Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sao Jose dos Campos

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Jose dos Campos: $1,037 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Sao Jose dos Campos
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Sao Jose dos Campos Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Sao Jose dos Campos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,037

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Sao Jose dos Campos

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 Jose dos Campos actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,037 in Sao Jose dos Campos.

Phuket $1,278
Sao Jose dos Campos $1,037

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,613 in Sao Jose dos Campos.

Phuket $2,216
Sao Jose dos Campos $1,613

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,189 in Sao Jose dos Campos.

Phuket $3,154
Sao Jose dos Campos $2,189

Living in Phuket is roughly 23% more expensive than in Sao Jose dos Campos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Sao Jose dos Campos 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.55 R$35.63

-31.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$37.92 R$206

-14.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.27 R$44.97

6.53%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.06 R$11.19

37.38%

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

$0.87 ฿29.40

$1.58 R$8.60

-44.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.12 R$6.11

-56.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.54 R$13.81

0.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.12 R$22.42

-10.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.16 R$6.30

43.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$1.90 R$10.36

-23.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.10 R$6.00

36.36%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.58 R$14.01

-18.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$8.51 R$46.25

124.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.23 R$23.02

-21.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.17 R$55.3

7.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$2.55 R$13.88

14.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.75 R$9.49

-3.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.72 R$9.37

30.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.74 R$9.48

19.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.31 R$7.15

15.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$1.28 R$6.97

7.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$0.90 R$4.90

18.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$0.76 R$4.11

-31.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.63 R$14.28

59.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.41 R$45.72

123.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.55 R$8.44

17.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$4.13 R$22.44

-31.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.97

$1.10 R$6.00

31.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

$36.63 R$199

54.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.19 R$6.45

153.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.32

$1.33 R$7.21

-23.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$8.66 R$47.10

-57.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

$1.23 R$6.68

19.51%

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

$26.8K ฿903.2K

$22.4K R$121.6K

19.77%

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

$26.7K ฿900.3K

$32.0K R$174.2K

-16.72%

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

$96.4 ฿3,250

$40.81 R$222

136.09%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$13.39 R$72.8

-15.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$17.24 R$93.7

-2.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$27.28 R$148

146.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$32.55 R$177

-67.04%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.56 R$41.12

-0.79%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$404 R$2,196

17.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

$7,234 R$39.3K

55.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$51.8 R$282

20.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$55.6 R$302

-48.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$90.2 R$491

4.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$79.9 R$434

7.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$476 R$2,586

50.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$403 R$2,188

21.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$845 R$4,594

128.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$666 R$3,620

114.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.8K

$1,986 R$10.8K

110.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,434 R$7,799

112.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$765 R$4,159

-34.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.12

-49.91%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sao Jose dos Campos: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$403 38.8% 18% $88

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$213 20.6% 19.8% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$71 6.9% 42.6% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$125 12% 2.5% $3

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$134 12.9% 9.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$42 4.1% 48.4% $40

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$49 4.7% 30.8% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $476 in Sao Jose dos Campos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Jose dos Campos pays 52% 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 $38 in Sao Jose dos Campos. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $213, with Sao Jose dos Campos cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇷 Sao Jose dos Campos

🕒 Local time

02:51 2:51 AM

16:51 4:51 PM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

697,054

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.09 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Sao Jose dos Campos 15,840 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Sao Jose dos Campos

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 Jose dos Campos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Jose dos Campos is about 19% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 34% 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 $476 in Sao Jose dos Campos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $404 in Sao Jose dos Campos. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Sao Jose dos Campos is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Sao Jose dos Campos 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.