Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and São Gabriel

For one person, living is cheaper in São Gabriel: $794 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
São Gabriel, Brazil
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,294
/mo nomad
São Gabriel
🇧🇷 Brazil
$794
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in São Gabriel

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $794 in São Gabriel.

  • Phuket $1,294
  • São Gabriel $794

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,286 in São Gabriel.

  • Phuket $2,204
  • São Gabriel $1,286

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,778 in São Gabriel.

  • Phuket $3,115
  • São Gabriel $1,778

Living in Phuket is roughly 63% more expensive than in São Gabriel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, São Gabriel 41% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
São Gabriel
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.39 ฿148
$5.31 R$28.87
-17.33%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.31 ฿1,089
$37.51 R$204
-13.86%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.70 ฿293
$6.49 R$35.28
34.05%
Cappuccino
$2.72 ฿91.8
$1.14 R$6.18
138.60%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.93 ฿31.35
$1.25 R$6.82
-25.60%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 ฿16.83
$0.95 R$5.14
-47.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.53 ฿85.3
$1.34 R$7.27
88.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ฿122
$2.74 R$14.87
32.48%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
São Gabriel
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 ฿58.6
$0.87 R$4.72
100.00%
White Bread (500g)
$1.45 ฿48.89
$1.52 R$8.25
-4.61%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.6
$1.00 R$5.46
50.00%
Eggs
$2.17 ฿73.2
$1.37 R$7.44
58.39%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.09 ฿643
$9.72 R$52.8
96.40%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.40 ฿115
$4.53 R$24.65
-24.94%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.90 ฿367
$9.46 R$51.4
15.22%
Apples (1kg)
$2.94 ฿99.1
$1.10 R$5.96
167.27%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.0
$1.36 R$7.37
24.26%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.19 ฿73.9
$0.91 R$4.92
140.66%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 ฿71.6
$0.75 R$4.09
182.67%
Potato (1kg)
$1.46 ฿49.15
$1.09 R$5.94
33.94%
Onion (1kg)
$1.37 ฿46.10
$0.71 R$3.88
92.96%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 ฿36.26
$0.81 R$4.39
33.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ฿18.38
$0.80 R$4.36
-31.25%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.43 ฿149
$1.62 R$8.81
173.46%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.25 ฿615
$3.73 R$20.29
389.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿59.7
$1.09 R$5.90
62.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 ฿97.1
$1.52 R$8.29
89.47%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
São Gabriel
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.78
$0.98 R$5.35
47.96%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.9 ฿1,850
$42.35 R$230
29.61%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$1.23 R$6.66
22.76%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 ฿26.14
$0.79 R$4.29
-1.27%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.84 ฿129
$7.61 R$41.39
-49.54%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 ฿50.1
$1.18 R$6.44
26.27%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.9K ฿905.9K
$21.9K R$118.8K
22.97%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.3K ฿887.8K
$32.6K R$177.4K
-19.25%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
São Gabriel
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$97.8 ฿3,296
$71.1 R$387
37.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.29 ฿381
$11.48 R$62.4
-1.66%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.19 ฿579
$20.40 R$111
-15.74%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
São Gabriel
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$68.3 ฿2,303
$24.33 R$132
180.85%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.92 ฿368
$26.06 R$142
-58.10%
Cinema Ticket
$7.43 ฿250
$6.76 R$36.75
9.91%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
São Gabriel
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$530 ฿17.9K
$258 R$1,402
105.62%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.8K ฿632.9K
$6,831 R$37.1K
174.96%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
São Gabriel
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.7 ฿2,078
$47.23 R$257
30.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.25 ฿952
$24.12 R$131
17.12%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.0 ฿3,235
$96.9 R$527
-0.90%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.8 ฿2,926
$74.8 R$407
16.01%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
São Gabriel
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$721 ฿24.3K
$330 R$1,794
118.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$509 ฿17.1K
$227 R$1,236
123.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,950 ฿65.7K
$631 R$3,431
208.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,397 ฿47.1K
$446 R$2,422
213.48%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,192 ฿141.3K
$1,588 R$8,635
163.94%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,298 ฿111.2K
$1,130 R$6,143
191.91%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
São Gabriel
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$492 ฿16.6K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
11.5
-51.57%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for São Gabriel: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$509
São Gabriel
$227 55.3% $282
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$267
São Gabriel
$168 37% $99
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$126
São Gabriel
$103 18.5% $23
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$123
São Gabriel
$109 10.9% $13
Eating Out
Phuket
$120
São Gabriel
$97 19.2% $23
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$83
São Gabriel
$38 54.5% $45
Getting Around
Phuket
$66
São Gabriel
$51 22.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $330 in São Gabriel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $38 in São Gabriel. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $168, with São Gabriel cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇧🇷 São Gabriel
🕒 Local time
22:07 10:07 PM
12:07 12:07 PM
10 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
58,487
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.09 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket São Gabriel 16,230 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • São Gabriel

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 São Gabriel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is São Gabriel cheaper than Phuket?
São Gabriel is about 39% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $1,190 in São Gabriel to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Phuket and São Gabriel?
Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $330 in São Gabriel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $258 in São Gabriel. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Phuket and in São Gabriel?
Supermarket bills run roughly 59% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in São Gabriel?
At $794 in São Gabriel versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in São Gabriel but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes São Gabriel the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Phuket or in São Gabriel?
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.

Phuket vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?