Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Caetano do Sul and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Caetano do Sul: $1,058 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Sao Caetano do Sul
Learn more

Sao Caetano do Sul Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Sao Caetano do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,058

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,058 in Sao Caetano do Sul versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Sao Caetano do Sul $1,058
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,822 in Sao Caetano do Sul versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Sao Caetano do Sul $1,822
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,586 in Sao Caetano do Sul versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Sao Caetano do Sul $2,586
Phuket $2,867

Living in Sao Caetano do Sul costs roughly 12% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Caetano do Sul 22% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.89 R$45.06

$4.58 ฿153

94.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$203

$32.48 ฿1,086

23.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.77 R$44.46

$8.55 ฿286

2.57%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.09

$2.72 ฿91.0

-12.50%

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

$1.33 R$6.73

$0.94 ฿31.25

41.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 R$4.71

$0.49 ฿16.39

89.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 R$11.94

$2.59 ฿86.6

-8.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 R$20.27

$3.83 ฿128

4.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.01

$1.74 ฿58.1

-31.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.40

$1.43 ฿47.82

43.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 R$7.31

$1.53 ฿51.0

-5.88%

Eggs

$2.48 R$12.55

$2.17 ฿72.7

14.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.70 R$54.2

$19.15 ฿640

-44.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.43 R$27.54

$3.30 ฿110

64.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 R$55.3

$11.14 ฿372

-2.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 R$12.10

$2.95 ฿98.5

-18.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 R$8.74

$1.68 ฿56.1

2.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.84

$2.30 ฿76.8

-32.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 R$10.54

$2.13 ฿71.3

-2.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.09

$1.53 ฿51.1

-8.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.41

$1.36 ฿45.55

-7.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 R$4.67

$1.12 ฿37.44

-17.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 R$4.12

$0.55 ฿18.24

47.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.49 R$12.62

$4.26 ฿142

-41.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.97 R$45.45

$18.19 ฿608

-50.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 R$8.88

$1.74 ฿58.2

0.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 R$13.06

$2.79 ฿93.3

-7.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 R$3.47

$2.22 ฿74.1

-69.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 R$6.71

$2.91 ฿97.3

-54.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.18

$1.01 ฿33.79

0.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 R$44.93

$3.83 ฿128

131.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.79

$1.49 ฿49.85

-10.07%

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

$24.5K R$124.4K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-8.03%

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

$32.6K R$165.1K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

21.96%

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

$103 R$522

$99.4 ฿3,321

3.61%

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

$14.91 R$75.6

$11.28 ฿377

32.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.99 R$117

$17.36 ฿580

32.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 R$255

$52.3 ฿1,747

-3.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.01 R$233

$10.85 ฿362

324.06%

Cinema Ticket

$10.14 R$51.4

$7.57 ฿253

33.95%

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

$437 R$2,215

$558 ฿18.7K

-21.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K R$56.6K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-2.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.3 R$331

$62.9 ฿2,102

3.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.3 R$290

$28.58 ฿955

100.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.3 R$498

$96.1 ฿3,213

2.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 R$472

$88.1 ฿2,943

5.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$419 R$2,126

$729 ฿24.4K

-42.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$311 R$1,575

$460 ฿15.4K

-32.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$867 R$4,394

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-58.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$868 R$4,398

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-29.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,890 R$9,581

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-45.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,435 R$7,276

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-42.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$951 R$4,822

$493 ฿16.5K

92.94%

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 Sao Caetano do Sul: October 10, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Caetano do Sul

$311 29.4%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 48% $149

Groceries & Markets

Sao Caetano do Sul

$231 21.8%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 15.9% $37

Eating Out

Sao Caetano do Sul

$155 14.6%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 21.6% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Caetano do Sul

$141 13.4%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 12.2% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Caetano do Sul

$141 13.3%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 9.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Caetano do Sul

$71 6.7%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 4.5% $3.2

Getting Around

Sao Caetano do Sul

$9.2 * 0.9%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 324% $30

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $419 in Sao Caetano do Sul and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Caetano do Sul pays 93% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $40.00 in Sao Caetano do Sul vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $231 vs $268, with Sao Caetano do Sul cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Caetano do Sul

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

11:27 11:27 AM

21:27 9:27 PM

10 h ahead of Sao Caetano do Sul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

165,655

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 19, 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 19, 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

Sao Caetano do Sul Phuket 15,890 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Caetano 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

Sao Caetano do Sul vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Caetano do Sul is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and transport. The 14% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 93% higher in Sao Caetano do Sul, 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: $419 in Sao Caetano do Sul versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $437 in Sao Caetano do Sul versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sao Caetano do Sul – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,058 in Sao Caetano do Sul versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sao Caetano do Sul but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Caetano do Sul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sao Caetano 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.

Safety-wise, Sao Caetano 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.

Expats usually find Sao Caetano do Sul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.