Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,297 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Kingston
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,297
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,208
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,297 per month in Kingston vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Kingston $2,297
  • Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $3,179 per month in Kingston vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Kingston $3,179
  • Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $4,062 per month in Kingston vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Kingston $4,062
  • Phuket $2,845

Kingston costs about 90% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kingston sits 70% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kingston
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.68 CA$22.16
$4.40 ฿147
256.36%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$63.5 CA$89.8
$32.26 ฿1,078
96.96%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.52 CA$14.87
$8.76 ฿293
20.09%
Cappuccino
$3.51 CA$4.96
$2.83 ฿94.5
24.03%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.10 CA$2.96
$0.90 ฿30.14
133.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 CA$1.85
$0.47 ฿15.56
178.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.65 CA$7.98
$2.55 ฿85.2
121.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.19 CA$8.75
$3.83 ฿128
61.62%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kingston
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.25 CA$3.18
$1.73 ฿57.7
30.06%
White Bread (500g)
$2.62 CA$3.70
$1.47 ฿49.11
78.23%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.00 CA$4.24
$1.51 ฿50.6
98.68%
Eggs
$2.93 CA$4.14
$2.17 ฿72.7
35.02%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.43 CA$14.75
$19.70 ฿658
-47.06%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.77 CA$16.63
$3.34 ฿112
252.40%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.35 CA$16.04
$11.16 ฿373
1.70%
Apples (1kg)
$2.98 CA$4.21
$2.85 ฿95.1
4.56%
Banana (1kg)
$1.16 CA$1.64
$1.70 ฿56.9
-31.76%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.48 CA$4.92
$2.19 ฿73.3
58.90%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.80 CA$5.37
$2.05 ฿68.4
85.37%
Potato (1kg)
$2.98 CA$4.21
$1.45 ฿48.57
105.52%
Onion (1kg)
$2.53 CA$3.57
$1.38 ฿46.16
83.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.15 CA$3.03
$1.07 ฿35.69
100.93%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.60 CA$2.27
$0.51 ฿16.91
213.73%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.24 CA$20.13
$4.26 ฿142
234.27%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.74 CA$18.01
$18.58 ฿621
-31.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.24 CA$3.17
$1.78 ฿59.7
25.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.98 CA$4.21
$2.85 ฿95.2
4.56%
🚌 Getting Around
Kingston
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.44 CA$3.44
$2.26 ฿75.6
7.96%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$57.8 CA$81.7
$22.10 ฿738
161.58%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.35 CA$4.74
$3.01 ฿101
11.30%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.41 CA$1.99
$1.06 ฿35.34
33.02%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.42 CA$45.84
$3.86 ฿129
739.90%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.13 CA$1.59
$1.45 ฿48.45
-22.07%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.9K CA$39.5K
$26.3K ฿879.9K
6.00%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.8K CA$29.5K
$26.9K ฿900.4K
-22.67%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kingston
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$130 CA$184
$96.4 ฿3,221
35.08%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$39.13 CA$55.3
$11.04 ฿369
254.44%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$61.6 CA$87.1
$17.14 ฿573
259.33%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kingston
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.11 CA$41.16
$52.2 ฿1,744
-44.21%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.76 CA$12.38
$11.16 ฿373
-21.51%
Cinema Ticket
$10.66 CA$15.07
$7.81 ฿261
36.49%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kingston
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$525 CA$742
$556 ฿18.6K
-5.57%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$11.6K ฿387.0K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kingston
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.4 CA$75.5
$64.2 ฿2,146
-16.78%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.73 CA$44.86
$28.69 ฿959
10.60%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.4 CA$111
$95.4 ฿3,187
-17.74%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$81.8 CA$116
$88.0 ฿2,940
-7.08%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kingston
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,512 CA$2,137
$737 ฿24.6K
105.10%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,238 CA$1,751
$462 ฿15.5K
167.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,329 CA$3,293
$2,095 ฿70.0K
11.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,684 CA$2,380
$1,201 ฿40.1K
40.22%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,402 CA$4,810
$3,488 ฿116.6K
-2.44%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,433 CA$3,439
$2,523 ฿84.3K
-3.58%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kingston
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,099 CA$4,382
$501 ฿16.7K
519.02%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.61
5.57
-17.24%

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

Last update for Kingston: 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
Kingston
$1.2K
Phuket
$462 62.7% $776
Groceries & Markets
Kingston
$336
Phuket
$269 20% $67
Eating Out
Kingston
$253
Phuket
$121 52.1% $132
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kingston
$231
Phuket
$125 46.1% $106
Clothing & Footwear
Kingston
$110
Phuket
$124 12.6% $14
Getting Around
Kingston
$78
Phuket
$39 49.4% $39
Sport & Entertainment
Kingston
$50
Phuket
$68 34.4% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,512 in Kingston versus $737 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 519% higher in Kingston, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64.0 in Kingston versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $336 vs $269 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Kingston
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
23:18 11:18 PM
10:18 10:18 AM
11 h ahead of Kingston
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
123,363
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kingston Phuket 14,200 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Kingston
  • 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
Kingston vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Kingston and in Phuket compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,297 in Kingston, $1,208 in Phuket – roughly 90% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Kingston compared to Phuket?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,446 per month in Kingston and $1,813 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Kingston and Phuket?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Kingston or Phuket?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,297 in Kingston and $1,208 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 90%.
How do commuting costs compare in Kingston and in Phuket?
Public transport costs about 162% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Kingston at $2,297. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kingston it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Kingston and Phuket?
It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,208 in Phuket to $2,297 in Kingston. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Kingston or Phuket safer for residents?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
How do I decide between Kingston and Phuket?
If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kingston makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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