Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Teresopolis

For one person, living is cheaper in Teresopolis: $661 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,208
/mo nomad
Teresopolis
🇧🇷 Brazil
$661
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Teresopolis

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $661 in Teresopolis.

  • Phuket $1,208
  • Teresopolis $661

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,120 in Teresopolis.

  • Phuket $2,027
  • Teresopolis $1,120

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,580 in Teresopolis.

  • Phuket $2,845
  • Teresopolis $1,580

Living in Phuket is roughly 83% more expensive than in Teresopolis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Teresopolis 51% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Teresopolis
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.40 ฿147
$3.55 R$17.99
23.94%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.26 ฿1,078
$28.21 R$143
14.36%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.76 ฿293
$6.95 R$35.23
26.04%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿94.5
$1.76 R$8.95
60.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 ฿30.14
$1.41 R$7.14
-36.17%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.47 ฿15.56
$0.62 R$3.13
-24.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.55 ฿85.2
$1.22 R$6.20
109.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.83 ฿128
$5.02 R$25.45
-23.71%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Teresopolis
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.73 ฿57.7
$0.99 R$5.04
74.75%
White Bread (500g)
$1.47 ฿49.11
$1.51 R$7.64
-2.65%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 ฿50.6
$1.37 R$6.93
10.22%
Eggs
$2.17 ฿72.7
$2.01 R$10.19
7.96%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.70 ฿658
$9.11 R$46.19
116.25%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.34 ฿112
$3.45 R$17.49
-3.19%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.16 ฿373
$8.16 R$41.36
36.76%
Apples (1kg)
$2.85 ฿95.1
$1.87 R$9.47
52.41%
Banana (1kg)
$1.70 ฿56.9
$1.20 R$6.09
41.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.19 ฿73.3
$0.97 R$4.90
125.77%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.05 ฿68.4
$1.26 R$6.38
62.70%
Potato (1kg)
$1.45 ฿48.57
$0.70 R$3.55
107.14%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.16
$0.82 R$4.14
68.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.69
$0.56 R$2.85
91.07%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ฿16.91
$0.80 R$4.06
-36.25%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.26 ฿142
$1.60 R$8.12
166.25%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.58 ฿621
$6.03 R$30.55
208.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.78 ฿59.7
$1.40 R$7.10
27.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.85 ฿95.2
$1.42 R$7.21
100.70%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Teresopolis
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.26 ฿75.6
$0.92 R$4.65
145.65%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.10 ฿738
$35.82 R$182
-38.30%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.01 ฿101
$1.03 R$5.23
192.23%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.06 ฿35.34
$1.04 R$5.27
1.92%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.86 ฿129
$2.43 R$12.30
58.85%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.45
$1.28 R$6.49
13.28%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.3K ฿879.9K
$20.9K R$105.9K
26.06%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K ฿900.4K
$30.9K R$156.5K
-12.72%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Teresopolis
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,221
$29.33 R$149
228.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.04 ฿369
$23.98 R$122
-53.96%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.14 ฿573
$18.63 R$94.5
-8.00%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Teresopolis
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.2 ฿1,744
$29.64 R$150
76.05%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.16 ฿373
$20.16 R$102
-44.64%
Cinema Ticket
$7.81 ฿261
$6.76 R$34.26
15.53%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Teresopolis
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$556 ฿18.6K
$145 R$737
282.27%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.6K ฿387.0K
$2,629 R$13.3K
340.47%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Teresopolis
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$64.2 ฿2,146
$25.55 R$130
151.27%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.69 ฿959
$27.07 R$137
5.98%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$95.4 ฿3,187
$67.4 R$342
41.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.0 ฿2,940
$47.75 R$242
84.25%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Teresopolis
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$737 ฿24.6K
$360 R$1,824
104.91%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$462 ฿15.5K
$158 R$800
193.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,095 ฿70.0K
$533 R$2,701
293.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,201 ฿40.1K
$398 R$2,017
201.78%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,488 ฿116.6K
$1,181 R$5,988
195.27%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,523 ฿84.3K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Teresopolis
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$501 ฿16.7K
$489 R$2,478
2.43%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
10.67
-47.80%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Teresopolis: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$462
Teresopolis
$158 65.9% $305
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$269
Teresopolis
$172 36.1% $97
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$125
Teresopolis
$72 42.2% $53
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$124
Teresopolis
$76 39.2% $49
Eating Out
Phuket
$121
Teresopolis
$95 21.9% $27
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$68
Teresopolis
$43 36.3% $25
Getting Around
Phuket
$39
Teresopolis
$46 15.9% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $360 in Teresopolis. 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 $28.00 in Teresopolis for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $172 per month, with Teresopolis cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇧🇷 Teresopolis
🕒 Local time
23:04 11:04 PM
13:04 1:04 PM
10 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
165,123
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Teresopolis 15,580 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Teresopolis

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 Teresopolis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Teresopolis cheaper than Phuket?
Teresopolis is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 83% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Phuket or Teresopolis?
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.
What is the rent difference between Phuket and Teresopolis?
Rent for a central apartment: $737 in Phuket versus $360 in Teresopolis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $145 in Teresopolis. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Phuket and in Teresopolis?
Supermarket bills run roughly 56% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in Teresopolis?
At $661 in Teresopolis versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Teresopolis but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Teresopolis the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Phuket or Teresopolis more family-friendly?
For families, Teresopolis 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.
Which city is safer, Phuket or Teresopolis?
Safety-wise, Phuket and Teresopolis are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Teresopolis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 83% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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