Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Fort St John, BC

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,949 in Fort St John, BC, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Fort St John, BC
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Fort St John, BC Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Fort St John, BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,949 in Fort St John, BC.

Phuket $1,208
Fort St John, BC $1,949

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $3,002 in Fort St John, BC.

Phuket $2,027
Fort St John, BC $3,002

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $4,055 in Fort St John, BC.

Phuket $2,845
Fort St John, BC $4,055

Living in Phuket costs roughly 38% less than in Fort St John, BC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Fort St John, BC is 44% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$17.70 CA$25.02

-75.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$42.02 CA$59.4

-23.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$9.35 CA$13.22

-6.31%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$3.89 CA$5.49

-27.25%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.82 CA$2.58

-50.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$1.22 CA$1.73

-61.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$6.19 CA$8.75

-58.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.51 CA$6.38

-15.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$3.34 CA$4.72

-48.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$2.79 CA$3.94

-47.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$3.66 CA$5.17

-58.74%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$4.18 CA$5.90

-48.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$12.02 CA$16.99

63.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$13.69 CA$19.36

-75.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$18.57 CA$26.26

-39.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$5.73 CA$8.10

-50.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$0.73 CA$1.03

132.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$3.77 CA$5.33

-41.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$3.61 CA$5.11

-43.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$2.82 CA$3.98

-48.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$2.76 CA$3.90

-50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$2.14 CA$3.03

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$2.52 CA$3.57

-79.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$14.36 CA$20.29

-70.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$21.42 CA$30.29

-13.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$4.85 CA$6.85

-63.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$5.60 CA$7.91

-49.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$1.44 CA$2.03

56.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$28.86 CA$40.80

-23.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.25 CA$1.76

16.00%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$126 CA$178

-23.38%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$101 CA$142

-89.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$61.0 CA$86.2

-71.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$13.48 CA$19.06

287.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$10.56 CA$14.94

-26.04%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$697 CA$985

-20.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$71.2 CA$101

-9.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$47.43 CA$67.0

-39.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$105 CA$148

-9.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$143 CA$202

-38.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$733 CA$1,036

0.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$709 CA$1,002

-34.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$1,542 CA$2,180

35.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$1,394 CA$1,971

-13.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$1,291 CA$1,824

170.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$3,094 CA$4,374

-83.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.1

-8.69%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Fort St John, BC: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Fort St John, BC

$709 36.4% 53.3% $247

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Fort St John, BC

$450 23.1% 67.5% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Fort St John, BC

$287 14.7% 131% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Fort St John, BC

$165 8.5% 32.7% $41

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Fort St John, BC

$268 13.8% 121% $147

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Fort St John, BC

$35 1.8% 48.9% $33

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Fort St John, BC

$35 * 1.8% 12.2% $4.8

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 $737 in Phuket and $733 in Fort St John, BC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fort St John, BC pays 518% 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: $32.00 in Phuket vs $42.00 in Fort St John, BC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $450 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇦 Fort St John, BC

🕒 Local time

00:45 12:45 AM

10:45 10:45 AM

14 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

18,609

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

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Between locations

Phuket Fort St John, BC 12,030 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Fort St John, 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 Fort St John, BC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 61% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 518% lower in Fort St John, BC. 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: $737 in Phuket versus $733 in Fort St John, BC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $42.00 in Fort St John, BC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,208 per month in Phuket versus $1,949 in Fort St John, BC – a 61% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,949 in Fort St John, BC, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Fort St John, BC. 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 Fort St John, BC, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Fort St John, BC 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 61% less than in Fort St John, BC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.