Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medicine Hat and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,806 in Medicine Hat, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Medicine Hat
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Medicine Hat Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Medicine Hat

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,806

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,806 per month in Medicine Hat vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Medicine Hat $1,806
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $2,707 per month in Medicine Hat vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Medicine Hat $2,707
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $3,608 per month in Medicine Hat vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Medicine Hat $3,608
Phuket $2,867

Medicine Hat costs about 50% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medicine Hat sits 34% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.42 CA$20.39

$4.58 ฿153

214.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.9 CA$100

$32.48 ฿1,086

118.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.84 CA$13.91

$8.55 ฿286

15.09%

Cappuccino

$3.65 CA$5.16

$2.72 ฿91.0

34.19%

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

$1.91 CA$2.70

$0.94 ฿31.25

103.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 CA$2.46

$0.49 ฿16.39

255.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.87 CA$6.88

$2.59 ฿86.6

88.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.81 CA$5.39

$3.83 ฿128

-0.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 CA$2.14

$1.74 ฿58.1

-12.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 CA$2.45

$1.43 ฿47.82

20.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.41 CA$4.82

$1.53 ฿51.0

122.88%

Eggs

$3.04 CA$4.30

$2.17 ฿72.7

40.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.36 CA$13.23

$19.15 ฿640

-51.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.75 CA$15.19

$3.30 ฿110

225.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.84 CA$18.15

$11.14 ฿372

15.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 CA$4.47

$2.95 ฿98.5

7.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.68 ฿56.1

-13.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 CA$4.06

$2.30 ฿76.8

24.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.57 CA$5.05

$2.13 ฿71.3

67.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 CA$3.71

$1.53 ฿51.1

71.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.07

$1.36 ฿45.55

7.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.62 CA$3.71

$1.12 ฿37.44

133.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.17

$0.55 ฿18.24

180.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.29 CA$15.96

$4.26 ฿142

165.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.62 CA$17.84

$18.19 ฿608

-30.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 CA$3.46

$1.74 ฿58.2

40.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$2.79 ฿93.3

12.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 CA$3.18

$2.22 ฿74.1

1.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.74 CA$70.3

$22.06 ฿737

125.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 CA$4.56

$2.91 ฿97.3

10.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 CA$1.88

$1.01 ฿33.79

31.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.09 CA$38.30

$3.83 ฿128

607.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 CA$1.42

$1.49 ฿49.85

-32.89%

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

$27.7K CA$39.2K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

3.87%

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

$18.5K CA$26.2K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-30.58%

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

$163 CA$231

$99.4 ฿3,321

64.13%

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

$38.36 CA$54.2

$11.28 ฿377

240.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 CA$71.9

$17.36 ฿580

193.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.1 CA$75.1

$52.3 ฿1,747

1.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.70 CA$50.5

$10.85 ฿362

229.03%

Cinema Ticket

$13.95 CA$19.72

$7.57 ฿253

84.28%

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

$782 CA$1,105

$558 ฿18.7K

40.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K CA$22.0K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

35.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 CA$72.0

$62.9 ฿2,102

-18.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.16 CA$36.98

$28.58 ฿955

-8.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.9 CA$94.6

$96.1 ฿3,213

-30.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 CA$93.2

$88.1 ฿2,943

-25.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$800 CA$1,131

$729 ฿24.4K

9.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$759 CA$1,073

$460 ฿15.4K

64.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,338 CA$1,891

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-36.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 CA$1,733

$1,222 ฿40.8K

0.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,314 CA$1,858

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-62.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,905 CA$2,693

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-23.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,951 CA$4,171

$493 ฿16.5K

498.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

5.57

-19.03%

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

Last update for Medicine Hat: October 10, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medicine Hat

$759 42%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 39.4% $299

Groceries & Markets

Medicine Hat

$316 17.5%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 15.3% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medicine Hat

$252 14%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 49.3% $124

Eating Out

Medicine Hat

$235 13%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 48.4% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Medicine Hat

$94 5.2%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 31.3% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Medicine Hat

$81 4.5%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 16.7% $14

Getting Around

Medicine Hat

$69 3.8%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 43.3% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $800 in Medicine Hat versus $729 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 498% higher in Medicine Hat, 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 $71.0 in Medicine Hat versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $316 vs $268 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Medicine Hat

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:45 7:45 AM

20:45 8:45 PM

13 h ahead of Medicine Hat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,997

79,308

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medicine Hat Phuket 12,990 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medicine Hat
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

Medicine Hat vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medicine Hat costs about 50% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,710 per month in Medicine Hat and $1,811 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,806 in Medicine Hat and $1,207 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 50%.

Public transport costs about 125% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Medicine Hat at $1,806. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medicine Hat it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,207 versus $1,806 in Medicine Hat. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medicine Hat makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.