Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sao Carlos

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Carlos: $982 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Sao Carlos
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Sao Carlos Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Sao Carlos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$982

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Sao Carlos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $982 in Sao Carlos.

Phuket $1,208
Sao Carlos $982

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,709 in Sao Carlos.

Phuket $2,027
Sao Carlos $1,709

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $2,436 in Sao Carlos.

Phuket $2,845
Sao Carlos $2,436

Living in Phuket is roughly 23% more expensive than in Sao Carlos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Sao Carlos 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$4.98 R$25.25

-11.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$40.05 R$203

-19.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$6.77 R$34.33

29.39%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.12 R$10.74

33.49%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.34 R$6.78

-32.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.79 R$3.98

-40.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$1.63 R$8.24

56.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.83 R$14.36

35.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.34 R$6.80

29.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.96 R$9.96

-25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.78 R$9.03

-15.17%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.95 R$14.94

-26.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$12.48 R$63.3

57.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$5.25 R$26.61

-36.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$9.22 R$46.72

21.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.71 R$13.72

5.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.84 R$9.33

-7.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.78 R$9.01

23.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.96 R$9.95

4.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.74 R$8.84

-16.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.36 R$6.88

1.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.01 R$5.14

5.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$1.16 R$5.88

-56.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.19 R$16.18

33.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$8.46 R$42.91

119.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.48 R$7.50

20.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.91 R$14.73

-2.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.98 R$4.97

130.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$23.86 R$121

-7.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.48 R$7.48

103.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$1.01 R$5.11

4.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$3.64 R$18.45

6.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.25 R$6.32

16.00%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$20.2K R$102.2K

30.64%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$31.5K R$159.5K

-14.36%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$62.4 R$316

54.53%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$13.74 R$69.6

-19.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$24.07 R$122

-28.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$34.77 R$176

50.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$48.31 R$245

-76.90%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$5.38 R$27.29

45.17%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$302 R$1,531

84.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$3,032 R$15.4K

281.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$84.7 R$429

-24.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$96.7 R$490

-70.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$139 R$705

-31.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$163 R$826

-46.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$272 R$1,377

171.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$236 R$1,197

95.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$673 R$3,410

211.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$663 R$3,358

81.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$849 R$4,303

310.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$730 R$3,698

245.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$681 R$3,453

-26.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.75

-48.19%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sao Carlos: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Sao Carlos

$236 24% 48.9% $226

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Sao Carlos

$241 24.5% 10.3% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Sao Carlos

$100 10.2% 19.6% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Sao Carlos

$218 22.1% 75% $93

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Sao Carlos

$108 11% 11% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Sao Carlos

$46 4.6% 32.8% $22

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Sao Carlos

$34 3.5% 13.1% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $272 in Sao Carlos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Carlos pays 36% 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 $40.00 in Sao Carlos. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $241, with Sao Carlos cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇷 Sao Carlos

🕒 Local time

07:15 7:15 AM

21:15 9:15 PM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

254,857

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 Sao Carlos 16,080 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Sao Carlos

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 Carlos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Carlos is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 23% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 36% lower in Sao Carlos. 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 $272 in Sao Carlos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $302 in Sao Carlos. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $982 in Sao Carlos versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sao Carlos but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Carlos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sao Carlos 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 Sao Carlos 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 Sao Carlos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.