Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Serra and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Serra: $821 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Serra
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Serra Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Serra

🇧🇷 Brazil

$821

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $821 in Serra versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Serra $821
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,216 in Serra versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Serra $1,216
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,612 in Serra versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Serra $1,612
Phuket $3,115

Living in Serra costs roughly 37% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Serra 39% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.68 R$25.43

$4.39 ฿148

6.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.32 R$116

$32.31 ฿1,089

-34.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.26 R$39.45

$8.70 ฿293

-16.55%

Cappuccino

$1.87 R$10.19

$2.72 ฿91.8

-31.25%

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

$1.19 R$6.50

$0.93 ฿31.35

27.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 R$3.15

$0.50 ฿16.83

16.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.88 R$10.20

$2.53 ฿85.3

-25.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 R$15.05

$3.63 ฿122

-23.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 R$5.65

$1.74 ฿58.6

-40.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 R$9.48

$1.45 ฿48.89

20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.75

$1.50 ฿50.6

-29.33%

Eggs

$1.94 R$10.56

$2.17 ฿73.2

-10.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.88 R$53.7

$19.09 ฿643

-48.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.13 R$22.44

$3.40 ฿115

21.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.05 R$43.76

$10.90 ฿367

-26.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 R$14.34

$2.94 ฿99.1

-10.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 R$7.55

$1.69 ฿57.0

-17.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R$9.04

$2.19 ฿73.9

-24.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 R$8.25

$2.12 ฿71.6

-28.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 R$6.16

$1.46 ฿49.15

-22.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.66

$1.37 ฿46.10

-24.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 R$6.44

$1.08 ฿36.26

9.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 R$6.94

$0.55 ฿18.38

132.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.33 R$12.67

$4.43 ฿149

-47.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.15 R$28.01

$18.25 ฿615

-71.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$5.20

$1.77 ฿59.7

-45.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 R$16.56

$2.88 ฿97.1

5.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 R$4.56

$1.45 ฿48.78

-42.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.66 R$243

$54.9 ฿1,850

-18.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 R$6.41

$1.51 ฿51.0

-21.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 R$5.61

$0.78 ฿26.14

32.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.39 R$40.17

$3.84 ฿129

92.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 R$5.73

$1.49 ฿50.1

-29.53%

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

$21.8K R$118.3K

$26.9K ฿905.9K

-19.06%

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

$30.7K R$167.1K

$26.3K ฿887.8K

16.64%

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

$143 R$778

$97.8 ฿3,296

46.36%

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

$11.42 R$62.1

$11.29 ฿381

1.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.71 R$107

$17.19 ฿579

14.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.79 R$129

$68.3 ฿2,303

-65.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.19 R$142

$10.92 ฿368

139.84%

Cinema Ticket

$6.75 R$36.70

$7.43 ฿250

-9.15%

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

$171 R$930

$530 ฿17.9K

-67.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,729 R$36.6K

$18.8K ฿632.9K

-64.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 R$287

$61.7 ฿2,078

-14.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.73 R$254

$28.25 ฿952

65.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 R$460

$96.0 ฿3,235

-11.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.7 R$357

$86.8 ฿2,926

-24.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$233 R$1,265

$721 ฿24.3K

-67.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$142 R$773

$509 ฿17.1K

-72.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$415 R$2,257

$1,950 ฿65.7K

-78.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$202 R$1,098

$1,397 ฿47.1K

-85.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$902 R$4,905

$4,192 ฿141.3K

-78.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$514 R$2,796

$3,298 ฿111.2K

-84.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$505 R$2,746

$492 ฿16.6K

2.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

97.49%

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

Last update for Serra: November 3, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Serra

$197 24%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 35.7% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Serra

$174 21.2%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 27.5% $48

Accommodation & Living

Serra

$142 17.3%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 258% $367

Clothing & Footwear

Serra

$112 13.7%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 9.2% $10

Eating Out

Serra

$104 12.6%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 15.3% $16

Getting Around

Serra

$54 6.6%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 21.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Serra

$37 4.5%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 123% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $233 in Serra and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Serra pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $21 in Serra vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $197 vs $267 per month, with Serra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Serra

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

09:22 9:22 AM

19:22 7:22 PM

10 h ahead of Serra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

520,653

79,308

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.09 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Serra Phuket 15,370 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Serra
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

Serra vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Serra is about 37% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,231 in Serra and $1,940 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $233 in Serra versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $171 in Serra versus $530 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 $821 in Serra versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Serra but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Serra 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.

Expats usually find Serra gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.