Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cambridge, Canada

Name: Cambridge
Address: Cambridge, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,527 in Cambridge, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
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Cambridge Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Cambridge

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Cambridge

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Cambridge actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,527 in Cambridge.

Phuket $1,278
Cambridge $2,527

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,443 in Cambridge.

Phuket $2,216
Cambridge $3,443

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,359 in Cambridge.

Phuket $3,154
Cambridge $4,359

Living in Phuket costs roughly 49% less than in Cambridge, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Cambridge is 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$17.69 CA$24.82

-74.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$56.7 CA$79.6

-42.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.55 CA$14.81

-16.49%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.56 CA$5.00

-20.51%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.99 CA$2.79

-56.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.22 CA$1.72

-59.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$5.19 CA$7.29

-50.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.26 CA$8.78

-41.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.99 CA$2.80

-16.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$2.41 CA$3.38

-39.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.19 CA$4.48

-52.98%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.32 CA$4.66

-37.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$11.24 CA$15.77

69.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$11.38 CA$15.97

-71.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$14.43 CA$20.25

-24.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$4.07 CA$5.70

-28.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.33 CA$1.86

27.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$4.05 CA$5.68

-44.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.74 CA$5.25

-44.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.76 CA$3.87

-45.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.94 CA$2.72

-28.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$2.00 CA$2.81

-46.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.29 CA$1.82

-59.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$12.93 CA$18.15

-67.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$12.40 CA$17.41

51.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.63 CA$3.69

-30.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$4.04 CA$5.67

-29.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$2.80 CA$3.93

-48.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$69.4 CA$97.5

-18.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.56 CA$3.59

17.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.80 CA$2.52

-43.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$23.32 CA$32.73

-84.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.22 CA$1.71

20.49%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$26.5K CA$37.2K

1.05%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$20.7K CA$29.0K

29.06%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$152 CA$214

-36.76%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$42.51 CA$59.7

-73.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$50.5 CA$70.9

-66.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$28.64 CA$40.20

134.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$10.74 CA$15.07

-30.17%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$497 CA$698

-4.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$15.8K CA$22.2K

-28.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$63.5 CA$89.1

-1.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$33.07 CA$46.41

-14.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$82.3 CA$115

14.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$106 CA$148

-18.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,529 CA$2,146

-53.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,395 CA$1,957

-64.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$2,057 CA$2,887

-6.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,870 CA$2,625

-23.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$4,450 CA$6,245

-6.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$3,682 CA$5,168

-17.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$3,028 CA$4,250

-83.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.22

6.70%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cambridge: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Cambridge

$1.4K 55.2% 184% $904

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Cambridge

$349 13.8% 31% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Cambridge

$245 9.7% 97.1% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cambridge

$128 5.1% 5% $6.1

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cambridge

$267 10.6% 120% $145

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Cambridge

$50 2% 39% $32

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Cambridge

$92 3.7% 30.6% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,529 in Cambridge. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cambridge pays about 6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $57 in Cambridge for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $349 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇦 Cambridge

🕒 Local time

04:50 4:50 AM

17:50 5:50 PM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

138,479

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Cambridge 14,320 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Cambridge

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

Phuket vs Cambridge: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 49% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 83% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $1,529 in Cambridge. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Cambridge. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $57 in Cambridge. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,527 in Cambridge, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Cambridge. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Cambridge. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.