Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Hearst

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,266 in Hearst, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Hearst
Learn more

Hearst Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Hearst

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,266

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Hearst

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,266 in Hearst.

Phuket $1,294
Hearst $2,266

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $3,257 in Hearst.

Phuket $2,204
Hearst $3,257

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $4,248 in Hearst.

Phuket $3,115
Hearst $4,248

Living in Phuket costs roughly 43% less than in Hearst, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Hearst is 68% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$18.11 CA$25.27

-75.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$63.8 CA$89.1

-49.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$10.50 CA$14.66

-17.14%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$3.69 CA$5.14

-26.29%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$2.07 CA$2.88

-55.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$1.63 CA$2.28

-69.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$5.11 CA$7.12

-50.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$5.69 CA$7.94

-36.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$2.05 CA$2.86

-15.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$2.62 CA$3.65

-44.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.50 CA$4.88

-57.14%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$3.53 CA$4.93

-38.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$10.31 CA$14.39

85.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$11.37 CA$15.87

-70.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$14.66 CA$20.46

-25.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$3.93 CA$5.49

-25.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.30 CA$1.82

30.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$3.71 CA$5.17

-40.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$3.78 CA$5.27

-43.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$2.34 CA$3.27

-37.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$2.18 CA$3.05

-37.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$2.44 CA$3.41

-55.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$1.60 CA$2.23

-65.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$14.54 CA$20.29

-69.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$12.72 CA$17.75

43.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$2.68 CA$3.74

-33.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$3.05 CA$4.26

-5.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$2.35 CA$3.27

-38.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

$63.0 CA$87.9

-12.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$2.94 CA$4.10

-48.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$1.47 CA$2.05

-46.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$23.99 CA$33.47

-83.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.21 CA$1.69

23.14%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$27.4K CA$38.2K

-1.89%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$21.7K CA$30.3K

21.31%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$139 CA$193

-29.44%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$39.53 CA$55.2

-71.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$54.8 CA$76.5

-68.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$38.30 CA$53.5

78.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$18.53 CA$25.86

-41.07%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$10.78 CA$15.05

-31.08%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$639 CA$891

-16.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$13.4K CA$18.7K

39.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$54.3 CA$75.8

13.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$38.41 CA$53.6

-26.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$86.7 CA$121

10.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$103 CA$143

-15.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$1,267 CA$1,768

-43.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$1,138 CA$1,588

-55.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$1,968 CA$2,746

-0.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$1,706 CA$2,381

-18.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

$4,305 CA$6,007

-2.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

$3,533 CA$4,931

-6.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$3,177 CA$4,433

-84.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.68

19.02%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Hearst: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Hearst

$1.1K 50.2% 124% $629

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Hearst

$353 15.6% 32.3% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Hearst

$233 10.3% 84.5% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Hearst

$127 5.6% 3.4% $4.2

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Hearst

$272 12% 128% $153

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Hearst

$60 2.6% 28% $23

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Hearst

$83 3.7% 25.1% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $1,267 in Hearst. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hearst pays about 6.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $64 in Hearst for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $353 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇦 Hearst

🕒 Local time

03:30 3:30 AM

15:30 3:30 PM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

5,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 CAD = 0.717 USD

1 CAD = 0.637 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.717 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.637 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Hearst 13,610 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Hearst

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 Hearst: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $2,266 in Hearst, so Phuket is about 43% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 85% 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 $1,267 in Hearst. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $639 in Hearst. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Hearst. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,266 in Hearst, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Hearst. 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 43% less than in Hearst. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.