Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Picton

For one person, living is cheaper in Picton: $1,020 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Picton
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Picton Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Picton

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,020

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Picton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,020 in Picton.

Phuket $1,278
Picton $1,020

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,686 in Picton.

Phuket $2,216
Picton $1,686

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,353 in Picton.

Phuket $3,154
Picton $2,353

Living in Phuket is roughly 25% more expensive than in Picton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Picton 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$17.64 CA$24.76

-74.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$71.0 CA$99.6

-54.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.88 CA$13.86

-10.83%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.49 CA$4.90

-18.91%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.06 CA$2.89

-57.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.68 CA$2.36

-70.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$5.67 CA$7.96

-54.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$5.77 CA$8.10

-36.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.67 CA$2.35

-0.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.99 CA$2.80

-26.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.27 CA$3.19

-33.92%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.92 CA$4.10

-28.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$9.14 CA$12.82

108.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$11.72 CA$16.45

-71.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$14.94 CA$20.96

-26.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.73 CA$3.84

7.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.19 CA$1.67

42.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.47 CA$4.87

-35.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$4.01 CA$5.63

-48.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.83 CA$2.56

-17.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.67 CA$2.34

-17.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$2.31 CA$3.25

-53.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.20 CA$1.69

-56.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$13.71 CA$19.24

-69.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$13.97 CA$19.60

34.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.10 CA$2.94

-13.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.44 CA$3.43

16.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$2.19 CA$3.08

-33.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$19.77 CA$27.74

186.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.96 CA$4.15

2.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.28 CA$1.79

-20.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$21.77 CA$30.56

-83.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.13 CA$1.58

30.09%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$26.1K CA$36.6K

2.67%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$21.6K CA$30.3K

23.56%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$125 CA$176

-22.98%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$28.11 CA$39.45

-59.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$49.12 CA$68.9

-65.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$42.10 CA$59.1

59.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$8.80 CA$12.34

-14.77%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$283 CA$397

68.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$23.6K CA$33.1K

-52.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$49.98 CA$70.2

24.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$35.89 CA$50.4

-20.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$85.1 CA$119

10.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$126 CA$176

-31.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,025 CA$1,439

-30.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,642 CA$2,304

17.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$3,772 CA$5,294

10.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$3,151 CA$4,422

-84.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.45

25.17%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Picton: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Picton

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Picton

$319 31.3% 19.7% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Picton

$202 19.8% 62.5% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Picton

$133 13.1% 9.5% $12

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Picton

$268 26.2% 120% $146

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Picton

$60 5.9% 27.4% $23

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Picton

$38 3.7% 46.3% $33

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 $716 in Phuket and $1,025 in Picton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Picton pays about 6.3 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $71 in Picton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $319 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇦 Picton

🕒 Local time

04:50 4:50 AM

17:50 5:50 PM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

4,702

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Picton 14,230 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Picton

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 Picton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Picton is about 20% cheaper overall, especially in transport and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

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: $716 in Phuket versus $1,025 in Picton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $283 in Picton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Picton gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Picton are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.