Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Duncan BC

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,161 in Duncan BC, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 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
103

Cost of Living Index in Duncan BC
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Duncan BC Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Duncan BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,161

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Duncan BC

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 Duncan BC actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,161 in Duncan BC.

Phuket $1,294
Duncan BC $2,161

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $3,358 in Duncan BC.

Phuket $2,204
Duncan BC $3,358

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $4,555 in Duncan BC.

Phuket $3,115
Duncan BC $4,555

Living in Phuket costs roughly 40% less than in Duncan BC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Duncan BC is 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$17.85 CA$24.91

-75.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$70.8 CA$98.7

-54.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$10.56 CA$14.73

-17.61%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$3.95 CA$5.51

-31.14%

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

$0.93 ฿31.39

$2.15 CA$3.00

-56.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$1.70 CA$2.38

-70.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$5.49 CA$7.66

-53.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$5.78 CA$8.07

-37.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.64 CA$2.29

6.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.95

$2.65 CA$3.69

-45.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$4.40 CA$6.13

-65.91%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$4.08 CA$5.70

-46.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$11.96 CA$16.69

59.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$13.19 CA$18.40

-74.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$14.02 CA$19.57

-22.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$3.91 CA$5.45

-24.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.39 CA$1.93

21.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$3.67 CA$5.12

-40.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.7

$3.98 CA$5.56

-46.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.21

$2.77 CA$3.87

-47.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.15

$2.95 CA$4.11

-53.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.30

$2.54 CA$3.54

-57.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.41

$1.57 CA$2.20

-64.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$13.72 CA$19.14

-67.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$11.71 CA$16.33

55.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$2.54 CA$3.54

-30.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$2.84 CA$3.96

1.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.84

$1.83 CA$2.56

-20.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

$39.92 CA$55.7

37.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.62 CA$3.65

-42.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.18

$1.63 CA$2.27

-52.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

$30.31 CA$42.30

-87.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.23 CA$1.71

21.14%

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

$26.9K ฿907.0K

$26.4K CA$36.8K

1.90%

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

$26.3K ฿888.9K

$21.2K CA$29.6K

24.31%

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

$97.8 ฿3,300

$87.4 CA$122

11.87%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$35.93 CA$50.1

-68.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$51.5 CA$71.8

-66.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$61.3 CA$85.5

11.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$12.53 CA$17.49

-40.70%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$1,082 CA$1,510

-51.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.7K

$18.6K CA$25.9K

1.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,081

$57.7 CA$80.4

6.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$33.54 CA$46.80

-15.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,239

$91.6 CA$128

4.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,929

$92.0 CA$128

-5.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$1,321 CA$1,843

-45.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$1,074 CA$1,498

-52.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$2,553 CA$3,562

-23.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$2,019 CA$2,817

-30.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$4,345 CA$6,062

-3.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$3,638 CA$5,076

-9.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$3,096 CA$4,319

-84.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.24

31.37%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Duncan BC: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Duncan BC

$1.1K 49.7% 111% $565

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Duncan BC

$368 17% 38% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Duncan BC

$175 8.1% 38.4% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Duncan BC

$124 5.7% 0.7% $0.9

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Duncan BC

$276 12.8% 131% $157

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Duncan BC

$86 4% 3.8% $3.2

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Duncan BC

$58 2.7% 12.2% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $1,321 in Duncan BC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Duncan BC pays about 6.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $71 in Duncan BC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $368 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇦 Duncan BC

🕒 Local time

23:28 11:28 PM

09:28 9:28 AM

14 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

22,199

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 CAD = 0.717 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.717 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Duncan BC 12,500 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Duncan BC

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 Duncan BC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 40% 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 84% 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: $721 in Phuket versus $1,321 in Duncan BC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Duncan BC. 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 $71 in Duncan BC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,161 in Duncan BC, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Duncan BC. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Duncan BC on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.