Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Carlos and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Carlos and Phuket

🙂 Solo nomad: Sao Carlos is 24.5% cheaper than Phuket without rent, and 36% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Sao Carlos is 31.5% cheaper than Phuket without rent, and 43% cheaper with rent.
Currency
ðŸ― Eating Out
Sao Carlos
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.6 R$25.55
$4.68 āļŋ151
-1.71%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.65 R$181
$46.4 āļŋ1,502
-29.63%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.78 R$37.65
$8.65 āļŋ280
-21.62%
Cappuccino
$1.74 R$9.68
$3.09 āļŋ100
-43.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.16 R$6.42
$0.73 āļŋ23.53
58.90%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.63 R$3.5
$0.37 āļŋ11.95
70.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.47 R$8.16
$2.39 āļŋ77.4
-38.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.02 R$16.78
$3.62 āļŋ117
-16.57%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sao Carlos
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.09 R$6.04
$2.24 āļŋ72.5
-51.34%
White Bread (500g)
$1.52 R$8.42
$1.8 āļŋ58.2
-15.56%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.57 R$14.24
$2.24 āļŋ72.3
14.73%
Eggs
$2.23 R$12.37
$2.23 āļŋ72.1
-
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.55 R$53
$19.31 āļŋ625
-50.54%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.17 R$23.13
$3.77 āļŋ122
10.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.74 R$42.96
$13.05 āļŋ422
-40.69%
Apples (1kg)
$2.33 R$12.94
$3.28 āļŋ106
-28.96%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 R$8.38
$1.63 āļŋ52.6
-7.36%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.53 R$8.47
$2.4 āļŋ77.7
-36.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.99 R$11.04
$1.99 āļŋ64.3
-
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 R$8.47
$1.53 āļŋ49.62
-
Onion (1kg)
$1.24 R$6.87
$1.49 āļŋ48.11
-16.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.9 R$4.98
$1.02 āļŋ32.87
-11.76%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.78 R$4.32
$0.48 āļŋ15.61
62.50%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.1 R$11.63
$4.32 āļŋ140
-51.39%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.24 R$40.17
$21.68 āļŋ702
-66.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 R$7.07
$1.77 āļŋ57.3
-28.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.52 R$14.01
$2.79 āļŋ90.4
-9.68%
🚌 Getting Around
Sao Carlos
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.93 R$5.17
$1.35 āļŋ43.74
-31.11%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$21.89 R$121
$11.76 āļŋ380
86.14%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.31 R$7.29
$3.15 āļŋ102
-58.41%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.96 R$5.34
$1 āļŋ32.3
-4.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.31 R$18.39
$13.64 āļŋ442
-75.73%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.04 R$5.76
$1.3 āļŋ42.2
-20.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.1K R$161.3K
$27.4K āļŋ885.2K
6.26%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.2K R$162.2K
$33.9K āļŋ1.1M
-13.80%
ðŸ§ū Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sao Carlos
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$71.1 R$395
$123 āļŋ3,970
-42.06%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.76 R$81.9
$13.93 āļŋ451
5.96%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.57 R$103
$18.24 āļŋ590
1.81%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sao Carlos
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$20.55 R$114
$60.8 āļŋ1,966
-66.17%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$39.92 R$222
$17.11 āļŋ554
133.31%
Cinema Ticket
$4.22 R$23.42
$9.07 āļŋ294
-53.47%
ðŸ§ļ Childcare & Education
Sao Carlos
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$308 R$1,707
$694 āļŋ22.5K
-55.70%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,678 R$14.9K
$15.9K āļŋ514.4K
-83.15%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sao Carlos
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$46.58 R$259
$57.5 āļŋ1,861
-19.01%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.53 R$203
$34.51 āļŋ1,117
5.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 R$560
$115 āļŋ3,727
-12.33%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$90.6 R$503
$84.8 āļŋ2,743
6.89%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sao Carlos
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$219 R$1,218
$611 āļŋ19.8K
-64.10%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$216 R$1,202
$442 āļŋ14.3K
-51.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$439 R$2,437
$2,014 āļŋ65.2K
-78.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$486 R$2,696
$1,460 āļŋ47.2K
-66.73%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$693 R$3,845
$4,244 āļŋ137.3K
-83.68%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$850 R$4,718
$2,886 āļŋ93.4K
-70.55%
ðŸ’ĩ Salaries & Financials
Sao Carlos
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$828 R$4,594
$697 āļŋ22.5K
18.79%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.67
5.33
100.19%

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

Last update for Sao Carlos: October 29, 2025

Last update for Phuket: October 29, 2025

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