Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Markham

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,416 in Markham, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 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
118

Cost of Living Index in Markham
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Markham Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Markham

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,416

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Markham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,416 in Markham.

Phuket $1,207
Markham $2,416

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $3,465 in Markham.

Phuket $2,037
Markham $3,465

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $4,514 in Markham.

Phuket $2,867
Markham $4,514

Living in Phuket costs roughly 50% less than in Markham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Markham is 79% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿154

$17.37 CA$24.69

-73.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,091

$53.4 CA$76.0

-39.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿287

$10.47 CA$14.89

-18.34%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.5

$3.81 CA$5.42

-28.61%

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

$0.94 ฿31.41

$1.70 CA$2.42

-44.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.48

$1.17 CA$1.67

-58.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿87.0

$3.59 CA$5.10

-27.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿129

$5.62 CA$7.99

-31.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$1.94 CA$2.76

-10.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿48.07

$2.22 CA$3.16

-35.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.3

$1.90 CA$2.70

-19.47%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.1

$2.99 CA$4.24

-27.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿643

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$11.70 CA$16.63

-71.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿374

$6.81 CA$9.67

63.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿99.0

$3.69 CA$5.25

-20.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.4

$1.26 CA$1.80

33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿77.2

$2.33 CA$3.31

-1.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.6

$3.26 CA$4.63

-34.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.4

$2.05 CA$2.92

-25.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.78

$1.96 CA$2.79

-30.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.63

$2.87 CA$4.08

-60.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.33

$1.48 CA$2.11

-62.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿143

$13.44 CA$19.10

-68.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿611

$14.53 CA$20.65

25.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$2.40 CA$3.41

-27.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.8

$3.19 CA$4.54

-12.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.4

$3.04 CA$4.32

-26.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿741

$89.3 CA$127

-75.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.8

$3.31 CA$4.71

-12.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.97

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿129

$18.60 CA$26.43

-79.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.1

$1.13 CA$1.61

31.86%

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

$26.7K ฿896.2K

$28.1K CA$40.0K

-5.10%

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

$26.7K ฿897.2K

$18.1K CA$25.8K

47.37%

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

$99.4 ฿3,338

$125 CA$178

-20.76%

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

$11.28 ฿379

$26.20 CA$37.24

-56.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿583

$45.69 CA$65.0

-62.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,756

$42.62 CA$60.6

22.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿364

$21.28 CA$30.25

-49.01%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿254

$10.19 CA$14.48

-25.71%

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

$558 ฿18.8K

$870 CA$1,236

-35.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿385.9K

$27.5K CA$39.0K

-58.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,112

$43.21 CA$61.4

45.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿960

$37.22 CA$52.9

-23.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,229

$91.1 CA$130

5.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,958

$105 CA$149

-16.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.5K

$1,554 CA$2,209

-53.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.5K

$1,391 CA$1,977

-66.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.4K

$2,699 CA$3,836

-22.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿41.1K

$2,236 CA$3,177

-45.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿116.2K

$5,896 CA$8,379

-41.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.6K

$5,309 CA$7,546

-53.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.6K

$3,132 CA$4,452

-84.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.56

22.15%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Markham: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Markham

$1.4K 57.6% 202% $931

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Markham

$279 * 11.5% 4.1% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Markham

$197 8.2% 54.1% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Markham

$124 5.2% 0.3% $0.4

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Markham

$257 10.6% 112% $136

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Markham

$63 2.6% 6.6% $4.4

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Markham

$105 * 4.3% 170% $66

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 $729 in Phuket and $1,554 in Markham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Markham pays 535% 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 $53.0 in Markham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $279 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇦 Markham

🕒 Local time

07:01 7:01 AM

20:01 8:01 PM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

338,503

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 CAD = 0.704 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Markham 14,260 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Markham

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 Markham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 100% lower than in Markham. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 535% lower in Markham. 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: $729 in Phuket versus $1,554 in Markham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $870 in Markham. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Markham. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,416 in Markham, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Markham. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,207 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Markham 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 100% less than in Markham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.