Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Saint Andrews

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,252 in Saint Andrews, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 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
108

Cost of Living Index in Saint Andrews
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Saint Andrews Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Saint Andrews

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,252

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Saint Andrews

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,252 in Saint Andrews.

Phuket $1,294
Saint Andrews $2,252

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $3,235 in Saint Andrews.

Phuket $2,204
Saint Andrews $3,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $4,219 in Saint Andrews.

Phuket $3,115
Saint Andrews $4,219

Living in Phuket costs roughly 43% less than in Saint Andrews, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Saint Andrews is 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$17.63 CA$24.61

-75.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,078

$64.6 CA$90.2

-49.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿290

$10.60 CA$14.80

-17.92%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿90.9

$3.73 CA$5.20

-27.08%

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

$0.93 ฿31.06

$1.98 CA$2.77

-53.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.67

$1.68 CA$2.35

-70.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.5

$5.27 CA$7.36

-51.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$5.68 CA$7.93

-36.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$2.11 CA$2.94

-17.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$2.54 CA$3.54

-42.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.1

$3.51 CA$4.91

-57.26%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.5

$3.45 CA$4.81

-37.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿637

$10.15 CA$14.17

88.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿113

$11.58 CA$16.17

-70.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$14.99 CA$20.92

-27.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.2

$3.80 CA$5.31

-22.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.5

$1.36 CA$1.90

24.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.2

$3.59 CA$5.01

-39.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿70.9

$3.77 CA$5.27

-43.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.68

$2.42 CA$3.38

-39.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.66

$2.19 CA$3.06

-37.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.91

$2.41 CA$3.37

-55.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.21

$1.59 CA$2.22

-65.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$14.28 CA$19.94

-68.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿609

$12.92 CA$18.03

41.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.2

$2.74 CA$3.82

-35.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.2

$3.20 CA$4.47

-10.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$2.35 CA$3.29

-38.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,832

$63.5 CA$88.6

-13.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.5

$2.91 CA$4.06

-48.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.90

$1.49 CA$2.07

-47.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$23.86 CA$33.30

-83.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.65

$1.18 CA$1.64

26.27%

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

$26.9K ฿897.3K

$28.1K CA$39.2K

-4.39%

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

$26.3K ฿879.4K

$21.1K CA$29.4K

24.99%

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

$97.8 ฿3,265

$137 CA$191

-28.67%

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

$11.29 ฿377

$38.16 CA$53.3

-70.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿574

$54.4 CA$76.0

-68.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,281

$37.52 CA$52.4

82.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

$18.30 CA$25.55

-40.33%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$10.80 CA$15.07

-31.20%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$648 CA$904

-18.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿626.9K

$13.3K CA$18.6K

41.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,059

$55.6 CA$77.6

10.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿943

$38.69 CA$54.0

-26.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,204

$87.6 CA$122

9.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,898

$105 CA$147

-17.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$1,289 CA$1,800

-44.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$1,126 CA$1,572

-54.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.1K

$1,970 CA$2,750

-1.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.6K

$1,678 CA$2,342

-16.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿139.9K

$4,296 CA$5,996

-2.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.1K

$3,614 CA$5,045

-8.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.68

19.02%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Saint Andrews: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Saint Andrews

$1.1K 50% 121% $617

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Saint Andrews

$354 15.7% 32.8% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Saint Andrews

$230 10.2% 81.9% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Saint Andrews

$129 5.7% 5.3% $6.5

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Saint Andrews

$270 12% 126% $150

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Saint Andrews

$59 2.6% 28.9% $24

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Saint Andrews

$83 3.7% 25.9% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $1,289 in Saint Andrews. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $65 in Saint Andrews for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $354 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇦 Saint Andrews

🕒 Local time

12:32 12:32 PM

01:32 1:32 AM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

💱 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 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

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Between locations

Phuket Saint Andrews 13,950 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Saint Andrews

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 Saint Andrews: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 43% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $3,377 in Saint Andrews to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $1,289 in Saint Andrews. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $648 in Saint Andrews. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Saint Andrews. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,252 in Saint Andrews, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Saint Andrews. 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.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Saint Andrews. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.