Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Porto Velho and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Porto Velho: $851 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Porto Velho
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Porto Velho Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Porto Velho

🇧🇷 Brazil

$851

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Porto Velho 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 Velho and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $851 in Porto Velho versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Porto Velho $851
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,347 in Porto Velho versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Porto Velho $1,347
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,844 in Porto Velho versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Porto Velho $1,844
Phuket $3,154

Living in Porto Velho costs roughly 33% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Porto Velho 38% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.47 R$29.23

$4.47 ฿151

22.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.80 R$202

$32.41 ฿1,094

16.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R$32.86

$8.81 ฿297

-30.19%

Cappuccino

$1.78 R$9.53

$2.83 ฿95.5

-37.10%

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

$1.52 R$8.13

$0.87 ฿29.43

74.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 R$2.60

$0.49 ฿16.67

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.85 R$9.87

$2.56 ฿86.4

-27.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 R$11.03

$3.68 ฿124

-44.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 R$5.29

$1.66 ฿56.0

-40.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 R$7.51

$1.46 ฿49.35

-3.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.08 R$5.78

$1.50 ฿50.6

-28.00%

Eggs

$1.97 R$10.53

$2.09 ฿70.5

-5.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.70 R$46.51

$19.07 ฿644

-54.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.08 R$21.82

$3.30 ฿111

23.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.61 R$46.03

$10.91 ฿368

-21.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 R$10.87

$2.93 ฿99.0

-30.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.65

$1.69 ฿57.1

-26.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 R$5.50

$2.25 ฿75.8

-54.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 R$8.29

$2.08 ฿70.1

-25.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.80

$1.51 ฿51.0

-15.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 R$5.89

$1.38 ฿46.56

-20.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 R$3.39

$1.07 ฿35.99

-41.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 R$4.39

$0.52 ฿17.52

57.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.17 R$11.61

$4.20 ฿142

-48.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.34 R$33.89

$18.79 ฿634

-66.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 R$6.58

$1.82 ฿61.5

-32.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 R$10.06

$2.84 ฿95.9

-33.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 R$4.93

$1.45 ฿49.03

-36.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.03 R$219

$56.7 ฿1,913

-27.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 R$6.89

$3.02 ฿102

-57.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.80

$1.02 ฿34.36

-11.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.50 R$40.09

$3.69 ฿125

103.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 R$6.52

$1.47 ฿49.81

-17.01%

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

$20.8K R$111.4K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-22.20%

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

$33.7K R$180.1K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

26.19%

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

$79.3 R$424

$96.4 ฿3,254

-17.68%

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

$12.36 R$66.1

$11.26 ฿380

9.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.71 R$105

$16.85 ฿569

16.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.42 R$131

$67.2 ฿2,270

-63.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.57 R$137

$10.73 ฿362

138.30%

Cinema Ticket

$6.69 R$35.77

$7.50 ฿253

-10.80%

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

$227 R$1,215

$476 ฿16.1K

-52.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,657 R$40.9K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-32.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.37 R$248

$62.4 ฿2,106

-25.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.33 R$248

$28.41 ฿959

63.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.1 R$450

$94.3 ฿3,184

-10.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.5 R$356

$85.8 ฿2,898

-22.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$355 R$1,901

$716 ฿24.2K

-50.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$257 R$1,376

$491 ฿16.6K

-47.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$629 R$3,366

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-67.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$463 R$2,477

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-67.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,810 R$9,676

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-56.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,256 R$6,718

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-58.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$388 R$2,075

$502 ฿17.0K

-22.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

97.49%

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

Last update for Porto Velho: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Porto Velho

$257 30.3%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 90.7% $233

Groceries & Markets

Porto Velho

$179 21%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 48.8% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Porto Velho

$111 13.1%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 11.7% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Porto Velho

$110 12.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 11.3% $12

Eating Out

Porto Velho

$105 12.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 16% $17

Getting Around

Porto Velho

$51 5.9%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 39.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Porto Velho

$38 4.4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 118% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $355 in Porto Velho and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 29% 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: $38 in Porto Velho vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $179 vs $266, with Porto Velho cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Porto Velho

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:42 2:42 PM

01:42 1:42 AM

11 h ahead of Porto Velho

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

460,434

79,308

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Porto Velho Phuket 18,060 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Porto Velho is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 50% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 23% lower in Porto Velho. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $355 in Porto Velho versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $227 in Porto Velho versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 49% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Porto Velho is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 – Porto Velho wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.