Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between North Bay and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,162 in North Bay, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in North Bay
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North Bay Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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North Bay

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,162

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,162 per month in North Bay vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

North Bay $2,162
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $3,060 per month in North Bay vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

North Bay $3,060
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $3,957 per month in North Bay vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

North Bay $3,957
Phuket $3,154

North Bay costs about 69% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

North Bay sits 59% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.83 CA$24.91

$4.47 ฿151

298.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.4 CA$108

$32.41 ฿1,093

138.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 CA$14.99

$8.81 ฿297

21.79%

Cappuccino

$3.98 CA$5.57

$2.83 ฿95.4

40.64%

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

$2.07 CA$2.90

$0.87 ฿29.41

137.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 CA$2.45

$0.49 ฿16.65

259.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.02 CA$7.02

$2.56 ฿86.3

96.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 CA$9.51

$3.68 ฿124

85.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.56 CA$3.57

$1.66 ฿55.9

54.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 CA$3.81

$1.46 ฿49.31

86.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 CA$3.12

$1.50 ฿50.5

49.33%

Eggs

$3.53 CA$4.93

$2.09 ฿70.5

68.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.49 CA$13.27

$19.07 ฿643

-50.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.32 CA$15.82

$3.30 ฿111

243.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.37 CA$17.29

$10.91 ฿368

13.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.67 CA$5.13

$2.93 ฿98.9

25.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 CA$1.70

$1.69 ฿57.0

-27.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.49

$2.25 ฿75.8

42.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 CA$5.86

$2.08 ฿70.0

101.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 CA$2.58

$1.51 ฿51.0

22.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.68 CA$2.34

$1.38 ฿46.52

21.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 CA$3.13

$1.07 ฿35.96

109.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 CA$1.76

$0.52 ฿17.51

142.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.46 CA$20.20

$4.20 ฿142

244.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.26 CA$19.92

$18.79 ฿634

-24.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 CA$3.12

$1.82 ฿61.5

22.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 CA$3.44

$2.84 ฿95.8

-13.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.28 CA$3.18

$1.45 ฿48.98

57.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 CA$94.1

$56.7 ฿1,912

18.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 CA$4.31

$3.02 ฿102

1.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 CA$1.58

$1.02 ฿34.33

10.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.26 CA$31.11

$3.69 ฿125

503.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 CA$1.75

$1.47 ฿49.76

-14.97%

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

$26.8K CA$37.5K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

0.15%

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

$21.5K CA$30.0K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-19.50%

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

$124 CA$173

$96.4 ฿3,251

28.40%

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

$32.74 CA$45.75

$11.26 ฿380

190.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.00 CA$67.1

$16.85 ฿568

184.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.94 CA$34.85

$67.2 ฿2,268

-62.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$13.09 CA$18.29

$7.50 ฿253

74.53%

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

$753 CA$1,052

$476 ฿16.1K

58.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K CA$33.2K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

111.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.70 CA$62.5

$62.4 ฿2,104

-28.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.18 CA$25.41

$28.41 ฿958

-36.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 CA$141

$94.3 ฿3,181

7.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 CA$125

$85.8 ฿2,895

4.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,457 CA$2,036

$716 ฿24.2K

103.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 CA$1,530

$491 ฿16.6K

123.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,852 CA$2,587

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-3.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,475 CA$2,061

$1,431 ฿48.3K

3.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,108 CA$4,343

$502 ฿16.9K

518.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.45

5.57

-20.11%

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

Last update for North Bay: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

North Bay

$1.1K 50.7%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 55.2% $604

Groceries & Markets

North Bay

$335 15.5%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 20.6% $69

Eating Out

North Bay

$277 12.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 56% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

North Bay

$204 9.5%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 39.1% $80

Clothing & Footwear

North Bay

$114 5.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 6.9% $7.9

Getting Around

North Bay

$85 3.9%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 17.2% $15

Sport & Entertainment

North Bay

$51 2.4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 60.9% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,457 in North Bay versus $716 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 in North Bay are about 6.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77 in North Bay versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $335 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 North Bay

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:58 6:58 PM

06:58 6:58 AM

12 h ahead of North Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,553

79,308

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

North Bay Phuket 13,990 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

North 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

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

North Bay costs about 69% 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 $3,243 per month in North Bay and $1,917 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $1,457 in North Bay.

Public transport costs about 16% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $753 per month in North Bay and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in North Bay at $2,162. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in North Bay it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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