Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Recife and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Recife: $924 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Recife
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Recife Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Recife

🇧🇷 Brazil

$924

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $924 in Recife versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Recife $924
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,523 in Recife versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Recife $1,523
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,121 in Recife versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Recife $2,121
Phuket $2,867

Living in Recife costs roughly 23% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Recife 32% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.52 R$27.99

$4.58 ฿153

20.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.47 R$195

$32.48 ฿1,086

18.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.93 R$50.4

$8.55 ฿286

16.14%

Cappuccino

$2.58 R$13.08

$2.72 ฿91.0

-5.15%

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

$1.10 R$5.56

$0.94 ฿31.25

17.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 R$3.21

$0.49 ฿16.39

28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.64 R$8.31

$2.59 ฿86.6

-36.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 R$15.99

$3.83 ฿128

-17.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 R$7.00

$1.74 ฿58.1

-20.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 R$8.63

$1.43 ฿47.82

18.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 R$8.51

$1.53 ฿51.0

9.80%

Eggs

$1.91 R$9.68

$2.17 ฿72.7

-11.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.10 R$36.01

$19.15 ฿640

-62.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.68 R$23.73

$3.30 ฿110

41.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.08 R$40.97

$11.14 ฿372

-27.47%

Apples (1kg)

$1.42 R$7.22

$2.95 ฿98.5

-51.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 R$7.02

$1.68 ฿56.1

-17.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.81 R$4.11

$2.30 ฿76.8

-64.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.23

$2.13 ฿71.3

-42.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.50

$1.53 ฿51.1

-3.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.50

$1.36 ฿45.55

-19.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.52 R$2.65

$1.12 ฿37.44

-53.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 R$4.59

$0.55 ฿18.24

63.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.76 R$8.94

$4.26 ฿142

-58.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.25 R$41.80

$18.19 ฿608

-54.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.02

$1.74 ฿58.2

-31.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 R$7.65

$2.79 ฿93.3

-45.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 R$4.45

$2.22 ฿74.1

-60.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.02 R$193

$22.06 ฿737

72.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 R$6.50

$2.91 ฿97.3

-56.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 R$3.74

$1.01 ฿33.79

-26.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.63 R$18.42

$3.83 ฿128

-5.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 R$6.91

$1.49 ฿49.85

-8.72%

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

$23.7K R$120.1K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-11.19%

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

$33.2K R$168.2K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

24.21%

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

$117 R$596

$99.4 ฿3,321

18.23%

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

$13.49 R$68.4

$11.28 ฿377

19.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.51 R$88.8

$17.36 ฿580

0.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.79 R$110

$52.3 ฿1,747

-58.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.68 R$176

$10.85 ฿362

219.63%

Cinema Ticket

$8.54 R$43.28

$7.57 ฿253

12.81%

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

$282 R$1,432

$558 ฿18.7K

-49.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K R$60.9K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

4.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.34 R$235

$62.9 ฿2,102

-26.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 R$259

$28.58 ฿955

79.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 R$383

$96.1 ฿3,213

-21.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.6 R$413

$88.1 ฿2,943

-7.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$509 R$2,578

$729 ฿24.4K

-30.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$265 R$1,345

$460 ฿15.4K

-42.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$887 R$4,495

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-57.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 R$3,233

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-47.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,005 R$10.2K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-42.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,070 R$5,425

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-57.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$437 R$2,214

$493 ฿16.5K

-11.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.75

5.57

110.95%

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

Last update for Recife: October 10, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Recife

$265 28.7%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 73.4% $195

Groceries & Markets

Recife

$184 19.9%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 45.4% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Recife

$148 16.1%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 13.8% $20

Eating Out

Recife

$126 13.7%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 4% $5

Clothing & Footwear

Recife

$115 12.4%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 8.3% $9.5

Getting Around

Recife

$47 5%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 16.4% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Recife

$39 4.2%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 73.4% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $509 in Recife and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 13% 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: $38.00 in Recife vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $184 vs $268, with Recife cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Recife

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

04:19 4:19 AM

14:19 2:19 PM

10 h ahead of Recife

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,488,920

79,308

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Recife Phuket 14,870 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Recife
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

Recife vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Recife is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 31% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 13% lower in Phuket. 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: $509 in Recife versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $282 in Recife versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 45% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $924 in Recife versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Recife but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Recife the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Recife 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.

Safety-wise, Recife and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Recife gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.