Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Jose dos Campos and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Jose dos Campos: $1,037 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Sao Jose dos Campos
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Sao Jose dos Campos Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Sao Jose dos Campos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,037

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,037 in Sao Jose dos Campos versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Sao Jose dos Campos $1,037
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,613 in Sao Jose dos Campos versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Sao Jose dos Campos $1,613
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,189 in Sao Jose dos Campos versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Sao Jose dos Campos $2,189
Phuket $3,154

Living in Sao Jose dos Campos costs roughly 19% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Jose dos Campos 24% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.55 R$35.63

$4.47 ฿151

46.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.92 R$206

$32.41 ฿1,093

17.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.27 R$44.97

$8.81 ฿297

-6.13%

Cappuccino

$2.06 R$11.19

$2.83 ฿95.4

-27.21%

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

$1.58 R$8.60

$0.87 ฿29.40

81.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 R$6.11

$0.49 ฿16.65

128.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 R$13.81

$2.56 ฿86.3

-0.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 R$22.42

$3.68 ฿124

11.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 R$6.30

$1.66 ฿55.9

-30.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.90 R$10.36

$1.46 ฿49.29

30.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 R$6.00

$1.50 ฿50.5

-26.67%

Eggs

$2.58 R$14.01

$2.09 ฿70.5

23.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.51 R$46.25

$19.07 ฿643

-55.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.23 R$23.02

$3.30 ฿111

28.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.17 R$55.3

$10.91 ฿368

-6.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 R$13.88

$2.93 ฿98.8

-12.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 R$9.49

$1.69 ฿57.0

3.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.72 R$9.37

$2.25 ฿75.7

-23.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 R$9.48

$2.08 ฿70.0

-16.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 R$7.15

$1.51 ฿51.0

-13.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.97

$1.38 ฿46.51

-7.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 R$4.90

$1.07 ฿35.95

-15.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 R$4.11

$0.52 ฿17.50

46.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.63 R$14.28

$4.20 ฿142

-37.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.41 R$45.72

$18.79 ฿634

-55.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 R$8.44

$1.82 ฿61.4

-14.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 R$22.44

$2.84 ฿95.8

45.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 R$6.00

$1.45 ฿48.97

-24.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.63 R$199

$56.7 ฿1,911

-35.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 R$6.45

$3.02 ฿102

-60.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 R$7.21

$1.02 ฿34.32

30.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.66 R$47.10

$3.69 ฿124

134.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 R$6.68

$1.47 ฿49.75

-16.33%

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

$22.4K R$121.6K

$26.8K ฿903.2K

-16.51%

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

$32.0K R$174.2K

$26.7K ฿900.3K

20.07%

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

$40.81 R$222

$96.4 ฿3,250

-57.64%

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

$13.39 R$72.8

$11.26 ฿380

18.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.24 R$93.7

$16.85 ฿568

2.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.28 R$148

$67.2 ฿2,268

-59.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.55 R$177

$10.73 ฿362

203.36%

Cinema Ticket

$7.56 R$41.12

$7.50 ฿253

0.80%

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

$404 R$2,196

$476 ฿16.1K

-15.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,234 R$39.3K

$11.3K ฿379.9K

-35.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.8 R$282

$62.4 ฿2,103

-16.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.6 R$302

$28.41 ฿958

95.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.2 R$491

$94.3 ฿3,180

-4.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.9 R$434

$85.8 ฿2,894

-6.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$476 R$2,586

$716 ฿24.1K

-33.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$403 R$2,188

$491 ฿16.6K

-18.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 R$4,594

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-56.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$666 R$3,620

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-53.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,986 R$10.8K

$4,175 ฿140.8K

-52.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,434 R$7,799

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-52.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$765 R$4,159

$502 ฿16.9K

52.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.12

5.57

99.64%

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

Last update for Sao Jose dos Campos: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Jose dos Campos

$403 38.8%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 22% $88

Groceries & Markets

Sao Jose dos Campos

$213 20.6%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 24.8% $53

Eating Out

Sao Jose dos Campos

$134 12.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 9% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Jose dos Campos

$125 12%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 2.4% $3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Jose dos Campos

$71 6.9%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 74.2% $53

Getting Around

Sao Jose dos Campos

$49 4.7%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 44.5% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Jose dos Campos

$42 4.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 93.9% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $476 in Sao Jose dos Campos and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Jose dos Campos pays 52% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $38 in Sao Jose dos Campos vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $213 vs $266, with Sao Jose dos Campos cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Jose dos Campos

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

16:10 4:10 PM

02:10 2:10 AM

10 h ahead of Sao Jose dos Campos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

697,054

79,308

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.165 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sao Jose dos Campos Phuket 15,840 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Jose dos Campos
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 Jose dos Campos vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Jose dos Campos is about 19% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 52% higher in Sao Jose dos Campos, 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: $476 in Sao Jose dos Campos versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $404 in Sao Jose dos Campos versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Sao Jose dos Campos is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Sao Jose dos Campos 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.