Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Teresina and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Teresina: $704 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Teresina
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Teresina Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Teresina

🇧🇷 Brazil

$704

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $704 in Teresina versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Teresina $704
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,155 in Teresina versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Teresina $1,155
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,605 in Teresina versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Teresina $1,605
Phuket $3,115

Living in Teresina costs roughly 46% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Teresina 48% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.39 R$29.60

$4.39 ฿148

22.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.64 R$102

$32.31 ฿1,090

-42.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.85 R$32.10

$8.70 ฿294

-32.76%

Cappuccino

$1.96 R$10.75

$2.72 ฿91.9

-27.94%

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

$0.98 R$5.39

$0.93 ฿31.38

5.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 R$3.89

$0.50 ฿16.85

42.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.41 R$7.73

$2.53 ฿85.4

-44.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 R$16.00

$3.63 ฿122

-19.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 R$7.30

$1.74 ฿58.7

-23.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.14 R$11.76

$1.45 ฿48.93

47.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 R$7.62

$1.50 ฿50.7

-7.33%

Eggs

$3.94 R$21.61

$2.17 ฿73.3

81.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.98 R$38.31

$19.09 ฿644

-63.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.87 R$21.26

$3.40 ฿115

13.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.18 R$33.91

$10.90 ฿368

-43.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.74 R$9.55

$2.94 ฿99.2

-40.82%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 R$4.64

$1.69 ฿57.1

-49.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.88 R$4.84

$2.19 ฿74.0

-59.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.59

$2.12 ฿71.6

-43.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.80

$1.46 ฿49.19

-27.40%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 R$4.86

$1.37 ฿46.14

-35.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.50 R$2.77

$1.08 ฿36.29

-53.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 R$7.74

$0.55 ฿18.40

156.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.08 R$16.91

$4.43 ฿149

-30.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.53 R$46.82

$18.25 ฿616

-53.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 R$7.08

$1.77 ฿59.8

-27.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 R$14.73

$2.88 ฿97.2

-6.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 R$4.80

$1.45 ฿48.82

-40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.91 R$225

$54.9 ฿1,851

-25.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.50 R$8.23

$1.51 ฿51.0

-0.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$4.26

$0.78 ฿26.17

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.73 R$36.95

$3.84 ฿129

75.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 R$6.24

$1.49 ฿50.2

-23.49%

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

$21.4K R$117.4K

$26.9K ฿906.7K

-20.40%

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

$30.2K R$166.0K

$26.3K ฿888.6K

14.79%

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

$73.5 R$403

$97.8 ฿3,299

-24.91%

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

$9.78 R$53.7

$11.29 ฿381

-13.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.34 R$89.7

$17.19 ฿580

-4.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.75 R$108

$68.3 ฿2,305

-71.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.07 R$66.2

$10.92 ฿368

10.53%

Cinema Ticket

$7.56 R$41.49

$7.43 ฿251

1.75%

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

$538 R$2,952

$530 ฿17.9K

1.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,591 R$36.2K

$18.8K ฿633.5K

-64.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.57 R$217

$61.7 ฿2,080

-35.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.34 R$150

$28.25 ฿953

-3.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.3 R$391

$96.0 ฿3,238

-25.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.07 R$253

$86.8 ฿2,928

-46.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$152 R$833

$721 ฿24.3K

-78.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$142 R$782

$509 ฿17.2K

-72.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 R$2,121

$1,950 ฿65.8K

-80.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$395 R$2,167

$1,397 ฿47.1K

-71.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,248 R$6,847

$4,192 ฿141.4K

-70.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$701 R$3,847

$3,298 ฿111.3K

-78.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$366 R$2,011

$492 ฿16.6K

-25.45%

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 Teresina: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Teresina

$191 27.1%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 39.8% $76

Accommodation & Living

Teresina

$142 20.2%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 257% $366

Eating Out

Teresina

$104 14.7%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 15.1% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Teresina

$100 14.1%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 26.8% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Teresina

$83 11.8%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 48% $40

Getting Around

Teresina

$50 7.1%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 32.7% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Teresina

$35 5%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 139% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $152 in Teresina and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 34% 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: $19 in Teresina vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $191 vs $267 per month, with Teresina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Teresina

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

06:49 6:49 AM

16:49 4:49 PM

10 h ahead of Teresina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

866,300

79,308

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.15 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Teresina Phuket 15,720 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Teresina
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

Teresina vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Teresina is about 46% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Teresina. 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: $152 in Teresina versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $538 in Teresina 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 40% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $704 in Teresina versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Teresina but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Teresina 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 Teresina gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.