Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surat Thani and Brasilia

For one person, living is cheaper in Surat Thani: $775 a month against $1,000 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Surat Thani
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Surat Thani Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

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Surat Thani

🇹🇭 Thailand

$775

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,000

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Surat Thani and in Brasilia

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Surat Thani and in Brasilia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $775 in Surat Thani versus $1,000 in Brasilia.

Surat Thani $775
Brasilia $1,000

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,414 in Surat Thani versus $1,614 in Brasilia.

Surat Thani $1,414
Brasilia $1,614

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,053 in Surat Thani versus $2,228 in Brasilia.

Surat Thani $2,053
Brasilia $2,228

Living in Surat Thani costs roughly 22% less than in Brasilia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Surat Thani 43% lower, Brasilia 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.89 ฿63.0

$8.80 R$44.59

-78.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.87 ฿597

$39.84 R$202

-55.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.51 ฿151

$8.26 R$41.87

-45.40%

Cappuccino

$1.50 ฿50.2

$2.72 R$13.81

-44.85%

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

$0.50 ฿16.68

$1.57 R$7.96

-68.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ฿9.66

$1.00 R$5.07

-71.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿85.4

$2.33 R$11.81

9.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 ฿123

$3.92 R$19.85

-5.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.4

$1.09 R$5.53

52.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 ฿39.89

$2.07 R$10.52

-42.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 ฿39.13

$1.36 R$6.87

-13.97%

Eggs

$1.87 ฿62.4

$2.43 R$12.33

-23.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.18 ฿641

$11.64 R$59.0

64.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ฿111

$4.07 R$20.62

-18.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.44 ฿249

$8.80 R$44.60

-15.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 ฿97.2

$2.49 R$12.64

16.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.3

$1.48 R$7.48

13.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 ฿58.7

$1.34 R$6.79

31.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.63 R$8.29

25.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 ฿43.57

$1.23 R$6.25

5.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.90

$1.04 R$5.27

31.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ฿37.24

$0.86 R$4.34

29.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 ฿13.66

$0.95 R$4.80

-56.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.07 ฿103

$2.52 R$12.77

21.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.86 ฿630

$8.39 R$42.54

124.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 ฿51.6

$1.31 R$6.65

17.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿60.7

$2.41 R$12.23

-24.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 ฿34.00

$1.01 R$5.13

0.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.95 ฿700

$35.30 R$179

-40.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.50

$1.10 R$5.58

7.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ฿21.05

$0.93 R$4.73

-32.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ฿117

$6.17 R$31.25

-43.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ฿38.93

$1.29 R$6.54

-10.08%

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

$26.6K ฿890.1K

$23.4K R$118.8K

13.64%

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

$27.3K ฿911.7K

$33.7K R$170.9K

-19.06%

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

$72.9 ฿2,437

$96.3 R$488

-24.29%

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

$11.12 ฿372

$12.59 R$63.8

-11.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.32 ฿579

$22.58 R$114

-23.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.24 ฿1,612

$33.65 R$171

43.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.52 ฿385

$27.87 R$141

-58.67%

Cinema Ticket

$4.53 ฿151

$7.78 R$39.43

-41.77%

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

$549 ฿18.3K

$815 R$4,133

-32.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿386.5K

$17.2K R$87.3K

-32.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.9 ฿2,070

$55.4 R$281

11.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.16 ฿974

$44.23 R$224

-34.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.3 ฿3,252

$85.0 R$431

14.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.5 ฿2,892

$87.8 R$445

-1.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$237 ฿7,910

$494 R$2,506

-52.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$149 ฿4,985

$282 R$1,427

-47.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,150 ฿38.4K

$1,127 R$5,711

2.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$709 ฿23.7K

$593 R$3,004

19.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,226 ฿74.4K

$2,522 R$12.8K

-11.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,404 ฿46.9K

$1,753 R$8,885

-19.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$850 R$4,310

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

12.12

-54.04%

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

Last update for Surat Thani: October 19, 2026

Last update for Brasilia: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surat Thani

$244 31.5%

Brasilia

$212 21.2% 13.2% $32

Accommodation & Living

Surat Thani

$149 19.3%

Brasilia

$282 28.2% 88.7% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Surat Thani

$124 16%

Brasilia

$123 12.3% 0.9% $1.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surat Thani

$101 13.1%

Brasilia

$131 13.2% 29.7% $30

Eating Out

Surat Thani

$70 9%

Brasilia

$158 15.8% 125% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Surat Thani

$57 7.4%

Brasilia

$49 4.9% 14.1% $8.1

Getting Around

Surat Thani

$29 3.8%

Brasilia

$45 4.5% 53.7% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $237 in Surat Thani and $494 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $18.00 in Surat Thani vs $40.00 in Brasilia. Groceries flip the comparison at $244 vs $212, with Brasilia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Surat Thani

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

18:39 6:39 PM

08:39 8:39 AM

10 h behind Surat Thani

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

132,040

2,817,381 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Surat Thani Brasilia 16,380 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Surat Thani
Brasilia

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

Surat Thani vs Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surat Thani and Brasilia differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($775 vs $1,000 including rent). Surat Thani is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,163 in Surat Thani and $1,499 in Brasilia 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: $237 in Surat Thani versus $494 in Brasilia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Surat Thani – a meal for two runs $18.00 versus $40.00 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $775 per month in Surat Thani versus $1,000 in Brasilia – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $775 in Surat Thani versus $1,000 in Brasilia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Surat Thani but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. The gap between the two cities makes Surat Thani 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, Surat Thani and Brasilia 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 Surat Thani gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Brasilia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.