Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio Branco and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio Branco: $847 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Rio Branco
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Rio Branco Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Rio Branco

🇧🇷 Brazil

$847

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $847 in Rio Branco versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Rio Branco $847
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,331 in Rio Branco versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Rio Branco $1,331
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,815 in Rio Branco versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Rio Branco $1,815
Phuket $3,154

Living in Rio Branco costs roughly 34% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio Branco 38% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.68 R$35.74

$4.47 ฿151

49.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.63 R$132

$32.41 ฿1,094

-24.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.16 R$38.29

$8.81 ฿297

-18.73%

Cappuccino

$2.82 R$15.10

$2.83 ฿95.5

-0.35%

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

$1.28 R$6.86

$0.87 ฿29.43

47.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 R$3.83

$0.49 ฿16.67

46.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.90 R$10.18

$2.56 ฿86.4

-25.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 R$14.71

$3.68 ฿124

-25.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 R$5.28

$1.66 ฿56.0

-40.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 R$8.24

$1.46 ฿49.35

5.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.20

$1.50 ฿50.6

-22.67%

Eggs

$1.99 R$10.64

$2.09 ฿70.5

-4.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.67 R$46.34

$19.07 ฿644

-54.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.08 R$21.81

$3.30 ฿111

23.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.89 R$42.17

$10.91 ฿368

-27.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.06 R$11.01

$2.93 ฿99.0

-29.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.58

$1.69 ฿57.1

-27.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.84

$2.25 ฿75.8

-51.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 R$7.78

$2.08 ฿70.1

-29.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 R$6.05

$1.51 ฿51.0

-25.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 R$5.39

$1.38 ฿46.56

-26.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$4.11

$1.07 ฿35.99

-28.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 R$4.06

$0.52 ฿17.52

46.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 R$12.20

$4.20 ฿142

-45.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.30 R$39.02

$18.79 ฿634

-61.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 R$5.54

$1.82 ฿61.5

-42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 R$10.25

$2.84 ฿95.9

-32.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 R$3.36

$1.45 ฿49.03

-56.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.25 R$226

$56.7 ฿1,913

-25.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 R$6.62

$3.02 ฿102

-58.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 R$4.53

$1.02 ฿34.36

-16.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.55 R$40.34

$3.69 ฿125

104.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 R$6.86

$1.47 ฿49.81

-12.93%

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

$22.0K R$117.8K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-17.75%

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

$31.5K R$168.4K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

18.00%

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

$72.1 R$385

$96.4 ฿3,254

-25.19%

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

$11.32 R$60.6

$11.26 ฿380

0.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.70 R$105

$16.85 ฿569

16.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.58 R$131

$67.2 ฿2,270

-63.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.43 R$136

$10.73 ฿362

137.00%

Cinema Ticket

$6.60 R$35.29

$7.50 ฿253

-12.00%

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

$264 R$1,410

$476 ฿16.1K

-44.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,146 R$32.9K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-45.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 R$273

$62.4 ฿2,106

-18.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.00 R$246

$28.41 ฿959

61.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 R$454

$94.3 ฿3,184

-9.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.8 R$357

$85.8 ฿2,898

-22.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$343 R$1,831

$716 ฿24.2K

-52.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$233 R$1,248

$491 ฿16.6K

-52.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$623 R$3,332

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-67.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 R$2,420

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-68.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$8,351

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-62.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,550 R$8,288

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-49.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$238 R$1,271

$502 ฿17.0K

-52.67%

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 Rio Branco: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio Branco

$233 27.6%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 110% $257

Groceries & Markets

Rio Branco

$178 21.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 49.2% $88

Eating Out

Rio Branco

$132 15.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 7.7% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Rio Branco

$112 13.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 8.9% $9.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio Branco

$103 12.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 20.7% $21

Getting Around

Rio Branco

$50 5.9%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 40.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Rio Branco

$38 4.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 118% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $343 in Rio Branco and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $25 in Rio Branco vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $178 vs $266 per month, with Rio Branco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio Branco

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

17:04 5:04 PM

05:04 5:04 AM

12 h ahead of Rio Branco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

364,756

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

Rio Branco Phuket 18,480 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio Branco
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

Rio Branco vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio Branco is about 34% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 53% lower in Rio Branco. 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: $343 in Rio Branco versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $264 in Rio Branco 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.

At $847 in Rio Branco versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Rio Branco but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Rio Branco 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 Rio Branco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.