Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Teresina

For one person, living is cheaper in Teresina: $704 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Teresina
Learn more

Teresina Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Teresina

🇧🇷 Brazil

$704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Teresina

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $704 in Teresina.

Phuket $1,294
Teresina $704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,155 in Teresina.

Phuket $2,204
Teresina $1,155

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,605 in Teresina.

Phuket $3,115
Teresina $1,605

Living in Phuket is roughly 84% more expensive than in Teresina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Teresina 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$5.39 R$29.60

-18.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$18.64 R$102

73.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$5.85 R$32.10

48.72%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$1.96 R$10.75

38.78%

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

$0.93 ฿31.38

$0.98 R$5.39

-5.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.71 R$3.89

-29.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$1.41 R$7.73

79.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.92 R$16.00

24.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.33 R$7.30

30.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$2.14 R$11.76

-32.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.39 R$7.62

7.91%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$3.94 R$21.61

-44.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$6.98 R$38.31

173.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$3.87 R$21.26

-12.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$6.18 R$33.91

76.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$1.74 R$9.55

68.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.85 R$4.64

98.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$0.88 R$4.84

148.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$1.20 R$6.59

76.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.19

$1.06 R$5.80

37.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.14

$0.88 R$4.86

55.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.29

$0.50 R$2.77

116.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.40

$1.41 R$7.74

-60.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$3.08 R$16.91

43.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$8.53 R$46.82

113.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.29 R$7.08

37.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$2.68 R$14.73

7.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$0.87 R$4.80

66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,851

$40.91 R$225

34.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.50 R$8.23

0.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.17

$0.78 R$4.26

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$6.73 R$36.95

-42.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.14 R$6.24

30.70%

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

$26.9K ฿906.7K

$21.4K R$117.4K

25.62%

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

$26.3K ฿888.6K

$30.2K R$166.0K

-12.89%

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

$97.8 ฿3,299

$73.5 R$403

33.17%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$9.78 R$53.7

15.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$16.34 R$89.7

5.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$19.75 R$108

245.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$12.07 R$66.2

-9.53%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$7.56 R$41.49

-1.72%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$538 R$2,952

-1.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.5K

$6,591 R$36.2K

184.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,080

$39.57 R$217

55.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$27.34 R$150

3.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,238

$71.3 R$391

34.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,928

$46.07 R$253

88.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$152 R$833

374.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$142 R$782

257.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$386 R$2,121

404.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$395 R$2,167

253.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$1,248 R$6,847

236.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$701 R$3,847

370.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$366 R$2,011

34.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-49.36%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Teresina: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Teresina

$142 20.2% 72% $366

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Teresina

$191 27.1% 28.5% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Teresina

$100 14.1% 21.1% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Teresina

$83 11.8% 32.4% $40

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Teresina

$104 14.7% 13.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Teresina

$35 5% 58.1% $48

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Teresina

$50 7.1% 24.6% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $152 in Teresina. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 34% 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 $19 in Teresina for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $191 per month, with Teresina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇷 Teresina

🕒 Local time

17:03 5:03 PM

07:03 7:03 AM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

866,300

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.15 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Teresina 15,720 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Teresina

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 Teresina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Teresina is about 46% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 34% 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 $152 in Teresina. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $538 in Teresina. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $704 in Teresina versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Teresina but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Teresina 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.

Expats usually find Teresina gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.