Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cambridge, Canada and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,527 in Cambridge, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
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Cambridge Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Cambridge

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,527

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,527 in Cambridge versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Cambridge $2,527
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,443 in Cambridge versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Cambridge $3,443
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,359 in Cambridge versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Cambridge $4,359
Phuket $3,154

Living in Cambridge is roughly 98% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cambridge is 86% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.69 CA$24.82

$4.47 ฿151

295.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.7 CA$79.6

$32.41 ฿1,094

74.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.55 CA$14.81

$8.81 ฿297

19.75%

Cappuccino

$3.56 CA$5.00

$2.83 ฿95.5

25.80%

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

$1.99 CA$2.79

$0.87 ฿29.43

128.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 CA$1.72

$0.49 ฿16.67

148.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.19 CA$7.29

$2.56 ฿86.4

102.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 CA$8.78

$3.68 ฿124

70.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 CA$2.80

$1.66 ฿56.0

19.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 CA$3.38

$1.46 ฿49.35

65.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.48

$1.50 ฿50.6

112.67%

Eggs

$3.32 CA$4.66

$2.09 ฿70.5

58.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.77

$19.07 ฿644

-41.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.38 CA$15.97

$3.30 ฿111

244.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.43 CA$20.25

$10.91 ฿368

32.26%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 CA$5.70

$2.93 ฿99.0

38.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 CA$1.86

$1.69 ฿57.1

-21.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.05 CA$5.68

$2.25 ฿75.8

80.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.74 CA$5.25

$2.08 ฿70.1

79.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.76 CA$3.87

$1.51 ฿51.0

82.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 CA$2.72

$1.38 ฿46.56

40.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 CA$2.81

$1.07 ฿35.99

86.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 CA$1.82

$0.52 ฿17.52

148.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.93 CA$18.15

$4.20 ฿142

207.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.40 CA$17.41

$18.79 ฿634

-34.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 CA$3.69

$1.82 ฿61.5

44.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 CA$5.67

$2.84 ฿95.9

42.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.80 CA$3.93

$1.45 ฿49.03

93.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.4 CA$97.5

$56.7 ฿1,913

22.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.56 CA$3.59

$3.02 ฿102

-15.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 CA$2.52

$1.02 ฿34.36

76.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.32 CA$32.73

$3.69 ฿125

531.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 CA$1.71

$1.47 ฿49.81

-17.01%

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

$26.5K CA$37.2K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-1.03%

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

$20.7K CA$29.0K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-22.52%

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

$152 CA$214

$96.4 ฿3,254

58.13%

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

$42.51 CA$59.7

$11.26 ฿380

277.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.5 CA$70.9

$16.85 ฿569

199.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.64 CA$40.20

$67.2 ฿2,270

-57.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$10.74 CA$15.07

$7.50 ฿253

43.20%

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

$497 CA$698

$476 ฿16.1K

4.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K CA$22.2K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

40.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.5 CA$89.1

$62.4 ฿2,106

1.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.07 CA$46.41

$28.41 ฿959

16.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.3 CA$115

$94.3 ฿3,184

-12.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$148

$85.8 ฿2,898

23.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,529 CA$2,146

$716 ฿24.2K

113.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,395 CA$1,957

$491 ฿16.6K

184.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 CA$2,887

$1,927 ฿65.1K

6.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,870 CA$2,625

$1,431 ฿48.3K

30.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,450 CA$6,245

$4,175 ฿141.0K

6.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,682 CA$5,168

$3,045 ฿102.8K

20.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,028 CA$4,250

$502 ฿17.0K

502.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.22

5.57

-6.28%

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

Last update for Cambridge: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cambridge

$1.4K 55.2%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 64.8% $904

Groceries & Markets

Cambridge

$349 13.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 23.7% $83

Eating Out

Cambridge

$267 10.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 54.4% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cambridge

$245 9.7%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 49.3% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Cambridge

$128 5.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 4.8% $6.1

Getting Around

Cambridge

$92 3.7%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 23.5% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Cambridge

$50 2%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 64.1% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,529 in Cambridge and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cambridge pays about 6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $57 in Cambridge vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Cambridge

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

17:08 5:08 PM

04:08 4:08 AM

11 h ahead of Cambridge

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

138,479

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 Phuket 14,320 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Cambridge
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 vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 49% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Cambridge is about 6 times higher, 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: $1,529 in Cambridge versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Cambridge. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $57 in Cambridge. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,527 in Cambridge, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Cambridge. 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 49% less than in Cambridge. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.