Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Nanaimo, BC

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,383 in Nanaimo, BC, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 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
114

Cost of Living Index in Nanaimo, BC
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Nanaimo, BC Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Nanaimo, BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,383

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,383 in Nanaimo, BC.

Phuket $1,294
Nanaimo, BC $2,383

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $3,379 in Nanaimo, BC.

Phuket $2,204
Nanaimo, BC $3,379

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $4,375 in Nanaimo, BC.

Phuket $3,115
Nanaimo, BC $4,375

Living in Phuket costs roughly 46% less than in Nanaimo, BC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Nanaimo, BC is 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$17.55 CA$24.50

-74.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,078

$77.9 CA$109

-58.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿290

$11.35 CA$15.85

-23.35%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿90.9

$3.97 CA$5.54

-31.49%

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

$0.93 ฿31.06

$2.27 CA$3.17

-59.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.67

$1.63 CA$2.27

-69.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.5

$5.89 CA$8.22

-57.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$5.69 CA$7.94

-36.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.67 CA$2.33

4.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$3.32 CA$4.63

-56.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.1

$3.16 CA$4.41

-52.53%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.5

$4.24 CA$5.92

-48.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿637

$11.51 CA$16.07

65.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿113

$13.86 CA$19.34

-75.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$17.38 CA$24.26

-37.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.2

$4.30 CA$6.00

-31.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.5

$1.29 CA$1.81

31.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.2

$4.43 CA$6.19

-50.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿70.9

$5.78 CA$8.06

-63.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.68

$2.41 CA$3.36

-39.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.66

$2.85 CA$3.98

-51.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.91

$2.82 CA$3.94

-61.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.21

$2.31 CA$3.23

-76.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$14.51 CA$20.25

-69.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿609

$14.04 CA$19.60

29.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.2

$2.55 CA$3.56

-30.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.2

$2.64 CA$3.69

9.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.95 CA$2.72

-25.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,832

$46.89 CA$65.5

17.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.5

$2.83 CA$3.95

-46.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.90

$1.94 CA$2.71

-59.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$36.00 CA$50.3

-89.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.65

$1.34 CA$1.87

11.19%

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

$26.9K ฿897.3K

$26.0K CA$36.3K

3.44%

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

$26.3K ฿879.4K

$21.0K CA$29.3K

25.54%

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

$97.8 ฿3,265

$149 CA$208

-34.33%

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

$11.29 ฿377

$40.43 CA$56.4

-72.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿574

$66.5 CA$92.8

-74.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,281

$25.98 CA$36.27

163.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

$19.63 CA$27.40

-44.37%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$10.98 CA$15.32

-32.33%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$699 CA$976

-24.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿626.9K

$15.1K CA$21.1K

24.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,059

$50.2 CA$70.0

22.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿943

$33.30 CA$46.48

-15.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,204

$99.5 CA$139

-3.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,898

$113 CA$158

-23.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$1,445 CA$2,017

-50.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$1,191 CA$1,663

-57.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.1K

$2,060 CA$2,876

-5.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.6K

$1,639 CA$2,288

-14.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿139.9K

$3,800 CA$5,305

10.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.1K

$3,417 CA$4,769

-3.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

$3,169 CA$4,424

-84.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.72

18.01%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Nanaimo, BC: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Nanaimo, BC

$1.2K 50% 134% $682

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Nanaimo, BC

$409 17.2% 53.4% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Nanaimo, BC

$256 10.7% 103% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Nanaimo, BC

$133 5.6% 8.5% $10

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Nanaimo, BC

$279 11.7% 133% $159

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Nanaimo, BC

$48 2% 42.4% $35

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Nanaimo, BC

$67 2.8% 1.8% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $1,445 in Nanaimo, BC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nanaimo, BC pays about 6.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $78 in Nanaimo, BC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $409 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇦 Nanaimo, BC

🕒 Local time

23:15 11:15 PM

09:15 9:15 AM

14 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

90,504

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.51 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.638 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Nanaimo, BC 12,450 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Nanaimo, 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 Nanaimo, BC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 46% lower than in Nanaimo, BC. 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 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 $1,445 in Nanaimo, BC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Nanaimo, BC runs roughly 15% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $699 in Nanaimo, BC. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,383 in Nanaimo, BC, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Nanaimo, 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Nanaimo, BC are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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