Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kingston

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,297 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 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
110

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Kingston

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kingston

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $2,297 in Kingston, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Kingston $2,297

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $3,179 in Kingston, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Kingston $3,179

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $4,062 in Kingston, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Kingston $4,062

Phuket is about 47% cheaper than Kingston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 11% below the global median, while Kingston is 70% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$15.68 CA$22.16

-71.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$63.5 CA$89.8

-49.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$10.52 CA$14.87

-16.73%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$3.51 CA$4.96

-19.37%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$2.10 CA$2.96

-57.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$1.31 CA$1.85

-64.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$5.65 CA$7.98

-54.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$6.19 CA$8.75

-38.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$2.25 CA$3.18

-23.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$2.62 CA$3.70

-43.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$3.00 CA$4.24

-49.67%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.93 CA$4.14

-25.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$10.43 CA$14.75

88.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$11.77 CA$16.63

-71.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$11.35 CA$16.04

-1.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.98 CA$4.21

-4.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.16 CA$1.64

46.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$3.48 CA$4.92

-37.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$3.80 CA$5.37

-46.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$2.98 CA$4.21

-51.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$2.53 CA$3.57

-45.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$2.15 CA$3.03

-50.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$1.60 CA$2.27

-68.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$14.24 CA$20.13

-70.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$12.74 CA$18.01

45.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$2.24 CA$3.17

-20.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.98 CA$4.21

-4.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$2.44 CA$3.44

-7.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$57.8 CA$81.7

-61.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$3.35 CA$4.74

-10.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$1.41 CA$1.99

-24.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$32.42 CA$45.84

-88.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.13 CA$1.59

28.32%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$27.9K CA$39.5K

-5.66%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$20.8K CA$29.5K

29.32%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$130 CA$184

-25.97%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$39.13 CA$55.3

-71.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$61.6 CA$87.1

-72.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$29.11 CA$41.16

79.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$8.76 CA$12.38

27.40%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$10.66 CA$15.07

-26.74%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$525 CA$742

5.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$53.4 CA$75.5

20.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$31.73 CA$44.86

-9.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$78.4 CA$111

21.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$81.8 CA$116

7.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$1,512 CA$2,137

-51.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$1,238 CA$1,751

-62.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$2,329 CA$3,293

-10.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$1,684 CA$2,380

-28.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$3,402 CA$4,810

2.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$2,433 CA$3,439

3.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$3,099 CA$4,382

-83.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.61

20.82%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Kingston: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Kingston

$1.2K 53.9% 168% $776

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Kingston

$336 14.6% 25% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Kingston

$231 10.1% 85.4% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Kingston

$110 4.8% 11.2% $14

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Kingston

$253 11% 109% $132

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Kingston

$50 2.2% 25.6% $17

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Kingston

$78 3.4% 97.6% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $1,512 in Kingston. 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 519% higher in Kingston, 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 $64.0 in Kingston. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $336 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇦 Kingston

🕒 Local time

11:13 11:13 AM

00:13 12:13 AM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

123,363

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 Kingston 14,200 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kingston

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 Kingston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,208 in Phuket, $2,297 in Kingston – roughly 90% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $3,446 in Kingston. 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 $1,208 in Phuket and $2,297 in Kingston. That's a gap of about 90%.

Public transport costs about 162% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Kingston at $2,297. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kingston it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,208 in Phuket to $2,297 in Kingston. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Kingston makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.