Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Luis and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Luis: $832 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Sao Luis
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Sao Luis Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Sao Luis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$832

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $832 in Sao Luis versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Sao Luis $832
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,317 in Sao Luis versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Sao Luis $1,317
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,802 in Sao Luis versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Sao Luis $1,802
Phuket $2,845

Living in Sao Luis costs roughly 31% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Luis 39% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.64 R$33.64

$4.40 ฿147

50.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.14 R$203

$32.26 ฿1,078

24.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 R$34.93

$8.76 ฿293

-21.35%

Cappuccino

$2.13 R$10.80

$2.83 ฿94.5

-24.73%

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

$1.22 R$6.20

$0.90 ฿30.14

35.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 R$3.60

$0.47 ฿15.56

51.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.95 R$9.87

$2.55 ฿85.2

-23.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 R$12.31

$3.83 ฿128

-36.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 R$5.33

$1.73 ฿57.7

-39.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 R$10.06

$1.47 ฿49.11

34.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 R$5.80

$1.51 ฿50.6

-24.50%

Eggs

$2.21 R$11.21

$2.17 ฿72.7

1.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.82 R$49.77

$19.70 ฿658

-50.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.87

$3.34 ฿112

29.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.89 R$39.99

$11.16 ฿373

-29.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 R$11.02

$2.85 ฿95.1

-23.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 R$7.02

$1.70 ฿56.9

-18.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.08

$2.19 ฿73.3

-45.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 R$8.58

$2.05 ฿68.4

-17.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 R$7.03

$1.45 ฿48.57

-4.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.45

$1.38 ฿46.16

-7.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 R$4.46

$1.07 ฿35.69

-17.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 R$3.88

$0.51 ฿16.91

50.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 R$11.97

$4.26 ฿142

-44.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.07 R$40.90

$18.58 ฿621

-56.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 R$6.44

$1.78 ฿59.7

-28.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 R$11.42

$2.85 ฿95.2

-21.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 R$4.30

$2.26 ฿75.6

-62.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.93 R$192

$22.10 ฿738

71.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.95 R$4.83

$3.01 ฿101

-68.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.06 ฿35.34

-13.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.29

$1.45 ฿48.45

-14.48%

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

$23.8K R$120.7K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-9.56%

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

$30.7K R$155.9K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

14.11%

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

$95.3 R$483

$96.4 ฿3,221

-1.17%

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

$17.60 R$89.2

$11.04 ฿369

59.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.13 R$107

$17.14 ฿573

23.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.40 R$103

$52.2 ฿1,744

-60.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.06 R$76.4

$11.16 ฿373

34.95%

Cinema Ticket

$6.76 R$34.25

$7.81 ฿261

-13.44%

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

$184 R$935

$556 ฿18.6K

-66.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,903 R$14.7K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-74.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.5 R$327

$64.2 ฿2,146

0.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.2 R$275

$28.69 ฿959

88.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.1 R$386

$95.4 ฿3,187

-20.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.2 R$300

$88.0 ฿2,940

-32.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$360 R$1,824

$737 ฿24.6K

-51.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$184 R$930

$462 ฿15.5K

-60.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 R$2,923

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-72.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 R$1,635

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-73.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,529 R$7,749

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-56.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$717 R$3,633

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-71.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$394 R$1,998

$501 ฿16.7K

-21.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Sao Luis: 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 Luis

$197 23.7%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 36.1% $71

Accommodation & Living

Sao Luis

$184 22.1%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 152% $279

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Luis

$134 16.1%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 7% $9.4

Eating Out

Sao Luis

$122 14.6%

Phuket

$121 10% 0.3% $0.4

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Luis

$114 13.8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 8.8% $10

Getting Around

Sao Luis

$47 5.6%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 15.9% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Luis

$34 4.1%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 99.9% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $360 in Sao Luis and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 27% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $40.00 in Sao Luis vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $197 vs $269, with Sao Luis cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Luis

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

08:37 8:37 AM

18:37 6:37 PM

10 h ahead of Sao Luis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,037,775

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

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Highest

Between locations

Sao Luis Phuket 15,840 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Sao Luis is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 45% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Phuket. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $360 in Sao Luis versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $184 in Sao Luis 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 36% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $832 in Sao Luis versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sao Luis but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Luis the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sao Luis 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 Luis 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 Luis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.