Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sao Caetano do Sul

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Caetano do Sul: $985 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Sao Caetano do Sul
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Sao Caetano do Sul Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Sao Caetano do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$985

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Sao Caetano do Sul

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 Sao Caetano do Sul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $985 in Sao Caetano do Sul.

Phuket $1,278
Sao Caetano do Sul $985

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,686 in Sao Caetano do Sul.

Phuket $2,216
Sao Caetano do Sul $1,686

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,388 in Sao Caetano do Sul.

Phuket $3,154
Sao Caetano do Sul $2,388

Living in Phuket is roughly 30% more expensive than in Sao Caetano do Sul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Sao Caetano do Sul 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$8.42 R$45.02

-46.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$37.05 R$198

-12.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.57 R$45.81

2.80%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.15 R$11.47

31.63%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.25 R$6.70

-30.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.89 R$4.74

-44.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.28 R$12.17

12.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.61 R$19.32

1.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.12 R$5.98

48.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.91 R$10.21

-23.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.35 R$7.22

11.11%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.39 R$12.75

-12.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$10.08 R$53.9

89.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.95 R$26.48

-33.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.88 R$52.8

10.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.25 R$12.02

30.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.59 R$8.49

6.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.51 R$8.08

49.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.86 R$9.92

11.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.31 R$7.01

15.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.17 R$6.24

17.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.88 R$4.70

21.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.74 R$3.96

-29.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.39 R$12.80

75.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.51 R$45.52

120.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.72 R$9.17

5.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.33 R$12.46

21.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.63 R$3.36

130.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.22 R$6.55

147.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.90 R$4.81

13.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$8.08 R$43.20

-54.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.24 R$6.63

18.55%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$21.9K R$116.9K

22.43%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$31.5K R$168.7K

-15.38%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$98.0 R$524

-1.68%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$13.73 R$73.4

-17.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$21.02 R$112

-19.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$46.43 R$248

44.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$42.29 R$226

-74.63%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$9.04 R$48.32

-17.04%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$418 R$2,233

13.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$10.3K R$55.0K

9.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$61.3 R$328

1.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$52.4 R$280

-45.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$93.0 R$497

1.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$86.5 R$463

-0.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$393 R$2,101

82.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$287 R$1,533

71.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$796 R$4,254

142.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$788 R$4,214

81.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$1,689 R$9,032

147.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,367 R$7,312

122.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$877 R$4,689

-42.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.81

-48.47%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sao Caetano do Sul: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$287 29.1% 41.6% $204

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$215 21.8% 19.3% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$133 13.5% 6.7% $8.3

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$132 13.4% 8.2% $10

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$146 14.8% 19.9% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$65 6.6% 21.6% $18

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$8.2 * 0.8% 88.3% $62

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $393 in Sao Caetano do Sul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Caetano do Sul pays 75% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $37 in Sao Caetano do Sul. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $215, with Sao Caetano do Sul cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇷 Sao Caetano do Sul

🕒 Local time

03:49 3:49 AM

17:49 5:49 PM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

165,655

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Sao Caetano do Sul 15,890 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Sao Caetano do Sul

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 Sao Caetano do Sul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Caetano do Sul is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 43% lower in Phuket. 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: $716 in Phuket versus $393 in Sao Caetano do Sul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $418 in Sao Caetano do Sul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $37 in Sao Caetano do Sul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Sao Caetano do Sul is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.