Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sao Vicente

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Vicente: $819 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Sao Vicente
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Sao Vicente Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Sao Vicente

🇧🇷 Brazil

$819

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $819 in Sao Vicente.

Phuket $1,294
Sao Vicente $819

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,371 in Sao Vicente.

Phuket $2,204
Sao Vicente $1,371

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,923 in Sao Vicente.

Phuket $3,115
Sao Vicente $1,923

Living in Phuket is roughly 58% more expensive than in Sao Vicente, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Sao Vicente 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$7.34 R$40.07

-40.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$33.68 R$184

-4.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$6.48 R$35.39

34.26%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$2.22 R$12.13

22.52%

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

$0.93 ฿31.39

$1.24 R$6.77

-25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.87 R$4.75

-42.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$2.20 R$12.02

15.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.78 R$15.16

30.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.00 R$5.46

74.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.95

$1.88 R$10.27

-22.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.29 R$7.04

16.28%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$2.33 R$12.74

-6.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$11.20 R$61.2

70.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$4.60 R$25.11

-26.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$9.21 R$50.3

18.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$2.04 R$11.13

44.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.26 R$6.88

34.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$1.42 R$7.73

54.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.7

$1.33 R$7.25

59.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.21

$1.21 R$6.62

20.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.15

$1.22 R$6.65

12.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.30

$0.87 R$4.76

24.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.41

$0.85 R$4.63

-35.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$2.27 R$12.40

95.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$7.62 R$41.64

139.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.44 R$7.89

22.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$2.41 R$13.18

19.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.84

$0.95 R$5.21

52.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

$41.06 R$224

33.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.14 R$6.25

32.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.18

$0.67 R$3.63

16.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

$12.81 R$70.0

-70.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.23 R$6.74

21.14%

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

$26.9K ฿907.0K

$21.7K R$118.7K

23.66%

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

$26.3K ฿888.9K

$31.2K R$170.6K

-15.68%

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

$97.8 ฿3,300

$62.5 R$341

56.45%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$13.88 R$75.8

-18.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$21.26 R$116

-19.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$18.66 R$102

266.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$26.31 R$144

-58.49%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$7.56 R$41.30

-1.72%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$255 R$1,394

107.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.7K

$9,575 R$52.3K

96.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,081

$52.0 R$284

18.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$34.33 R$187

-17.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,239

$84.6 R$462

13.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,929

$56.9 R$311

52.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$256 R$1,398

181.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$201 R$1,100

152.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$806 R$4,401

141.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$492 R$2,685

184.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$1,573 R$8,587

166.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$1,147 R$6,264

187.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$370 R$2,019

32.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.21

-50.31%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sao Vicente: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Sao Vicente

$201 24.6% 60.4% $307

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Sao Vicente

$205 25% 23.4% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Sao Vicente

$98 11.9% 22.7% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Sao Vicente

$103 12.5% 16.5% $20

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Sao Vicente

$130 15.9% 8.6% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Sao Vicente

$34 4.1% 59.4% $49

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Sao Vicente

$49 6% 25.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $256 in Sao Vicente. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 33% 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 in Phuket vs $34 in Sao Vicente. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $205, with Sao Vicente cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇷 Sao Vicente

🕒 Local time

05:56 5:56 AM

19:56 7:56 PM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

329,911

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 BRL = 0.183 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.11 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Sao Vicente 15,860 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Sao Vicente

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 Vicente: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Vicente is about 37% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 33% 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: $721 in Phuket versus $256 in Sao Vicente. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $255 in Sao Vicente. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $819 in Sao Vicente versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Sao Vicente but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Vicente the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Sao Vicente wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.