Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sao Joao da Boa Vista

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Joao da Boa Vista: $823 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Sao Joao da Boa Vista
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Sao Joao da Boa Vista Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

🇧🇷 Brazil

$823

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Sao Joao da Boa Vista

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 Joao da Boa Vista actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $823 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista.

Phuket $1,207
Sao Joao da Boa Vista $823

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,320 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista.

Phuket $2,037
Sao Joao da Boa Vista $1,320

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $1,818 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista.

Phuket $2,867
Sao Joao da Boa Vista $1,818

Living in Phuket is roughly 47% more expensive than in Sao Joao da Boa Vista, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Sao Joao da Boa Vista 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿154

$5.62 R$28.22

-18.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,090

$23.03 R$116

41.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿287

$7.07 R$35.45

20.93%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.3

$2.05 R$10.29

32.68%

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

$0.94 ฿31.37

$1.17 R$5.89

-19.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.46

$0.92 R$4.62

-46.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.9

$1.98 R$9.94

30.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿129

$2.06 R$10.32

85.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$1.07 R$5.37

62.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿48.01

$1.64 R$8.23

-12.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.2

$0.98 R$4.90

56.12%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$2.37 R$11.90

-8.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿642

$10.01 R$50.2

91.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.00 R$25.09

-34.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿374

$10.07 R$50.5

10.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.9

$1.95 R$9.80

51.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.3

$1.17 R$5.88

43.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿77.1

$0.97 R$4.89

137.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.6

$1.56 R$7.85

36.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.3

$0.83 R$4.15

84.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.73

$0.81 R$4.09

67.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.59

$0.78 R$3.90

43.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.31

$0.77 R$3.87

-28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿143

$2.35 R$11.80

81.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿610

$6.09 R$30.55

198.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$1.18 R$5.90

47.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.7

$1.98 R$9.93

40.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.3

$0.87 R$4.38

155.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿740

$44.48 R$223

-50.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.7

$1.57 R$7.89

85.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.93

$1.57 R$7.87

-35.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$8.19 R$41.10

-53.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.07 R$5.35

39.25%

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

$26.7K ฿895.1K

$19.8K R$99.3K

34.84%

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

$26.7K ฿896.1K

$33.3K R$166.9K

-19.72%

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

$99.4 ฿3,334

$95.3 R$478

4.26%

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

$11.28 ฿379

$9.88 R$49.55

14.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿582

$19.70 R$98.8

-11.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,754

$28.59 R$143

82.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿364

$31.76 R$159

-65.84%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿254

$5.49 R$27.56

37.89%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$280 R$1,403

99.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿385.4K

$10.3K R$51.8K

11.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,110

$54.6 R$274

15.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿959

$37.79 R$190

-24.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,226

$51.3 R$258

87.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,954

$60.7 R$304

45.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.5K

$349 R$1,753

108.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$203 R$1,018

126.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.3K

$678 R$3,402

209.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿41.0K

$465 R$2,333

162.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿116.0K

$1,581 R$7,931

118.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.5K

$1,031 R$5,175

141.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$659 R$3,307

-25.19%

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 13, 2026

Last update for Sao Joao da Boa Vista: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$203 24.7% 55.9% $257

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$193 23.4% 28% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$125 15.2% 2.4% $3.1

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$92 11.2% 25.9% $32

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$113 13.8% 6.7% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$40 4.8% 41.3% $28

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$57 7% 47.6% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $349 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Joao da Boa Vista pays 34% 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 $23.00 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $193 per month, with Sao Joao da Boa Vista cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇷 Sao Joao da Boa Vista

🕒 Local time

03:20 3:20 AM

17:20 5:20 PM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

92,547

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 33.55 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.62 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Sao Joao da Boa Vista 15,970 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Sao Joao da Boa Vista

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 Joao da Boa Vista: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Joao da Boa Vista is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 47% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 34% lower in Sao Joao da Boa Vista. 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: $729 in Phuket versus $349 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $280 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $823 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Joao da Boa Vista but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Joao da Boa Vista the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sao Joao da Boa Vista 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 Joao da Boa Vista 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 Joao da Boa Vista gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.