Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sao Carlos Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sao Carlos

😐 Solo nomad: Phuket is 28.1% more expensive than Sao Carlos without rent, and 56.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Phuket is 28.2% more expensive than Sao Carlos without rent, and 78.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Sao Carlos
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.65 ฿148
$4.39 R$23.06
5.92%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.11 ฿1,463
$32.64 R$171
41.27%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.74 ฿277
$6.80 R$35.72
28.53%
Cappuccino
$3.04 ฿96.4
$1.74 R$9.16
74.71%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.72 ฿22.85
$1.16 R$6.09
-37.93%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.39 ฿12.41
$0.68 R$3.56
-42.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.44 ฿77.4
$1.45 R$7.63
68.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.79 ฿120
$3.03 R$15.89
25.08%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Sao Carlos
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.14 ฿68.0
$1.09 R$5.74
96.33%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 ฿59.0
$1.50 R$7.90
24.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.19 ฿69.4
$2.68 R$14.06
-18.28%
Eggs
$2.25 ฿71.2
$2.32 R$12.19
-3.02%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.73 ฿626
$9.25 R$48.57
113.30%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.79 ฿120
$4.31 R$22.61
-12.06%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.55 ฿430
$7.84 R$41.17
72.83%
Apples (1kg)
$3.25 ฿103
$2.38 R$12.48
36.55%
Banana (1kg)
$1.67 ฿53.0
$1.49 R$7.80
12.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.39 ฿75.9
$1.49 R$7.80
60.40%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.09 ฿66.4
$1.99 R$10.43
5.03%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 ฿48.50
$1.58 R$8.28
-3.16%
Onion (1kg)
$1.51 ฿47.89
$1.24 R$6.49
21.77%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 ฿31.37
$0.88 R$4.62
12.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ฿16.33
$0.76 R$3.99
-32.89%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 ฿136
$2.13 R$11.18
100.47%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.31 ฿644
$8.15 R$42.76
149.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.79 ฿56.8
$1.30 R$6.83
37.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 ฿87.8
$2.55 R$13.41
8.63%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Sao Carlos
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.40 ฿44.54
$0.87 R$4.59
60.92%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.70 ฿371
$21.81 R$115
-46.35%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 ฿98.7
$1.39 R$7.28
123.74%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.99 ฿31.55
$0.91 R$4.76
8.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.73 ฿436
$3.34 R$17.51
311.08%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 ฿41.84
$1.00 R$5.28
32.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.2K ฿863.9K
$29.5K R$155.0K
-7.78%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K ฿1.1M
$29.9K R$156.9K
14.15%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Sao Carlos
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 ฿3,819
$72.5 R$380
66.18%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.93 ฿442
$14.82 R$77.8
-6.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.31 ฿581
$18.51 R$97.2
-1.08%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Sao Carlos
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.9 ฿1,933
$20.72 R$109
194.06%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.23 ฿547
$38.88 R$204
-55.68%
Cinema Ticket
$8.71 ฿276
$4.31 R$22.62
102.09%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Sao Carlos
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$698 ฿22.1K
$313 R$1,645
122.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.7K ฿499.1K
$2,730 R$14.3K
476.40%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Sao Carlos
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.6 ฿1,828
$45.87 R$241
25.66%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.24 ฿1,086
$37.24 R$195
-8.06%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 ฿3,590
$101 R$529
12.39%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.8 ฿2,690
$89.1 R$468
-4.77%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Sao Carlos
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$604 ฿19.2K
$222 R$1,167
171.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$436 ฿13.8K
$221 R$1,162
96.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,057 ฿65.2K
$431 R$2,261
377.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,498 ฿47.5K
$478 R$2,512
213.13%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,252 ฿134.9K
$709 R$3,722
499.88%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,988 ฿94.8K
$867 R$4,552
244.62%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Sao Carlos
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$529 ฿16.8K
$649 R$3,409
-18.50%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.33
10.67
-50.05%

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

Last update for Phuket: February 28, 2026

Last update for Sao Carlos: February 28, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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