Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sao Leopoldo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Leopoldo: $835 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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 Leopoldo
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Sao Leopoldo Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Sao Leopoldo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $835 in Sao Leopoldo.

Phuket $1,208
Sao Leopoldo $835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,310 in Sao Leopoldo.

Phuket $2,027
Sao Leopoldo $1,310

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,786 in Sao Leopoldo.

Phuket $2,845
Sao Leopoldo $1,786

Living in Phuket is roughly 45% more expensive than in Sao Leopoldo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Sao Leopoldo 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$4.91 R$24.89

-10.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$21.83 R$111

47.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$7.11 R$36.05

23.21%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$1.67 R$8.46

69.46%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.97 R$4.92

-7.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.82 R$4.17

-42.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$2.08 R$10.56

22.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.44 R$12.37

56.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.00 R$5.08

73.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.35 R$6.85

8.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.08 R$5.46

39.81%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.42 R$12.29

-10.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$9.65 R$48.92

104.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$3.76 R$19.04

-11.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$9.78 R$49.56

14.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$1.18 R$5.98

141.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$0.78 R$3.93

117.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.23 R$6.24

78.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.57 R$7.98

30.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.18 R$6.00

22.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.03 R$5.22

33.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.81 R$4.10

32.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.71 R$3.61

-28.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.03 R$10.29

109.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$7.13 R$36.15

160.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$0.97 R$4.93

83.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.27 R$11.50

25.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.71 R$3.62

218.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$44.71 R$227

-50.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.33 R$6.76

126.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.62 R$3.16

70.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$5.98 R$30.30

-35.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.17 R$5.92

23.93%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$23.9K R$121.0K

10.30%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$31.0K R$157.2K

-13.12%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$77.2 R$391

24.83%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$11.18 R$56.7

-1.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$19.79 R$100

-13.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$23.70 R$120

120.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$28.05 R$142

-60.21%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$6.98 R$35.39

11.89%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$248 R$1,256

124.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$7,292 R$37.0K

58.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$50.9 R$258

26.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$50.5 R$256

-43.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$102 R$516

-6.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$51.0 R$259

72.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$203 R$1,030

262.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$240 R$1,218

92.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$678 R$3,439

208.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$479 R$2,426

150.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$1,737 R$8,803

100.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,197 R$6,066

110.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$493 R$2,498

1.61%

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: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sao Leopoldo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Sao Leopoldo

$240 28.8% 48% $222

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Sao Leopoldo

$179 21.5% 33.4% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Sao Leopoldo

$108 13% 13.2% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Sao Leopoldo

$114 13.7% 8% $9.9

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Sao Leopoldo

$103 12.4% 15% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Sao Leopoldo

$38 4.5% 44.4% $30

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Sao Leopoldo

$52 6.2% 31.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $203 in Sao Leopoldo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 2% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $22.00 in Sao Leopoldo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $179 per month, with Sao Leopoldo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇷 Sao Leopoldo

🕒 Local time

03:31 3:31 AM

17:31 5:31 PM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

217,409

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Leopoldo 16,020 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Sao Leopoldo

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 Leopoldo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Leopoldo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 45% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 2% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $737 in Phuket versus $203 in Sao Leopoldo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $248 in Sao Leopoldo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $835 in Sao Leopoldo versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sao Leopoldo but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Leopoldo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sao Leopoldo 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 Leopoldo 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 Leopoldo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.