Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and St.Catharines

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,309 in St.Catharines, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 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
112

Cost of Living Index in St.Catharines
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St.Catharines Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

St.Catharines

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,309

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in St.Catharines

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,309 in St.Catharines.

Phuket $1,208
St.Catharines $2,309

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $3,210 in St.Catharines.

Phuket $2,027
St.Catharines $3,210

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $4,111 in St.Catharines.

Phuket $2,845
St.Catharines $4,111

Living in Phuket costs roughly 48% less than in St.Catharines, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, St.Catharines is 70% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$14.32 CA$20.24

-69.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$57.6 CA$81.5

-44.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$12.63 CA$17.86

-30.64%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$3.03 CA$4.29

-6.60%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.65 CA$2.34

-45.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$1.60 CA$2.27

-70.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$4.65 CA$6.58

-45.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.61 CA$6.52

-16.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$2.09 CA$2.96

-17.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$2.18 CA$3.08

-32.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$4.60 CA$6.50

-67.17%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$4.28 CA$6.06

-49.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$14.90 CA$21.06

32.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$11.22 CA$15.86

-70.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$14.04 CA$19.85

-20.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$5.19 CA$7.34

-45.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.11 CA$1.57

53.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$4.36 CA$6.17

-49.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$4.14 CA$5.85

-50.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$2.82 CA$3.99

-48.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$4.39 CA$6.20

-68.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$2.60 CA$3.67

-58.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$1.29 CA$1.83

-60.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$13.73 CA$19.41

-68.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$12.65 CA$17.88

46.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$3.00 CA$4.24

-40.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$3.02 CA$4.28

-5.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$2.46 CA$3.48

-8.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$70.9 CA$100

-68.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$2.88 CA$4.07

4.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$2.22 CA$3.14

-52.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$22.28 CA$31.50

-82.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.15 CA$1.63

26.09%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$26.4K CA$37.4K

-0.35%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$22.0K CA$31.1K

22.56%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$178 CA$251

-45.82%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$33.39 CA$47.21

-66.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$47.75 CA$67.5

-64.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$31.41 CA$44.41

66.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$41.10 CA$58.1

-72.85%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$11.04 CA$15.60

-29.26%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$504 CA$713

10.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$27.6K CA$39.0K

-58.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$73.6 CA$104

-12.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$52.2 CA$73.8

-45.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$80.1 CA$113

19.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$76.7 CA$108

14.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$1,210 CA$1,710

-39.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$1,159 CA$1,638

-60.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$1,707 CA$2,413

22.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$1,557 CA$2,201

-22.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$3,026 CA$4,277

15.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$2,705 CA$3,824

-6.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$2,969 CA$4,198

-83.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.71

-2.45%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for St.Catharines: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

St.Catharines

$1.2K 50.2% 151% $697

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

St.Catharines

$381 16.5% 42% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

St.Catharines

$259 11.2% 108% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

St.Catharines

$127 5.5% 2.3% $2.9

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

St.Catharines

$234 10.2% 93.3% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

St.Catharines

$53 2.3% 21.1% $14

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

St.Catharines

$95 4.1% 140% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $1,210 in St.Catharines. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

St.Catharines pays 493% 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 $58.0 in St.Catharines for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $381 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇦 St.Catharines

🕒 Local time

14:00 2:00 PM

03:00 3:00 AM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

133,113

💱 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 St.Catharines 14,330 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
St.Catharines

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 St.Catharines: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 91% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 493% lower in St.Catharines. 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: $737 in Phuket versus $1,210 in St.Catharines. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $504 in St.Catharines. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in St.Catharines. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,309 in St.Catharines, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in St.Catharines. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in St.Catharines, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and St.Catharines 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 91% less than in St.Catharines. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.