Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santo Andre and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Santo Andre: $984 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Santo Andre
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Santo Andre Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Santo Andre

🇧🇷 Brazil

$984

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $984 in Santo Andre versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Santo Andre $984
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,590 in Santo Andre versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Santo Andre $1,590
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,196 in Santo Andre versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Santo Andre $2,196
Phuket $2,845

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Santo Andre 27% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.19 R$46.61

$4.40 ฿147

108.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 R$254

$32.26 ฿1,078

55.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.66 R$43.92

$8.76 ฿293

-1.14%

Cappuccino

$2.44 R$12.35

$2.83 ฿94.5

-13.78%

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

$1.37 R$6.92

$0.90 ฿30.14

52.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.82

$0.47 ฿15.56

102.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 R$11.74

$2.55 ฿85.2

-9.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 R$19.84

$3.83 ฿128

2.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 R$5.08

$1.73 ฿57.7

-42.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 R$9.13

$1.47 ฿49.11

22.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 R$6.97

$1.51 ฿50.6

-9.27%

Eggs

$2.50 R$12.68

$2.17 ฿72.7

15.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.61 R$53.8

$19.70 ฿658

-46.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.70 R$23.82

$3.34 ฿112

40.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.65 R$54.0

$11.16 ฿373

-4.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 R$11.55

$2.85 ฿95.1

-20.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 R$8.33

$1.70 ฿56.9

-3.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$7.74

$2.19 ฿73.3

-30.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 R$8.33

$2.05 ฿68.4

-20.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

$1.45 ฿48.57

-12.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.21

$1.38 ฿46.16

-10.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 R$5.01

$1.07 ฿35.69

-7.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 R$4.28

$0.51 ฿16.91

64.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.43 R$12.31

$4.26 ฿142

-42.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.20 R$41.59

$18.58 ฿621

-55.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 R$7.82

$1.78 ฿59.7

-13.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 R$12.64

$2.85 ฿95.2

-12.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.02

$2.26 ฿75.6

-56.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.01 R$137

$22.10 ฿738

22.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 R$6.11

$3.01 ฿101

-59.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.17

$1.06 ฿35.34

-3.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.28 R$41.99

$3.86 ฿129

114.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.76

$1.45 ฿48.45

-8.28%

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

$22.9K R$115.9K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-13.15%

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

$33.2K R$168.2K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

23.16%

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

$65.5 R$332

$96.4 ฿3,221

-32.00%

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

$14.49 R$73.5

$11.04 ฿369

31.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.33 R$113

$17.14 ฿573

30.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.10 R$127

$52.2 ฿1,744

-51.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.72 R$141

$11.16 ฿373

148.39%

Cinema Ticket

$8.01 R$40.60

$7.81 ฿261

2.56%

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

$551 R$2,794

$556 ฿18.6K

-0.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K R$83.6K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

42.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.7 R$323

$64.2 ฿2,146

-0.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.0 R$289

$28.69 ฿959

98.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.4 R$448

$95.4 ฿3,187

-7.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 R$401

$88.0 ฿2,940

-10.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$400 R$2,030

$737 ฿24.6K

-45.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$301 R$1,524

$462 ฿15.5K

-34.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$663 R$3,359

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-68.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$541 R$2,741

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-54.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,711 R$8,673

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-50.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,153 R$5,844

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-54.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$549 R$2,783

$501 ฿16.7K

9.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.81

5.57

94.08%

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

Last update for Santo Andre: October 17, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santo Andre

$301 30.6%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 53.8% $162

Groceries & Markets

Santo Andre

$216 21.9%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 24.5% $53

Eating Out

Santo Andre

$157 16%

Phuket

$121 10% 23% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Santo Andre

$130 13.2%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 4.1% $5.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santo Andre

$102 10.4%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 21.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Santo Andre

$41 4.2%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 64.9% $27

Getting Around

Santo Andre

$37 3.8%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 5.8% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $400 in Santo Andre and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santo Andre pays 10% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $50.0 in Santo Andre vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $216 vs $269, with Santo Andre cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Santo Andre

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

11:38 11:38 AM

21:38 9:38 PM

10 h ahead of Santo Andre

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

748,919

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 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).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Santo Andre Phuket 15,890 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Santo Andre
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

Santo Andre vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santo Andre is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 23% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 10% higher in Santo Andre, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $400 in Santo Andre versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $551 in Santo Andre 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 24% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $984 in Santo Andre versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santo Andre but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Santo Andre the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Santo Andre 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, Santo Andre 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 Santo Andre gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.