Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio Grande and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio Grande: $843 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Rio Grande
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Rio Grande Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Rio Grande

🇧🇷 Brazil

$843

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $843 in Rio Grande versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Rio Grande $843
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,329 in Rio Grande versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Rio Grande $1,329
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,815 in Rio Grande versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Rio Grande $1,815
Phuket $2,845

Living in Rio Grande costs roughly 30% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.99 R$40.49

$4.40 ฿147

81.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.45 R$134

$32.26 ฿1,078

-18.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.20 R$36.49

$8.76 ฿293

-17.81%

Cappuccino

$1.44 R$7.29

$2.83 ฿94.5

-49.12%

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

$1.19 R$6.01

$0.90 ฿30.14

32.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 R$4.13

$0.47 ฿15.56

72.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.36

$2.55 ฿85.2

-4.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 R$15.36

$3.83 ฿128

-20.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 R$5.12

$1.73 ฿57.7

-41.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 R$8.41

$1.47 ฿49.11

12.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.13 R$5.74

$1.51 ฿50.6

-25.17%

Eggs

$1.96 R$9.95

$2.17 ฿72.7

-9.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.06 R$20.60

$19.70 ฿658

-79.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.90 R$24.84

$3.34 ฿112

46.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.90 R$50.2

$11.16 ฿373

-11.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 R$12.17

$2.85 ฿95.1

-15.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 R$7.56

$1.70 ฿56.9

-12.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 R$6.92

$2.19 ฿73.3

-37.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.58 R$2.94

$2.05 ฿68.4

-71.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.16

$1.45 ฿48.57

-15.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 R$3.64

$1.38 ฿46.16

-47.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.38 R$1.94

$1.07 ฿35.69

-64.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 R$2.91

$0.51 ฿16.91

11.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.52 R$12.76

$4.26 ฿142

-40.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.91 R$40.10

$18.58 ฿621

-57.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R$5.72

$1.78 ฿59.7

-36.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 R$11.25

$2.85 ฿95.2

-22.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.04

$2.26 ฿75.6

-56.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.51 R$221

$22.10 ฿738

96.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.41

$3.01 ฿101

-57.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R$4.00

$1.06 ฿35.34

-25.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.17 R$41.43

$3.86 ฿129

111.66%

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)

$24.0K R$121.7K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-8.85%

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

$34.1K R$172.8K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

26.49%

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

$77.2 R$391

$96.4 ฿3,221

-19.91%

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

$9.23 R$46.81

$11.04 ฿369

-16.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.91 R$111

$17.14 ฿573

27.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.97 R$132

$52.2 ฿1,744

-50.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.54 R$140

$11.16 ฿373

146.77%

Cinema Ticket

$2.93 R$14.86

$7.81 ฿261

-62.48%

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

$278 R$1,407

$556 ฿18.6K

-50.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,170 R$36.3K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-38.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.55 R$160

$64.2 ฿2,146

-50.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.52 R$200

$28.69 ฿959

37.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 R$400

$95.4 ฿3,187

-17.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.8 R$400

$88.0 ฿2,940

-10.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$353 R$1,791

$737 ฿24.6K

-52.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$244 R$1,239

$462 ฿15.5K

-47.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$672 R$3,407

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-67.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$476 R$2,413

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-60.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,676 R$8,498

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-51.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,177 R$5,968

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-53.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.5

5.57

106.46%

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

Last update for Rio Grande: 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 Grande

$244 29%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 89.2% $218

Groceries & Markets

Rio Grande

$174 20.7%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 54.2% $94

Eating Out

Rio Grande

$129 15.3%

Phuket

$121 10% 6% $7.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio Grande

$108 12.9%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 15% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Rio Grande

$103 12.2%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 20.7% $21

Getting Around

Rio Grande

$53 6.3%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 25.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Rio Grande

$32 3.8%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 113% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $353 in Rio Grande and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $26.00 in Rio Grande vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $174 vs $269 per month, with Rio Grande cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio Grande

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:58 2:58 PM

00:58 12:58 AM

10 h ahead of Rio Grande

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

198,935

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 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).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio Grande Phuket 15,950 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Rio Grande is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 43% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,265 in Rio Grande 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $353 in Rio Grande versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $278 in Rio Grande versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $843 in Rio Grande versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio Grande but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Rio Grande the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Rio Grande 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, Rio Grande 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 Rio Grande gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.