Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio Claro and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio Claro: $837 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Rio Claro
🇧🇷 Brazil
$837
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,208
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $837 in Rio Claro versus $1,208 in Phuket.

  • Rio Claro $837
  • Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,268 in Rio Claro versus $2,027 in Phuket.

  • Rio Claro $1,268
  • Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,699 in Rio Claro versus $2,845 in Phuket.

  • Rio Claro $1,699
  • Phuket $2,845

Living in Rio Claro costs roughly 31% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio Claro 38% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Rio Claro
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.67 R$28.74
$4.40 ฿147
28.86%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.49 R$119
$32.26 ฿1,078
-27.19%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.49 R$37.98
$8.76 ฿293
-14.50%
Cappuccino
$2.26 R$11.46
$2.83 ฿94.5
-20.14%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.13 R$5.73
$0.90 ฿30.14
25.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.69 R$3.51
$0.47 ฿15.56
46.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.13 R$10.78
$2.55 ฿85.2
-16.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.45 R$22.56
$3.83 ฿128
16.19%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rio Claro
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.91 R$4.60
$1.73 ฿57.7
-47.40%
White Bread (500g)
$1.99 R$10.11
$1.47 ฿49.11
35.37%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.19 R$6.05
$1.51 ฿50.6
-21.19%
Eggs
$2.26 R$11.47
$2.17 ฿72.7
4.15%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.00 R$45.60
$19.70 ฿658
-54.31%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.48 R$22.73
$3.34 ฿112
34.13%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.47 R$48.00
$11.16 ฿373
-15.14%
Apples (1kg)
$2.44 R$12.38
$2.85 ฿95.1
-14.39%
Banana (1kg)
$1.86 R$9.42
$1.70 ฿56.9
9.41%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.40 R$7.08
$2.19 ฿73.3
-36.07%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.36 R$6.90
$2.05 ฿68.4
-33.66%
Potato (1kg)
$0.96 R$4.88
$1.45 ฿48.57
-33.79%
Onion (1kg)
$1.20 R$6.09
$1.38 ฿46.16
-13.04%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.90 R$4.54
$1.07 ฿35.69
-15.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.80 R$4.03
$0.51 ฿16.91
56.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.86 R$14.50
$4.26 ฿142
-32.86%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.80 R$44.63
$18.58 ฿621
-52.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 R$8.37
$1.78 ฿59.7
-7.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.73 R$18.92
$2.85 ฿95.2
30.88%
🚌 Getting Around
Rio Claro
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.95 R$4.82
$2.26 ฿75.6
-57.96%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$39.85 R$202
$22.10 ฿738
80.32%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 R$6.42
$3.01 ฿101
-57.81%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.41 R$7.16
$1.06 ฿35.34
33.02%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.27 R$46.99
$3.86 ฿129
140.16%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.19 R$6.01
$1.45 ฿48.45
-17.93%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.3K R$117.9K
$26.3K ฿879.9K
-11.68%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.3K R$173.7K
$26.9K ฿900.4K
27.19%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rio Claro
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$42.36 R$215
$96.4 ฿3,221
-56.05%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.36 R$47.45
$11.04 ฿369
-15.22%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.17 R$92.1
$17.14 ฿573
6.01%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rio Claro
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$24.25 R$123
$52.2 ฿1,744
-53.53%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$11.16 ฿373
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.96 R$30.22
$7.81 ฿261
-23.69%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rio Claro
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$234 R$1,186
$556 ฿18.6K
-57.91%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,435 R$27.6K
$11.6K ฿387.0K
-53.07%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rio Claro
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.5 R$276
$64.2 ฿2,146
-15.08%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.6 R$292
$28.69 ฿959
100.91%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.0 R$487
$95.4 ฿3,187
0.70%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$72.8 R$369
$88.0 ฿2,940
-17.22%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rio Claro
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$282 R$1,429
$737 ฿24.6K
-61.75%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$222 R$1,127
$462 ฿15.5K
-51.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$431 R$2,187
$2,095 ฿70.0K
-79.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$327 R$1,658
$1,201 ฿40.1K
-72.77%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$765 R$3,876
$3,488 ฿116.6K
-78.08%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$671 R$3,402
$2,523 ฿84.3K
-73.40%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rio Claro
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$515 R$2,610
$501 ฿16.7K
2.85%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.12
5.57
99.64%

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

Last update for Rio Claro: October 20, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Rio Claro
$222
Phuket
$462 108% $240
Groceries & Markets
Rio Claro
$208
Phuket
$269 29.1% $60
Clothing & Footwear
Rio Claro
$126
Phuket
$124 1.7% $2.1
Eating Out
Rio Claro
$122
Phuket
$121 0.4% $0.5
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rio Claro
$70
Phuket
$125 78.2% $55
Getting Around
Rio Claro
$52
Phuket
$39 24.1% $13
Sport & Entertainment
Rio Claro
$36
Phuket
$68 87.4% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $282 in Rio Claro and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio Claro pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $23.00 in Rio Claro vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $208 vs $269 per month, with Rio Claro cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇧🇷 Rio Claro
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
14:45 2:45 PM
00:45 12:45 AM
10 h ahead of Rio Claro
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
201,418
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

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).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Rio Claro Phuket 16,030 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Rio Claro
  • 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 Claro vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phuket cheaper than Rio Claro?
Rio Claro is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and utilities. The 44% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Rio Claro or Phuket?
Average pay runs 3% higher in Rio Claro, 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 Rio Claro and Phuket?
Rent for a central apartment: $282 in Rio Claro versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $234 in Rio Claro versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Rio Claro and in Phuket?
Supermarket bills run roughly 29% 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 Rio Claro or in Phuket?
At $837 in Rio Claro versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio Claro but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Rio Claro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Rio Claro or Phuket more family-friendly?
For families, Rio Claro 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, Rio Claro or Phuket?
Safety-wise, Rio Claro 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Rio Claro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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