Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ontario, CA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,867 in Ontario, CA, rent and utilities included – about $19,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Ontario, CA
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Ontario, CA Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Ontario, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,867

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,867 in Ontario, CA versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Ontario, CA $2,867
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,937 in Ontario, CA versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Ontario, CA $2,937
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,007 in Ontario, CA versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Ontario, CA $3,007
Phuket $2,867

Living in Ontario, CA is roughly 137% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ontario, CA is 112% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.91 $19.91

$4.58 ฿153

334.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.2 $78.2

$32.48 ฿1,086

140.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.13 $15.13

$8.55 ฿286

76.96%

Cappuccino

$5.64 $5.64

$2.72 ฿91.0

107.35%

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

$3.09 $3.09

$0.94 ฿31.25

228.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 $2.31

$0.49 ฿16.39

371.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.26 $7.26

$2.59 ฿86.6

180.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.37 $9.37

$3.83 ฿128

144.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.74 ฿58.1

-40.23%

White Bread (500g)

$4.00 $4.00

$1.43 ฿47.82

179.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.79 $4.79

$1.53 ฿51.0

213.07%

Eggs

$4.57 $4.57

$2.17 ฿72.7

110.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.97 $12.97

$19.15 ฿640

-32.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.85 $8.85

$3.30 ฿110

168.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.66 $15.66

$11.14 ฿372

40.57%

Apples (1kg)

$4.62 $4.62

$2.95 ฿98.5

56.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.68 ฿56.1

1.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.97 $3.97

$2.30 ฿76.8

72.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.54 $5.54

$2.13 ฿71.3

160.09%

Potato (1kg)

$3.59 $3.59

$1.53 ฿51.1

134.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.36 ฿45.55

69.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.12 ฿37.44

76.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$0.55 ฿18.24

249.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.56 $11.56

$4.26 ฿142

171.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.76 $14.76

$18.19 ฿608

-18.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.74 ฿58.2

11.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 $4.13

$2.79 ฿93.3

48.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.22 ฿74.1

-30.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.84 $29.84

$22.06 ฿737

35.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.08 $6.08

$2.91 ฿97.3

108.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.49 ฿49.85

2.68%

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

$37.1K $37.1K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

38.92%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

0.74%

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

$222 $222

$99.4 ฿3,321

122.99%

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

$68.7 $68.7

$11.28 ฿377

508.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.8 $61.8

$17.36 ฿580

256.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.0 $64.0

$52.3 ฿1,747

22.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.79 $28.79

$10.85 ฿362

165.35%

Cinema Ticket

$17.89 $17.89

$7.57 ฿253

136.33%

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

$1,164 $1,164

$558 ฿18.7K

108.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 $58.3

$62.9 ฿2,102

-7.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.76 $40.76

$28.58 ฿955

42.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 $91.3

$96.1 ฿3,213

-5.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$88.1 ฿2,943

18.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,900 $1,900

$729 ฿24.4K

160.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,503 $1,503

$460 ฿15.4K

226.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,646 $2,646

$2,096 ฿70.0K

26.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,989 $3,989

$3,459 ฿115.6K

15.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,666 $3,666

$2,489 ฿83.2K

47.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,613 $3,613

$493 ฿16.5K

632.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

5.57

14.72%

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

Last update for Ontario, CA: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ontario, CA

$1.5K 52.4%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 69.4% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Ontario, CA

$389 13.6%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 31.2% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ontario, CA

$352 12.3%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 63.6% $224

Eating Out

Ontario, CA

$349 12.2%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 65.2% $228

Clothing & Footwear

Ontario, CA

$133 4.6%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 6.4% $8.5

Sport & Entertainment

Ontario, CA

$100 3.5%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 32.4% $32

Getting Around

Ontario, CA

$42 * 1.5%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 7.6% $3.2

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,900 in Ontario, CA and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ontario, CA pays 633% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $78.0 in Ontario, CA vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $389 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ontario, CA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:35 1:35 PM

03:35 3:35 AM

14 h ahead of Ontario, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

185,000

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Ontario, CA Phuket 14,000 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

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Ontario, CA
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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

Ontario, CA vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 137% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 633% higher in Ontario, CA, 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: $1,900 in Ontario, CA versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,164 in Ontario, CA versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 45% higher in Ontario, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,867 in Ontario, CA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Ontario, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Ontario, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Ontario, CA and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 137% less than in Ontario, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.