Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Joao da Boa Vista and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Joao da Boa Vista: $823 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Sao Joao da Boa Vista
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Sao Joao da Boa Vista Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Sao Joao da Boa Vista

🇧🇷 Brazil

$823

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $823 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Sao Joao da Boa Vista $823
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,320 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Sao Joao da Boa Vista $1,320
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,818 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Sao Joao da Boa Vista $1,818
Phuket $2,867

Living in Sao Joao da Boa Vista costs roughly 32% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Joao da Boa Vista 39% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.62 R$28.22

$4.58 ฿154

22.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.03 R$116

$32.48 ฿1,090

-29.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.07 R$35.45

$8.55 ฿287

-17.31%

Cappuccino

$2.05 R$10.29

$2.72 ฿91.3

-24.63%

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

$1.17 R$5.89

$0.94 ฿31.37

24.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R$4.62

$0.49 ฿16.46

87.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 R$9.94

$2.59 ฿86.9

-23.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 R$10.32

$3.83 ฿129

-46.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 R$5.37

$1.74 ฿58.3

-38.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 R$8.23

$1.43 ฿48.01

14.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 R$4.90

$1.53 ฿51.2

-35.95%

Eggs

$2.37 R$11.90

$2.17 ฿73.0

9.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.01 R$50.2

$19.15 ฿642

-47.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.00 R$25.09

$3.30 ฿111

51.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 R$50.5

$11.14 ฿374

-9.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 R$9.80

$2.95 ฿98.9

-33.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.17 R$5.88

$1.68 ฿56.3

-30.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.97 R$4.89

$2.30 ฿77.1

-57.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 R$7.85

$2.13 ฿71.6

-26.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 R$4.15

$1.53 ฿51.3

-45.75%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 R$4.09

$1.36 ฿45.73

-40.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 R$3.90

$1.12 ฿37.59

-30.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 R$3.87

$0.55 ฿18.31

40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.35 R$11.80

$4.26 ฿143

-44.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.09 R$30.55

$18.19 ฿610

-66.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.90

$1.74 ฿58.4

-32.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 R$9.93

$2.79 ฿93.7

-29.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 R$4.38

$2.22 ฿74.3

-60.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.48 R$223

$22.06 ฿740

101.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 R$7.89

$2.91 ฿97.7

-46.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 R$7.87

$1.01 ฿33.93

55.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.19 R$41.10

$3.83 ฿128

113.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 R$5.35

$1.49 ฿50.0

-28.19%

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

$19.8K R$99.3K

$26.7K ฿895.1K

-25.84%

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

$33.3K R$166.9K

$26.7K ฿896.1K

24.56%

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

$95.3 R$478

$99.4 ฿3,334

-4.09%

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

$9.88 R$49.55

$11.28 ฿379

-12.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.70 R$98.8

$17.36 ฿582

13.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.59 R$143

$52.3 ฿1,754

-45.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.76 R$159

$10.85 ฿364

192.72%

Cinema Ticket

$5.49 R$27.56

$7.57 ฿254

-27.48%

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

$280 R$1,403

$558 ฿18.7K

-49.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K R$51.8K

$11.5K ฿385.4K

-10.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 R$274

$62.9 ฿2,110

-13.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.79 R$190

$28.58 ฿959

32.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.3 R$258

$96.1 ฿3,226

-46.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.7 R$304

$88.1 ฿2,954

-31.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$349 R$1,753

$729 ฿24.5K

-52.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$203 R$1,018

$460 ฿15.4K

-55.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 R$3,402

$2,096 ฿70.3K

-67.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$465 R$2,333

$1,222 ฿41.0K

-61.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,581 R$7,931

$3,459 ฿116.0K

-54.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,031 R$5,175

$2,489 ฿83.5K

-58.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$659 R$3,307

$493 ฿16.5K

33.68%

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 Sao Joao da Boa Vista: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$203 24.7%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 127% $257

Groceries & Markets

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$193 23.4%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 38.8% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$125 15.2%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 2.5% $3.1

Eating Out

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$113 13.8%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 7.2% $8.1

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$92 11.2%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 34.9% $32

Getting Around

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$57 7%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 32.2% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$40 4.8%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 70.3% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $349 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Joao da Boa Vista pays 34% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $23.00 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $193 vs $268 per month, with Sao Joao da Boa Vista cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Joao da Boa Vista

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

16:28 4:28 PM

02:28 2:28 AM

10 h ahead of Sao Joao da Boa Vista

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

92,547

79,308

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.62 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 33.55 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sao Joao da Boa Vista Phuket 15,970 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Joao da Boa Vista
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 Joao da Boa Vista vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Joao da Boa Vista is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 47% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 34% higher in Sao Joao da Boa Vista, 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: $349 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $280 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $823 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Joao da Boa Vista but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Joao da Boa Vista the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sao Joao da Boa Vista 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 Joao da Boa Vista 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 Joao da Boa Vista gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.