Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sorocaba and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Sorocaba: $831 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Sorocaba
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Sorocaba Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Sorocaba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$831

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $831 in Sorocaba versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Sorocaba $831
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,270 in Sorocaba versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Sorocaba $1,270
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,710 in Sorocaba versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Sorocaba $1,710
Phuket $3,154

Living in Sorocaba costs roughly 35% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sorocaba 39% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.14 R$32.81

$4.47 ฿151

37.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.17 R$140

$32.41 ฿1,094

-19.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.47 R$39.93

$8.81 ฿297

-15.21%

Cappuccino

$2.10 R$11.21

$2.83 ฿95.5

-25.80%

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

$1.29 R$6.87

$0.87 ฿29.43

48.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 R$3.91

$0.49 ฿16.67

48.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 R$11.84

$2.56 ฿86.4

-13.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 R$20.18

$3.68 ฿124

2.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 R$4.89

$1.66 ฿56.0

-45.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 R$8.99

$1.46 ฿49.35

15.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 R$5.13

$1.50 ฿50.6

-36.00%

Eggs

$2.37 R$12.66

$2.09 ฿70.5

13.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.32 R$44.50

$19.07 ฿644

-56.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.83 R$20.48

$3.30 ฿111

16.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.29 R$38.99

$10.91 ฿368

-33.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 R$12.55

$2.93 ฿99.0

-19.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 R$8.99

$1.69 ฿57.1

-0.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 R$5.53

$2.25 ฿75.8

-54.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 R$8.35

$2.08 ฿70.1

-25.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 R$5.90

$1.51 ฿51.0

-27.15%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 R$5.05

$1.38 ฿46.56

-31.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 R$3.50

$1.07 ฿35.99

-39.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 R$3.48

$0.52 ฿17.52

25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.72 R$14.52

$4.20 ฿142

-35.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.48 R$29.30

$18.79 ฿634

-70.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 R$7.84

$1.82 ฿61.5

-19.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 R$9.52

$2.84 ฿95.9

-37.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 R$4.28

$1.45 ฿49.03

-44.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.51 R$206

$56.7 ฿1,913

-32.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.99 R$5.30

$3.02 ฿102

-67.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 R$1.82

$1.02 ฿34.36

-66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.55 R$35.04

$3.69 ฿125

77.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 R$6.33

$1.47 ฿49.81

-19.73%

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

$22.5K R$120.5K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-15.82%

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

$30.4K R$162.5K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

13.86%

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

$78.0 R$417

$96.4 ฿3,254

-19.09%

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

$11.67 R$62.4

$11.26 ฿380

3.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.62 R$99.5

$16.85 ฿569

10.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.12 R$129

$67.2 ฿2,270

-64.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.70 R$73.2

$10.73 ฿362

27.68%

Cinema Ticket

$7.45 R$39.85

$7.50 ฿253

-0.67%

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

$325 R$1,736

$476 ฿16.1K

-31.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,643 R$19.5K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-67.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.70 R$207

$62.4 ฿2,106

-37.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 R$296

$28.41 ฿959

94.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.5 R$441

$94.3 ฿3,184

-12.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.8 R$373

$85.8 ฿2,898

-18.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$218 R$1,166

$716 ฿24.2K

-69.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$229 R$1,224

$491 ฿16.6K

-53.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$431 R$2,307

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-77.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$378 R$2,020

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-73.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,705 R$9,118

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-59.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,188 R$6,351

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-60.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$402 R$2,150

$502 ฿17.0K

-19.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.33

5.57

103.41%

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

Last update for Sorocaba: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sorocaba

$229 27.5%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 115% $262

Groceries & Markets

Sorocaba

$177 21.2%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 50.8% $90

Eating Out

Sorocaba

$123 14.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 1.3% $1.6

Clothing & Footwear

Sorocaba

$111 13.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 10% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sorocaba

$108 13%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 15% $16

Getting Around

Sorocaba

$44 5.3%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 58.9% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Sorocaba

$39 4.7%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 111% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $218 in Sorocaba and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 25% 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: $26 in Sorocaba vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $177 vs $266 per month, with Sorocaba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sorocaba

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:47 1:47 PM

23:47 11:47 PM

10 h ahead of Sorocaba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

723,682

79,308

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sorocaba Phuket 15,980 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Sorocaba
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

Sorocaba vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sorocaba is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 54% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 20% lower in Sorocaba. 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: $218 in Sorocaba versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $325 in Sorocaba 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 51% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $831 in Sorocaba versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sorocaba but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Sorocaba 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 Sorocaba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.