Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Porto Alegre, Sao Tome and Principe and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Porto Alegre: $199 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Porto Alegre

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$199

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Porto Alegre and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Porto Alegre and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $199 in Porto Alegre versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Porto Alegre $199
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $412 in Porto Alegre versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Porto Alegre $412
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $625 in Porto Alegre versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Porto Alegre $625
Phuket $3,115

Living in Porto Alegre costs roughly 85% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Porto Alegre 85% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.16 STN 832

$32.31 ฿1,080

18.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.71 STN 124

$8.70 ฿291

-34.37%

Cappuccino

$2.47 STN 53.8

$2.72 ฿91.1

-9.19%

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

$1.06 STN 23.12

$0.93 ฿31.11

13.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 STN 19.18

$0.50 ฿16.70

76.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.30 STN 50.2

$2.53 ฿84.6

-9.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.2

White Bread (500g)

$2.08 STN 45.37

$1.45 ฿48.51

43.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.04 STN 22.61

$1.50 ฿50.2

-30.67%

Eggs

$2.32 STN 50.6

$2.17 ฿72.6

6.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.61 STN 406

$19.09 ฿638

-2.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.36 STN 269

$10.90 ฿364

13.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.3

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.6

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.4

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.0

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.77

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.74

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.98

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.29 STN 49.93

$4.43 ฿148

-48.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿610

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 STN 24.94

$1.77 ฿59.3

-35.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.40

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,835

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.94

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.74

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

$26.9K ฿898.9K

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

$26.3K ฿881.0K

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

$97.8 ฿3,271

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

$11.29 ฿378

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿575

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,285

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

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

$530 ฿17.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿628.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,062

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿945

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,210

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,903

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Porto Alegre: October 31, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Porto Alegre

–

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Groceries & Markets

Porto Alegre

–

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Porto Alegre

–

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Clothing & Footwear

Porto Alegre

–

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Eating Out

Porto Alegre

–

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Sport & Entertainment

Porto Alegre

–

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Getting Around

Porto Alegre

–

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $38 in Porto Alegre vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $133 vs $267, with Porto Alegre cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇹 Porto Alegre

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

12:31 12:31 PM

19:31 7:31 PM

7 h ahead of Porto Alegre

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

795

79,308

💱 Currency

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 STN = 4.59 USD

100 STN = 4.08 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to STN – Sao Tome and Principe Dobra Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe Dobra (Db)

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 21.8 STN (100 STN = 4.59 USD). 1 EUR = 24.48 STN (100 STN = 4.08 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to STN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Porto Alegre Phuket 10,210 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Porto Alegre
Phuket

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

Porto Alegre vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Porto Alegre is about 85% cheaper overall, especially in groceries and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $298 in Porto Alegre and $1,940 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 101% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $38 in Porto Alegre. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $199 in Porto Alegre versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Porto Alegre but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Porto Alegre 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.

Safety-wise, Porto Alegre and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.