Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio do Sul and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio do Sul: $818 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Rio do Sul
🇧🇷 Brazil
$818
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,208
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $818 in Rio do Sul versus $1,208 in Phuket.

  • Rio do Sul $818
  • Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,282 in Rio do Sul versus $2,027 in Phuket.

  • Rio do Sul $1,282
  • Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,747 in Rio do Sul versus $2,845 in Phuket.

  • Rio do Sul $1,747
  • Phuket $2,845

Living in Rio do Sul costs roughly 32% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio do Sul 40% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Rio do Sul
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.05 R$25.60
$4.40 ฿147
14.77%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.25 R$113
$32.26 ฿1,078
-31.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.04 R$40.74
$8.76 ฿293
-8.22%
Cappuccino
$2.12 R$10.75
$2.83 ฿94.5
-25.09%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.14 R$5.80
$0.90 ฿30.14
26.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.88 R$4.49
$0.47 ฿15.56
87.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.82 R$14.30
$2.55 ฿85.2
10.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.04 R$20.46
$3.83 ฿128
5.48%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rio do Sul
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.02 R$5.17
$1.73 ฿57.7
-41.04%
White Bread (500g)
$1.94 R$9.84
$1.47 ฿49.11
31.97%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.36 R$6.87
$1.51 ฿50.6
-9.93%
Eggs
$1.64 R$8.33
$2.17 ฿72.7
-24.42%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.88 R$39.94
$19.70 ฿658
-60.00%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.06 R$20.57
$3.34 ฿112
21.56%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.07 R$35.84
$11.16 ฿373
-36.65%
Apples (1kg)
$1.58 R$8.01
$2.85 ฿95.1
-44.56%
Banana (1kg)
$1.07 R$5.44
$1.70 ฿56.9
-37.06%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.79 R$4.00
$2.19 ฿73.3
-63.93%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.41 R$7.12
$2.05 ฿68.4
-31.22%
Potato (1kg)
$0.86 R$4.38
$1.45 ฿48.57
-40.69%
Onion (1kg)
$0.79 R$3.98
$1.38 ฿46.16
-42.75%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.74 R$3.74
$1.07 ฿35.69
-30.84%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 R$3.90
$0.51 ฿16.91
50.98%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.98 R$15.13
$4.26 ฿142
-30.05%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.07 R$20.64
$18.58 ฿621
-78.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.31 R$6.64
$1.78 ฿59.7
-26.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.51 R$12.75
$2.85 ฿95.2
-11.93%
🚌 Getting Around
Rio do Sul
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.05 R$5.32
$2.26 ฿75.6
-53.54%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$43.59 R$221
$22.10 ฿738
97.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.32 R$6.71
$3.01 ฿101
-56.15%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 R$3.97
$1.06 ฿35.34
-26.42%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.08 R$30.82
$3.86 ฿129
57.51%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 R$6.16
$1.45 ฿48.45
-16.55%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.4K R$118.8K
$26.3K ฿879.9K
-11.02%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.8K R$171.4K
$26.9K ฿900.4K
25.51%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rio do Sul
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$64.7 R$328
$96.4 ฿3,221
-32.87%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.83 R$49.86
$11.04 ฿369
-10.96%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.96 R$106
$17.14 ฿573
22.29%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rio do Sul
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$26.42 R$134
$52.2 ฿1,744
-49.37%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.93 R$142
$11.16 ฿373
150.27%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 R$25.26
$7.81 ฿261
-36.24%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rio do Sul
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$312 R$1,583
$556 ฿18.6K
-43.82%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.0K R$55.9K
$11.6K ฿387.0K
-4.74%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rio do Sul
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.65 R$252
$64.2 ฿2,146
-22.66%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.4 R$281
$28.69 ฿959
92.92%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.8 R$404
$95.4 ฿3,187
-16.37%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$49.49 R$251
$88.0 ฿2,940
-43.75%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rio do Sul
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$363 R$1,838
$737 ฿24.6K
-50.81%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$240 R$1,218
$462 ฿15.5K
-48.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$686 R$3,477
$2,095 ฿70.0K
-67.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$470 R$2,383
$1,201 ฿40.1K
-60.85%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,680 R$8,518
$3,488 ฿116.6K
-51.82%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,205 R$6,109
$2,523 ฿84.3K
-52.23%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rio do Sul
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$501 ฿16.7K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.54
5.57
107.18%

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

Last update for Rio do Sul: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Rio do Sul
$240
Phuket
$462 92.4% $222
Groceries & Markets
Rio do Sul
$167
Phuket
$269 60.6% $101
Eating Out
Rio do Sul
$120
Phuket
$121 0.8% $1
Clothing & Footwear
Rio do Sul
$105
Phuket
$124 17.9% $19
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rio do Sul
$96
Phuket
$125 30.4% $29
Getting Around
Rio do Sul
$53
Phuket
$39 25.6% $14
Sport & Entertainment
Rio do Sul
$36
Phuket
$68 86.3% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $363 in Rio do Sul and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $22.00 in Rio do Sul vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $167 vs $269 per month, with Rio do Sul cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇧🇷 Rio do Sul
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
18:52 6:52 PM
04:52 4:52 AM
10 h ahead of Rio do Sul
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
72,587
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 21, 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 21, 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 do Sul Phuket 16,020 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Rio do Sul
  • 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 do Sul vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phuket cheaper than Rio do Sul?
Rio do Sul is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 48% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $1,227 in Rio do Sul and $1,813 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.
What is the rent difference between Rio do Sul and Phuket?
Rent for a central apartment: $363 in Rio do Sul 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 $312 in Rio do Sul 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 do Sul and in Phuket?
Supermarket bills run roughly 61% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Rio do Sul or in Phuket?
At $818 in Rio do Sul versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Rio do Sul but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Rio do Sul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Rio do Sul or Phuket more family-friendly?
For families, Rio do Sul 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 do Sul or Phuket?
Safety-wise, Rio do Sul 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 do Sul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Rio do Sul vs other spots: cost of living compared

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