Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cambridge Bay and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,251 in Cambridge Bay, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge Bay
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Cambridge Bay Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Cambridge Bay

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,251

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,251 in Cambridge Bay versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Cambridge Bay $2,251
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,293 in Cambridge Bay versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Cambridge Bay $3,293
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,335 in Cambridge Bay versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Cambridge Bay $4,335
Phuket $3,154

Living in Cambridge Bay is roughly 76% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cambridge Bay is 65% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.62 CA$31.75

$4.47 ฿151

406.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.0 CA$91.2

$32.41 ฿1,094

100.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.52 CA$16.16

$8.81 ฿297

30.76%

Cappuccino

$3.80 CA$5.34

$2.83 ฿95.5

34.28%

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

$2.00 CA$2.81

$0.87 ฿29.43

129.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 CA$2.26

$0.49 ฿16.67

228.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.79 CA$6.72

$2.56 ฿86.4

87.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 CA$6.96

$3.68 ฿124

34.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 CA$2.96

$1.66 ฿56.0

27.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.52 CA$3.54

$1.46 ฿49.35

72.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 CA$4.20

$1.50 ฿50.6

99.33%

Eggs

$3.42 CA$4.80

$2.09 ฿70.5

63.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.98 CA$14.00

$19.07 ฿644

-47.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.86 CA$18.04

$3.30 ฿111

289.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.94 CA$19.57

$10.91 ฿368

27.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.76 CA$5.28

$2.93 ฿99.0

28.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 CA$1.86

$1.69 ฿57.1

-21.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.15 CA$4.42

$2.25 ฿75.8

40.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 CA$5.39

$2.08 ฿70.1

84.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 CA$3.82

$1.51 ฿51.0

80.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 CA$3.11

$1.38 ฿46.56

60.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.67 CA$3.75

$1.07 ฿35.99

149.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 CA$2.44

$0.52 ฿17.52

234.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.67 CA$20.59

$4.20 ฿142

249.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.54 CA$20.40

$18.79 ฿634

-22.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 CA$3.38

$1.82 ฿61.5

32.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 CA$3.91

$2.84 ฿95.9

-1.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 CA$3.26

$1.45 ฿49.03

60.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.0 CA$89.8

$56.7 ฿1,913

12.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 CA$4.21

$3.02 ฿102

-0.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 CA$2.04

$1.02 ฿34.36

43.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.90 CA$29.33

$3.69 ฿125

466.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.65

$1.47 ฿49.81

-20.41%

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

$26.3K CA$37.0K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-1.65%

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

$18.6K CA$26.1K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-30.35%

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

$129 CA$181

$96.4 ฿3,254

34.01%

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

$38.55 CA$54.1

$11.26 ฿380

242.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.1 CA$76.0

$16.85 ฿569

221.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.99 CA$60.3

$67.2 ฿2,270

-36.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.17 CA$22.69

$10.73 ฿362

50.70%

Cinema Ticket

$9.48 CA$13.30

$7.50 ฿253

26.40%

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

$558 CA$783

$476 ฿16.1K

17.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.9K CA$20.9K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

32.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 CA$73.0

$62.4 ฿2,106

-16.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.63 CA$59.8

$28.41 ฿959

50.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 CA$111

$94.3 ฿3,184

-15.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.6 CA$130

$85.8 ฿2,898

7.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,153 CA$1,618

$716 ฿24.2K

61.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,097 CA$1,539

$491 ฿16.6K

123.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,867 CA$2,620

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-3.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,722 CA$2,416

$1,431 ฿48.3K

20.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,906 CA$6,885

$4,175 ฿141.0K

17.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,094 CA$4,342

$3,045 ฿102.8K

1.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.68

5.57

-15.98%

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

Last update for Cambridge Bay: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cambridge Bay

$1.1K 48.7%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 55.2% $606

Groceries & Markets

Cambridge Bay

$357 15.9%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 25.5% $91

Eating Out

Cambridge Bay

$310 13.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 60.7% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cambridge Bay

$222 9.9%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 43.9% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Cambridge Bay

$120 5.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 1.6% $1.9

Getting Around

Cambridge Bay

$84 3.7%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 15.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Cambridge Bay

$62 2.8%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 32.7% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,153 in Cambridge Bay and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $65 in Cambridge Bay vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $357 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Cambridge Bay

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:11 2:11 PM

03:11 3:11 AM

13 h ahead of Cambridge Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,800

79,308

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cambridge Bay Phuket 11,260 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Cambridge Bay
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

Cambridge Bay vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,251 in Cambridge Bay and $1,278 in Phuket, so Phuket is about 43% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,376 in Cambridge Bay and $1,917 in Phuket 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: $1,153 in Cambridge Bay versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,251 per month in Cambridge Bay versus $1,278 in Phuket – Phuket is about 43% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 11% less than in Cambridge Bay. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,251 in Cambridge Bay, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Cambridge Bay. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Cambridge Bay. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.