Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ottawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,416 in Ottawa, 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
117

Cost of Living Index in Ottawa
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Ottawa Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Ottawa

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,416

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ottawa

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $2,416 in Ottawa, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Ottawa $2,416

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $3,537 in Ottawa, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Ottawa $3,537

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $4,658 in Ottawa, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Ottawa $4,658

Phuket is about 50% cheaper than Ottawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 11% below the global median, while Ottawa is 78% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$17.62 CA$24.91

-75.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$78.6 CA$111

-58.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$10.61 CA$15.00

-17.44%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$4.04 CA$5.71

-29.95%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$2.08 CA$2.94

-56.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$1.75 CA$2.48

-73.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$5.71 CA$8.08

-55.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$6.47 CA$9.14

-40.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$2.40 CA$3.39

-27.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$2.96 CA$4.19

-50.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$2.88 CA$4.07

-47.57%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$3.23 CA$4.57

-32.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$11.51 CA$16.27

71.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$11.61 CA$16.41

-71.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$19.02 CA$26.90

-41.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$3.74 CA$5.29

-23.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.27 CA$1.79

33.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$3.90 CA$5.52

-43.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$3.61 CA$5.10

-43.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$2.57 CA$3.64

-43.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$2.39 CA$3.38

-42.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$2.61 CA$3.69

-59.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$1.47 CA$2.08

-65.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$14.45 CA$20.43

-70.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$12.47 CA$17.63

49.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$2.61 CA$3.68

-31.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$3.18 CA$4.50

-10.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$2.93 CA$4.14

-22.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$94.6 CA$134

-76.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$2.68 CA$3.79

12.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$1.53 CA$2.16

-30.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$19.08 CA$26.98

-79.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.23 CA$1.74

17.89%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$27.6K CA$39.0K

-4.51%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$22.3K CA$31.5K

20.96%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$139 CA$196

-30.66%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$37.37 CA$52.8

-70.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$51.1 CA$72.3

-66.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$48.10 CA$68.0

8.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$27.89 CA$39.43

-59.99%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$12.68 CA$17.93

-38.41%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$928 CA$1,311

-40.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

-27.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$57.3 CA$81.0

12.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$37.28 CA$52.7

-23.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$103 CA$146

-7.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$97.5 CA$138

-9.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$1,437 CA$2,031

-48.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$1,215 CA$1,717

-61.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$2,310 CA$3,266

-9.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$1,871 CA$2,645

-35.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$4,326 CA$6,115

-19.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$4,547 CA$6,428

-44.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$3,730 CA$5,274

-86.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.16

33.89%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ottawa: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Ottawa

$1.2K 50.3% 163% $752

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Ottawa

$373 15.4% 38.7% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Ottawa

$227 9.4% 82.6% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Ottawa

$133 5.5% 6.9% $8.5

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Ottawa

$278 11.5% 129% $157

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Ottawa

$73 3% 8.4% $5.7

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Ottawa

$117 4.8% 196% $77

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $1,437 in Ottawa. 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 645% higher in Ottawa, 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 $79.0 in Ottawa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $373 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇦 Ottawa

🕒 Local time

06:29 6:29 AM

19:29 7:29 PM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,000,000 Capital

💱 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 Ottawa 14,060 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Ottawa

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 Ottawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,208 in Phuket, $2,416 in Ottawa – roughly 100% 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 $3,623 in Ottawa. 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 $2,416 in Ottawa. That's a gap of about 100%.

Public transport costs about 328% 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 Ottawa at $2,416. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ottawa 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 $2,416 in Ottawa. 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, Ottawa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.