Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ottawa and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,416 in Ottawa, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Ottawa
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Ottawa Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Ottawa

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,416

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,416 per month in Ottawa vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Ottawa $2,416
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $3,537 per month in Ottawa vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Ottawa $3,537
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $4,658 per month in Ottawa vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Ottawa $4,658
Phuket $2,845

Ottawa costs about 100% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ottawa sits 78% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.62 CA$24.91

$4.40 ฿147

300.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.6 CA$111

$32.26 ฿1,078

143.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 CA$15.00

$8.76 ฿293

21.12%

Cappuccino

$4.04 CA$5.71

$2.83 ฿94.5

42.76%

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

$2.08 CA$2.94

$0.90 ฿30.14

131.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.48

$0.47 ฿15.56

272.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.71 CA$8.08

$2.55 ฿85.2

123.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.47 CA$9.14

$3.83 ฿128

68.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.40 CA$3.39

$1.73 ฿57.7

38.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.96 CA$4.19

$1.47 ฿49.11

101.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.07

$1.51 ฿50.6

90.73%

Eggs

$3.23 CA$4.57

$2.17 ฿72.7

48.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.51 CA$16.27

$19.70 ฿658

-41.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.61 CA$16.41

$3.34 ฿112

247.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.02 CA$26.90

$11.16 ฿373

70.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 CA$5.29

$2.85 ฿95.1

31.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 CA$1.79

$1.70 ฿56.9

-25.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.90 CA$5.52

$2.19 ฿73.3

78.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 CA$5.10

$2.05 ฿68.4

76.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 CA$3.64

$1.45 ฿48.57

77.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 CA$3.38

$1.38 ฿46.16

73.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.69

$1.07 ฿35.69

143.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 CA$2.08

$0.51 ฿16.91

188.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.45 CA$20.43

$4.26 ฿142

239.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.47 CA$17.63

$18.58 ฿621

-32.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 CA$3.68

$1.78 ฿59.7

46.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CA$4.50

$2.85 ฿95.2

11.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 CA$4.14

$2.26 ฿75.6

29.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.6 CA$134

$22.10 ฿738

328.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 CA$3.79

$3.01 ฿101

-10.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 CA$2.16

$1.06 ฿35.34

44.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.08 CA$26.98

$3.86 ฿129

394.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 CA$1.74

$1.45 ฿48.45

-15.17%

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

$27.6K CA$39.0K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

4.73%

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

$22.3K CA$31.5K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-17.33%

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

$139 CA$196

$96.4 ฿3,221

44.21%

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

$37.37 CA$52.8

$11.04 ฿369

238.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.1 CA$72.3

$17.14 ฿573

198.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.10 CA$68.0

$52.2 ฿1,744

-7.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.89 CA$39.43

$11.16 ฿373

149.91%

Cinema Ticket

$12.68 CA$17.93

$7.81 ฿261

62.36%

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

$928 CA$1,311

$556 ฿18.6K

66.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

38.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$64.2 ฿2,146

-10.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.28 CA$52.7

$28.69 ฿959

29.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 CA$146

$95.4 ฿3,187

8.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.5 CA$138

$88.0 ฿2,940

10.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,437 CA$2,031

$737 ฿24.6K

94.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 CA$1,717

$462 ฿15.5K

162.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,310 CA$3,266

$2,095 ฿70.0K

10.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,871 CA$2,645

$1,201 ฿40.1K

55.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,326 CA$6,115

$3,488 ฿116.6K

24.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,547 CA$6,428

$2,523 ฿84.3K

80.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,730 CA$5,274

$501 ฿16.7K

645.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.16

5.57

-25.31%

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

Last update for Ottawa: October 20, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ottawa

$1.2K 50.3%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 61.9% $752

Groceries & Markets

Ottawa

$373 15.4%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 27.9% $104

Eating Out

Ottawa

$278 11.5%

Phuket

$121 10% 56.4% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ottawa

$227 9.4%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 45.2% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Ottawa

$133 5.5%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 6.4% $8.5

Getting Around

Ottawa

$117 4.8%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 66.2% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Ottawa

$73 3%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 7.7% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,437 in Ottawa 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 645% higher in Ottawa, 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 $79.0 in Ottawa versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $373 vs $269 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Ottawa

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

15:22 3:22 PM

02:22 2:22 AM

11 h ahead of Ottawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,000,000 Capital

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 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).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Ottawa Phuket 14,060 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Ottawa
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

Ottawa vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,416 in Ottawa, $1,208 in Phuket – roughly 100% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,623 per month in Ottawa and $1,813 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 $2,416 in Ottawa and $1,208 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 100%.

Public transport costs about 328% 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 $1,208, than in Ottawa at $2,416. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ottawa it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,208 in Phuket to $2,416 in Ottawa. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Ottawa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.