Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salvador and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Salvador: $977 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Salvador
Learn more

Salvador Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Salvador

🇧🇷 Brazil

$977

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $977 in Salvador versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Salvador $977
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,501 in Salvador versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Salvador $1,501
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,024 in Salvador versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Salvador $2,024
Phuket $2,867

Living in Salvador costs roughly 19% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Salvador 28% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.31 R$42.12

$4.58 ฿153

81.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.15 R$183

$32.48 ฿1,086

11.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.90 R$40.06

$8.55 ฿286

-7.60%

Cappuccino

$2.59 R$13.15

$2.72 ฿91.0

-4.78%

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

$1.33 R$6.73

$0.94 ฿31.25

41.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 R$4.46

$0.49 ฿16.39

79.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 R$12.84

$2.59 ฿86.6

-2.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 R$20.40

$3.83 ฿128

4.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 R$7.20

$1.74 ฿58.1

-18.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 R$7.76

$1.43 ฿47.82

6.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.38

$1.53 ฿51.0

-17.65%

Eggs

$2.11 R$10.70

$2.17 ฿72.7

-2.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.44 R$47.86

$19.15 ฿640

-50.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.53 R$22.98

$3.30 ฿110

37.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.08 R$35.90

$11.14 ฿372

-36.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 R$10.93

$2.95 ฿98.5

-26.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.86

$1.68 ฿56.1

-7.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.17 R$5.94

$2.30 ฿76.8

-49.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 R$6.99

$2.13 ฿71.3

-35.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.55

$1.53 ฿51.1

-28.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 R$6.75

$1.36 ฿45.55

-2.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 R$4.03

$1.12 ฿37.44

-29.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 R$5.65

$0.55 ฿18.24

101.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.43 R$12.31

$4.26 ฿142

-42.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.09 R$30.86

$18.19 ฿608

-66.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 R$6.54

$1.74 ฿58.2

-25.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 R$10.32

$2.79 ฿93.3

-26.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 R$6.15

$2.22 ฿74.1

-45.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.7 R$303

$22.06 ฿737

170.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 R$8.46

$2.91 ฿97.3

-42.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 R$6.02

$1.01 ฿33.79

17.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.79 R$49.63

$3.83 ฿128

155.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.77

$1.49 ฿49.85

-10.07%

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

$23.4K R$118.5K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-12.37%

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

$33.3K R$168.8K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

24.69%

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

$94.2 R$478

$99.4 ฿3,321

-5.19%

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

$9.72 R$49.30

$11.28 ฿377

-13.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.47 R$88.6

$17.36 ฿580

0.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.01 R$132

$52.3 ฿1,747

-50.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.77 R$90.1

$10.85 ฿362

63.78%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 R$38.01

$7.57 ฿253

-0.92%

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

$373 R$1,890

$558 ฿18.7K

-33.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K R$78.9K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

35.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 R$298

$62.9 ฿2,102

-6.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.45 R$180

$28.58 ฿955

24.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.2 R$452

$96.1 ฿3,213

-7.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.1 R$421

$88.1 ฿2,943

-5.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 R$2,669

$729 ฿24.4K

-27.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$279 R$1,416

$460 ฿15.4K

-39.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$949 R$4,810

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-54.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$456 R$2,310

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-62.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,145 R$10.9K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-37.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 R$6,956

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-44.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$397 R$2,010

$493 ฿16.5K

-19.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

79.53%

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

Last update for Salvador: October 13, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Salvador

$279 28.6%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 64.6% $181

Groceries & Markets

Salvador

$192 19.7%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 39.3% $75

Eating Out

Salvador

$151 15.4%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 19.6% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salvador

$121 12.4%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 5.4% $6.6

Clothing & Footwear

Salvador

$120 12.3%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 3.4% $4.1

Getting Around

Salvador

$72 7.4%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 46.1% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Salvador

$41 4.2%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 64.4% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $526 in Salvador and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 24% 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: $36.00 in Salvador vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $192 vs $268, with Salvador cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Salvador

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

09:35 9:35 AM

19:35 7:35 PM

10 h ahead of Salvador

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,417,678

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 18, 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 18, 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

Salvador Phuket 15,270 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Salvador
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

Salvador vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Salvador is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 24% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 24% 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: $526 in Salvador versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $373 in Salvador 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 39% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $977 in Salvador versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Salvador but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Salvador the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Salvador 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, Salvador 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 Salvador gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.