Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Timbo and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Timbo: $764 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Timbo
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Timbo Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Timbo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$764

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $764 in Timbo versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Timbo $764
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,250 in Timbo versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Timbo $1,250
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,737 in Timbo versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Timbo $1,737
Phuket $2,845

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Timbo 44% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.90 R$24.82

$4.40 ฿147

11.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.89 R$202

$32.26 ฿1,078

23.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.93 R$19.90

$8.76 ฿293

-55.14%

Cappuccino

$2.05 R$10.41

$2.83 ฿94.5

-27.56%

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

$1.07 R$5.44

$0.90 ฿30.14

18.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 R$3.60

$0.47 ฿15.56

51.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 R$9.57

$2.55 ฿85.2

-25.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 R$11.93

$3.83 ฿128

-38.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 R$4.69

$1.73 ฿57.7

-46.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 R$7.47

$1.47 ฿49.11

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 R$4.72

$1.51 ฿50.6

-38.41%

Eggs

$1.80 R$9.11

$2.17 ฿72.7

-17.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.84 R$39.76

$19.70 ฿658

-60.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.60 R$18.24

$3.34 ฿112

7.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.74 R$39.26

$11.16 ฿373

-30.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.29

$2.85 ฿95.1

-35.79%

Banana (1kg)

$0.72 R$3.65

$1.70 ฿56.9

-57.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.83 R$4.20

$2.19 ฿73.3

-62.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.34 R$6.81

$2.05 ฿68.4

-34.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 R$4.35

$1.45 ฿48.57

-40.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 R$3.96

$1.38 ฿46.16

-43.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 R$3.18

$1.07 ฿35.69

-41.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 R$4.20

$0.51 ฿16.91

62.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.63 R$8.25

$4.26 ฿142

-61.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.99 R$25.28

$18.58 ฿621

-73.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 R$5.68

$1.78 ฿59.7

-37.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 R$10.44

$2.85 ฿95.2

-27.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 R$5.24

$2.26 ฿75.6

-54.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.44 R$225

$22.10 ฿738

101.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.31 R$6.65

$3.01 ฿101

-56.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.20

$1.06 ฿35.34

-21.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.11 R$30.95

$3.86 ฿129

58.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 R$5.19

$1.45 ฿48.45

-29.66%

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

$22.8K R$115.7K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-13.34%

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

$27.3K R$138.4K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

1.30%

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

$57.6 R$292

$96.4 ฿3,221

-40.25%

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

$12.86 R$65.2

$11.04 ฿369

16.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.62 R$120

$17.14 ฿573

37.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.78 R$131

$52.2 ฿1,744

-50.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.38 R$139

$11.16 ฿373

145.34%

Cinema Ticket

$5.84 R$29.62

$7.81 ฿261

-25.22%

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

$238 R$1,204

$556 ฿18.6K

-57.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,918 R$14.8K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-74.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.48 R$160

$64.2 ฿2,146

-50.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.18 R$204

$28.69 ฿959

40.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.2 R$300

$95.4 ฿3,187

-37.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.89 R$253

$88.0 ฿2,940

-43.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$351 R$1,781

$737 ฿24.6K

-52.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$241 R$1,223

$462 ฿15.5K

-47.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$662 R$3,354

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-68.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$477 R$2,419

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-60.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,726 R$8,751

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-50.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,213 R$6,151

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-51.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$713 R$3,613

$501 ฿16.7K

42.34%

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 Timbo: October 19, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Timbo

$241 31.6%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 91.7% $221

Groceries & Markets

Timbo

$159 20.9%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 68.5% $109

Eating Out

Timbo

$97 12.7%

Phuket

$121 10% 25.2% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Timbo

$94 12.3%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 32.4% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Timbo

$81 10.6%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 52.8% $43

Getting Around

Timbo

$54 7.1%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 27% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Timbo

$37 4.9%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 81% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $351 in Timbo and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Timbo pays 42% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $40.00 in Timbo vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $159 vs $269, with Timbo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Timbo

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:52 6:52 PM

04:52 4:52 AM

10 h ahead of Timbo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

46,099

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 21, 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 21, 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

Timbo Phuket 16,010 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Timbo
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

Timbo vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Timbo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 58% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 42% higher in Timbo, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $351 in Timbo versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $238 in Timbo 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 69% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $764 in Timbo versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Timbo but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Timbo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Timbo 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, Timbo 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 Timbo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.