Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubatuba and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubatuba: $855 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Ubatuba
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Ubatuba Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Ubatuba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$855

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $855 in Ubatuba versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Ubatuba $855
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,360 in Ubatuba versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Ubatuba $1,360
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,865 in Ubatuba versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Ubatuba $1,865
Phuket $2,867

Living in Ubatuba costs roughly 29% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ubatuba 37% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.59 R$38.48

$4.58 ฿153

65.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.05 R$147

$32.48 ฿1,086

-10.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 R$25.78

$8.55 ฿286

-40.47%

Cappuccino

$1.46 R$7.40

$2.72 ฿91.0

-46.32%

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

$1.29 R$6.52

$0.94 ฿31.25

37.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 R$4.72

$0.49 ฿16.39

89.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 R$12.32

$2.59 ฿86.6

-6.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 R$19.85

$3.83 ฿128

2.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.38

$1.74 ฿58.1

-39.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 R$9.37

$1.43 ฿47.82

29.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 R$7.04

$1.53 ฿51.0

-9.15%

Eggs

$2.51 R$12.73

$2.17 ฿72.7

15.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.97 R$15.06

$19.15 ฿640

-84.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.06 R$20.58

$3.30 ฿110

23.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.22 R$41.69

$11.14 ฿372

-26.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.24

$2.95 ฿98.5

-44.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.24

$1.68 ฿56.1

-26.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.18 R$5.97

$2.30 ฿76.8

-48.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.11

$2.13 ฿71.3

-34.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 R$5.95

$1.53 ฿51.1

-23.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 R$6.02

$1.36 ฿45.55

-12.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 R$4.74

$1.12 ฿37.44

-16.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 R$3.18

$0.55 ฿18.24

14.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.55 R$12.90

$4.26 ฿142

-40.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.96

$18.19 ฿608

-55.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 R$8.03

$1.74 ฿58.2

-9.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 R$13.27

$2.79 ฿93.3

-6.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.13

$2.22 ฿74.1

-54.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.19

$2.91 ฿97.3

-58.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 R$3.72

$1.01 ฿33.79

-27.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.73 R$44.27

$3.83 ฿128

127.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.56

$1.49 ฿49.85

-13.42%

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

$24.1K R$122.1K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-9.71%

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

$32.8K R$166.1K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

22.70%

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

$66.0 R$334

$99.4 ฿3,321

-33.60%

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

$9.01 R$45.69

$11.28 ฿377

-20.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.76 R$100

$17.36 ฿580

13.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.94 R$60.5

$52.3 ฿1,747

-77.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 R$39.58

$7.57 ฿253

3.17%

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

$438 R$2,223

$558 ฿18.7K

-21.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K R$56.4K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-3.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.7 R$328

$62.9 ฿2,102

2.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.4 R$286

$28.58 ฿955

97.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.3 R$453

$96.1 ฿3,213

-7.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.8 R$405

$88.1 ฿2,943

-9.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$396 R$2,007

$729 ฿24.4K

-45.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 R$1,512

$460 ฿15.4K

-35.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 R$4,135

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-61.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 R$3,102

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-49.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,797 R$9,110

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-48.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$385 R$1,952

$493 ฿16.5K

-21.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.81

5.57

94.08%

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

Last update for Ubatuba: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubatuba

$298 34.9%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 54.2% $162

Groceries & Markets

Ubatuba

$172 20.2%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 55.3% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Ubatuba

$131 15.3%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 5% $6.5

Eating Out

Ubatuba

$122 14.3%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 0.9% $1.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubatuba

$95 11.1%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 35.1% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Ubatuba

$28 3.2%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 145% $40

Getting Around

Ubatuba

$8.9 * 1.1%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 335% $30

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $396 in Ubatuba and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 28% 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: $29.00 in Ubatuba vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $172 vs $268 per month, with Ubatuba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Ubatuba

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

00:24 12:24 AM

10:24 10:24 AM

10 h ahead of Ubatuba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

92,981

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 19, 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 19, 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

Ubatuba Phuket 15,760 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubatuba
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

Ubatuba vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubatuba is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 41% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 28% lower in Phuket. 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: $396 in Ubatuba versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $438 in Ubatuba versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ubatuba – a meal for two runs $29.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $855 in Ubatuba versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ubatuba but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Ubatuba the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ubatuba 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, Ubatuba 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 Ubatuba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.