Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Joao da Madeira and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,540 in Sao Joao da Madeira, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Sao Joao da Madeira outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

74

Cost of Living Index in Sao Joao da Madeira
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Sao Joao da Madeira Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Sao Joao da Madeira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,540

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,540 in Sao Joao da Madeira versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Sao Joao da Madeira $1,540
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,128 in Sao Joao da Madeira versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Sao Joao da Madeira $2,128
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,717 in Sao Joao da Madeira versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Sao Joao da Madeira $2,717
Phuket $3,154

Living in Sao Joao da Madeira is roughly 20% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sao Joao da Madeira is 13% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.94 €8.90

$4.47 ฿151

122.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.79 €17.73

$32.41 ฿1,093

-38.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.62 €6.83

$8.81 ฿297

-13.51%

Cappuccino

$1.10 €0.98

$2.83 ฿95.4

-61.13%

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

$1.13 €1.02

$0.87 ฿29.41

29.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 €0.89

$0.49 ฿16.65

102.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 €2.94

$2.56 ฿86.3

28.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.68 ฿124

-37.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 €0.78

$1.66 ฿55.9

-47.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.33 €0.29

$1.46 ฿49.31

-77.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.50 ฿50.5

-26.67%

Eggs

$2.69 €2.41

$2.09 ฿70.5

28.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.29 €7.42

$19.07 ฿643

-56.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.73 €5.13

$3.30 ฿111

73.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.79 €6.08

$10.91 ฿368

-37.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.10 €1.89

$2.93 ฿98.9

-28.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.69 ฿57.0

-19.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$2.25 ฿75.8

-21.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 €2.47

$2.08 ฿70.0

32.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.72

$1.51 ฿51.0

27.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.38 ฿46.52

36.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 €1.10

$1.07 ฿35.96

14.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.80

$0.52 ฿17.51

73.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.65 €5.96

$4.20 ฿142

58.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.57 €4.09

$18.79 ฿634

-75.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.82 ฿61.5

-31.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 €1.45

$2.84 ฿95.8

-42.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.08 €1.86

$1.45 ฿48.98

43.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.34 €37.92

$56.7 ฿1,912

-25.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.38 €3.93

$3.02 ฿102

45.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.02 ฿34.33

67.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.51 €14.79

$3.69 ฿125

347.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 €1.62

$1.47 ฿49.76

23.13%

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

$32.9K €29.5K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

23.01%

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

$37.5K €33.6K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

40.46%

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

$109 €97.2

$96.4 ฿3,251

12.65%

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

$16.99 €15.22

$11.26 ฿380

50.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.95 €42.04

$16.85 ฿568

178.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.19 €34.21

$67.2 ฿2,268

-43.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.76 €13.22

$10.73 ฿362

37.56%

Cinema Ticket

$5.48 €4.91

$7.50 ฿253

-26.93%

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

$321 €287

$476 ฿16.1K

-32.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,990 €8,947

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-11.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.6 €57.9

$62.4 ฿2,104

3.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.62 €32.80

$28.41 ฿958

28.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.5 €73.9

$94.3 ฿3,181

-12.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.9 €86.8

$85.8 ฿2,895

12.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$958 €858

$716 ฿24.2K

33.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$799 €716

$491 ฿16.6K

62.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,617 €1,448

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-16.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 €1,056

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-17.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,130 €2,804

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-25.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,469 €2,211

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-18.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,059 €949

$502 ฿16.9K

110.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.55

5.57

-36.27%

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

Last update for Sao Joao da Madeira: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Joao da Madeira

$799 51.9%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 38.6% $308

Groceries & Markets

Sao Joao da Madeira

$184 12%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 44.5% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Joao da Madeira

$172 11.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 27.8% $48

Eating Out

Sao Joao da Madeira

$145 9.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 16.1% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Joao da Madeira

$126 8.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 3.5% $4.4

Getting Around

Sao Joao da Madeira

$64 4.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 11% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Joao da Madeira

$49 3.2%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 67.3% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $958 in Sao Joao da Madeira and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Joao da Madeira pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $20 in Sao Joao da Madeira vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $184 vs $266 per month, with Sao Joao da Madeira cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Sao Joao da Madeira

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

22:20 10:20 PM

05:20 5:20 AM

7 h ahead of Sao Joao da Madeira

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,144

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Sao Joao da Madeira Phuket 10,820 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Phuket is about 17% cheaper overall, especially in utilities, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Sao Joao da Madeira is about 2.1 times higher, 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: $958 in Sao Joao da Madeira versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $321 in Sao Joao da Madeira versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Sao Joao da Madeira pay roughly 31% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,540 in Sao Joao da Madeira, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Sao Joao da Madeira. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Sao Joao da Madeira and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Sao Joao da Madeira on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.