Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cold Lake

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,912 in Cold Lake, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Cold Lake
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Cold Lake Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Cold Lake

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,912

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Cold Lake

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 Cold Lake actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,207 per month in Phuket vs $1,912 in Cold Lake, rent included.

Phuket $1,207
Cold Lake $1,912

A couple spends around $2,037 per month in Phuket vs $2,791 in Cold Lake, rent included.

Phuket $2,037
Cold Lake $2,791

A family of three spends $2,867 per month in Phuket vs $3,670 in Cold Lake, rent included.

Phuket $2,867
Cold Lake $3,670

Phuket is about 37% cheaper than Cold Lake, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 11% below the global median, while Cold Lake is 42% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$19.96 CA$28.21

-77.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$57.5 CA$81.2

-43.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$9.67 CA$13.68

-11.58%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$3.82 CA$5.40

-28.80%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$2.26 CA$3.19

-58.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$1.42 CA$2.01

-65.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$5.57 CA$7.87

-53.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$6.14 CA$8.68

-37.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.16 CA$1.64

50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$2.18 CA$3.09

-34.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$2.87 CA$4.06

-46.69%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$3.07 CA$4.35

-29.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$10.61 CA$14.99

80.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$11.16 CA$15.77

-70.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$18.77 CA$26.53

-40.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$3.50 CA$4.94

-15.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.16 CA$1.64

44.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$2.81 CA$3.97

-18.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$2.48 CA$3.50

-14.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$2.15 CA$3.04

-28.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$1.06 CA$1.50

28.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$2.33 CA$3.30

-51.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$1.75 CA$2.48

-68.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$11.94 CA$16.88

-64.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$11.41 CA$16.14

59.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$3.57 CA$5.05

-51.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$2.85 CA$4.03

-2.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$2.92 CA$4.13

-0.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$1.38 CA$1.95

-26.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$20.67 CA$29.22

-81.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.03 CA$1.45

44.66%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$28.3K CA$40.0K

-5.60%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$19.4K CA$27.4K

37.80%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$225 CA$318

-55.84%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$43.04 CA$60.8

-73.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$54.3 CA$76.7

-68.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$12.61 CA$17.82

-39.97%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$761 CA$1,075

-26.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$9,434 CA$13.3K

21.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$28.35 CA$40.08

121.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$35.05 CA$49.55

-18.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$51.5 CA$72.8

86.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$85.9 CA$121

2.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$860 CA$1,216

-15.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$840 CA$1,188

-45.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$1,544 CA$2,183

35.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$1,397 CA$1,975

-12.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$3,084 CA$4,359

-84.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.32

28.94%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cold Lake: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Cold Lake

$840 44% 82.7% $380

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Cold Lake

$335 17.5% 25% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Cold Lake

$322 16.9% 152% $194

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Cold Lake

$90 4.7% 27.2% $34

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Cold Lake

$289 15.1% 139% $168

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Cold Lake

$25 * 1.3% 62.6% $42

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Cold Lake

$9.8 * 0.5% 74.7% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $729 in Phuket versus $860 in Cold Lake. 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 525% higher in Cold Lake, 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 $32.00 in Phuket versus $57.0 in Cold Lake. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $335 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇦 Cold Lake

🕒 Local time

05:36 5:36 AM

16:36 4:36 PM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

11,595

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Cold Lake 12,590 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Cold Lake

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 Cold Lake: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cold Lake is pricier by about 58%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,811 per month in Phuket and $2,868 in Cold Lake. 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 $1,207 in Phuket and $1,912 in Cold Lake. That's a gap of about 58%.

Kindergarten costs $558 per month in Phuket and $761 in Cold Lake. 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 $1,207, than in Cold Lake at $1,912. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cold Lake 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 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, Cold Lake makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.