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$36.69 R$186

-21.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$95.7 R$485

-0.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$60.7 R$307

45.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$543 R$2,754

35.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$424 R$2,148

9.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$992 R$5,031

111.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$686 R$3,478

75.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$2,413 R$12.2K

44.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,776 R$9,004

42.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$584 R$2,958

-14.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

12.79

-56.45%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Santos: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Santos

$424 36.9% 8.3% $39

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Santos

$219 19.1% 18.3% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Santos

$138 12% 10.9% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Santos

$112 9.7% 10% $12

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Santos

$147 12.8% 21.5% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Santos

$46 4% 31.9% $22

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Santos

$63 5.5% 60.9% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $543 in Santos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santos pays 17% 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 $32.00 in Santos. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $219, with Santos cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇷 Santos

🕒 Local time

19:29 7:29 PM

09:29 9:29 AM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

418,608

💱 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 Santos 15,860 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Santos

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 Santos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santos is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 5% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 17% lower in Santos. 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 $543 in Santos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $280 in Santos. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,150 in Santos versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Santos but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Santos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Santos 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 Santos 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 Santos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.