Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Carlos and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Carlos: $982 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

47

Cost of Living Index in Sao Carlos
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Sao Carlos Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Sao Carlos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$982

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $982 in Sao Carlos versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Sao Carlos $982
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,709 in Sao Carlos versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Sao Carlos $1,709
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,436 in Sao Carlos versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Sao Carlos $2,436
Phuket $2,845

Living in Sao Carlos costs roughly 19% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Carlos 27% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.98 R$25.25

$4.40 ฿147

13.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.05 R$203

$32.26 ฿1,078

24.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.77 R$34.33

$8.76 ฿293

-22.72%

Cappuccino

$2.12 R$10.74

$2.83 ฿94.5

-25.09%

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

$1.34 R$6.78

$0.90 ฿30.14

48.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 R$3.98

$0.47 ฿15.56

68.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.63 R$8.24

$2.55 ฿85.2

-36.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 R$14.36

$3.83 ฿128

-26.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.80

$1.73 ฿57.7

-22.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 R$9.96

$1.47 ฿49.11

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.51 ฿50.6

17.88%

Eggs

$2.95 R$14.94

$2.17 ฿72.7

35.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.48 R$63.3

$19.70 ฿658

-36.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.25 R$26.61

$3.34 ฿112

57.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.22 R$46.72

$11.16 ฿373

-17.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 R$13.72

$2.85 ฿95.1

-4.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.33

$1.70 ฿56.9

8.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.01

$2.19 ฿73.3

-18.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.96 R$9.95

$2.05 ฿68.4

-4.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 R$8.84

$1.45 ฿48.57

20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.88

$1.38 ฿46.16

-1.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 R$5.14

$1.07 ฿35.69

-5.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R$5.88

$0.51 ฿16.91

127.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.19 R$16.18

$4.26 ฿142

-25.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.46 R$42.91

$18.58 ฿621

-54.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 R$7.50

$1.78 ฿59.7

-16.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 R$14.73

$2.85 ฿95.2

2.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 R$4.97

$2.26 ฿75.6

-56.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.86 R$121

$22.10 ฿738

7.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 R$7.48

$3.01 ฿101

-50.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 R$5.11

$1.06 ฿35.34

-4.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 R$18.45

$3.86 ฿129

-5.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 R$6.32

$1.45 ฿48.45

-13.79%

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

$20.2K R$102.2K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-23.45%

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

$31.5K R$159.5K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

16.77%

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

$62.4 R$316

$96.4 ฿3,221

-35.29%

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

$13.74 R$69.6

$11.04 ฿369

24.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.07 R$122

$17.14 ฿573

40.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.77 R$176

$52.2 ฿1,744

-33.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.31 R$245

$11.16 ฿373

332.89%

Cinema Ticket

$5.38 R$27.29

$7.81 ฿261

-31.11%

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

$302 R$1,531

$556 ฿18.6K

-45.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,032 R$15.4K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-73.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 R$429

$64.2 ฿2,146

31.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$96.7 R$490

$28.69 ฿959

237.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 R$705

$95.4 ฿3,187

45.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 R$826

$88.0 ฿2,940

85.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$272 R$1,377

$737 ฿24.6K

-63.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$236 R$1,197

$462 ฿15.5K

-48.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 R$3,410

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-67.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$663 R$3,358

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-44.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$849 R$4,303

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-75.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$730 R$3,698

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-71.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$681 R$3,453

$501 ฿16.7K

36.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.75

5.57

93.00%

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

Last update for Sao Carlos: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sao Carlos

$241 24.5%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 11.5% $28

Accommodation & Living

Sao Carlos

$236 24%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 95.8% $226

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Carlos

$218 22.1%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 42.9% $93

Eating Out

Sao Carlos

$108 11%

Phuket

$121 10% 12.4% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Carlos

$100 10.2%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 24.3% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Carlos

$46 4.6%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 48.9% $22

Getting Around

Sao Carlos

$34 3.5%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 15% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $272 in Sao Carlos and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Carlos pays 36% 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 Carlos vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $241 vs $269, with Sao Carlos cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Carlos

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

15:30 3:30 PM

01:30 1:30 AM

10 h ahead of Sao Carlos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

254,857

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sao Carlos Phuket 16,080 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Carlos
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 Carlos vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Carlos is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 23% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 36% higher in Sao Carlos, 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: $272 in Sao Carlos versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $302 in Sao Carlos 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 12% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $982 in Sao Carlos versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sao Carlos but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Carlos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sao Carlos 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 Carlos 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 Carlos 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.