Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santos and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Santos: $1,150 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Santos
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Santos Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Santos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,150

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,150 in Santos versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Santos $1,150
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,736 in Santos versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Santos $1,736
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,322 in Santos versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Santos $2,322
Phuket $2,845

Living in Santos costs roughly 5% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Santos 15% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.12 R$41.18

$4.40 ฿147

84.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.84 R$161

$32.26 ฿1,078

-1.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.14 R$36.19

$8.76 ฿293

-18.49%

Cappuccino

$2.75 R$13.96

$2.83 ฿94.5

-2.83%

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

$1.43 R$7.24

$0.90 ฿30.14

58.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R$4.68

$0.47 ฿15.56

95.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.52 R$12.76

$2.55 ฿85.2

-1.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 R$14.79

$3.83 ฿128

-23.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.50

$1.73 ฿57.7

-36.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 R$9.39

$1.47 ฿49.11

25.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.91

$1.51 ฿50.6

-9.93%

Eggs

$2.49 R$12.61

$2.17 ฿72.7

14.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.14 R$61.6

$19.70 ฿658

-38.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.86 R$24.63

$3.34 ฿112

45.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.91 R$50.2

$11.16 ฿373

-11.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.11 R$10.69

$2.85 ฿95.1

-25.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.23

$1.70 ฿56.9

-27.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 R$10.07

$2.19 ฿73.3

-9.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.85 R$9.37

$2.05 ฿68.4

-9.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.35 R$6.86

$1.45 ฿48.57

-6.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.56

$1.38 ฿46.16

-6.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 R$5.87

$1.07 ฿35.69

8.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.80

$0.51 ฿16.91

86.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.35 R$11.89

$4.26 ฿142

-44.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.46

$18.58 ฿621

-57.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 R$6.76

$1.78 ฿59.7

-25.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R$9.83

$2.85 ฿95.2

-31.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 R$5.66

$2.26 ฿75.6

-50.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.37 R$250

$22.10 ฿738

123.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.56 R$7.89

$3.01 ฿101

-48.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 R$8.16

$1.06 ฿35.34

51.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.80 R$90.2

$3.86 ฿129

361.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.31

$1.45 ฿48.45

-14.48%

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

$23.7K R$120.3K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-9.89%

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

$33.5K R$169.6K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

24.19%

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

$104 R$529

$96.4 ฿3,221

8.21%

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

$11.95 R$60.6

$11.04 ฿369

8.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.90 R$111

$17.14 ฿573

27.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.96 R$147

$52.2 ฿1,744

-44.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$57.0 R$289

$11.16 ฿373

410.93%

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 R$43.55

$7.81 ฿261

9.99%

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

$280 R$1,418

$556 ฿18.6K

-49.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K R$52.0K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-11.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 R$281

$64.2 ฿2,146

-13.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.69 R$186

$28.69 ฿959

27.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.7 R$485

$95.4 ฿3,187

0.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.7 R$307

$88.0 ฿2,940

-31.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$543 R$2,754

$737 ฿24.6K

-26.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$424 R$2,148

$462 ฿15.5K

-8.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$992 R$5,031

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-52.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$686 R$3,478

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-42.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,413 R$12.2K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-30.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,776 R$9,004

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-29.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$584 R$2,958

$501 ฿16.7K

16.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.79

5.57

129.62%

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

Last update for Santos: 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

Santos

$424 36.9%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 9.1% $39

Groceries & Markets

Santos

$219 19.1%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 22.4% $49

Eating Out

Santos

$147 12.8%

Phuket

$121 10% 17.7% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santos

$138 12%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 9.8% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Santos

$112 9.7%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 11.2% $12

Getting Around

Santos

$63 5.5%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 37.8% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Santos

$46 4%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 46.9% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $543 in Santos and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santos pays 17% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Santos vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $219 vs $269 per month, with Santos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Santos

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

08:36 8:36 AM

18:36 6:36 PM

10 h ahead of Santos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

418,608

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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Between locations

Santos Phuket 15,860 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Santos
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

Santos vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santos is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 5% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 17% higher in Santos, 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: $543 in Santos versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $280 in Santos 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 22% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,150 in Santos versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Santos but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Santos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Santos 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, Santos 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 Santos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.