Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Vaughan

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,476 in Vaughan, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 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
120

Cost of Living Index in Vaughan
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Vaughan Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Vaughan

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,476

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Vaughan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,476 in Vaughan.

Phuket $1,278
Vaughan $2,476

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,872 in Vaughan.

Phuket $2,216
Vaughan $3,872

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $5,267 in Vaughan.

Phuket $3,154
Vaughan $5,267

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Vaughan is 82% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$17.09 CA$23.98

-73.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$71.7 CA$101

-54.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.90 CA$13.90

-11.01%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.80 CA$5.34

-25.53%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.16 CA$3.03

-59.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.71 CA$2.40

-71.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$5.70 CA$8.00

-55.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.44 CA$9.04

-42.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.98 CA$2.77

-16.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$2.22 CA$3.11

-34.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.70 CA$3.79

-44.44%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.04 CA$4.27

-31.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$9.65 CA$13.54

97.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$12.11 CA$16.99

-72.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$14.05 CA$19.72

-22.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$3.45 CA$4.85

-15.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.34 CA$1.88

26.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.16 CA$4.43

-28.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.44 CA$4.82

-39.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.68 CA$2.35

-10.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.90 CA$2.67

-27.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$2.28 CA$3.20

-53.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.26 CA$1.76

-58.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$12.69 CA$17.81

-66.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$13.30 CA$18.66

41.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.99 CA$2.79

-8.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.41 CA$1.97

101.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$2.95 CA$4.14

-50.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$113 CA$158

-49.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.05 CA$4.28

-0.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.21 CA$1.70

-15.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$22.31 CA$31.31

-83.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.18 CA$1.66

24.58%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$28.7K CA$40.2K

-6.58%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$20.2K CA$28.3K

32.24%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$113 CA$158

-14.38%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$29.62 CA$41.57

-61.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$49.75 CA$69.8

-66.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$30.89 CA$43.35

117.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$21.55 CA$30.24

-50.21%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$10.36 CA$14.54

-27.61%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$722 CA$1,013

-34.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$16.7K CA$23.5K

-32.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$43.33 CA$60.8

43.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$44.36 CA$62.3

-35.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$106 CA$149

-11.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$107 CA$150

-19.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,794 CA$2,517

-60.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,370 CA$1,923

-64.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$3,421 CA$4,800

-43.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$2,701 CA$3,790

-47.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$7,654 CA$10.7K

-45.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$5,523 CA$7,751

-44.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$3,084 CA$4,329

-83.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.26

5.89%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Vaughan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Vaughan

$1.4K 55.4% 179% $879

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Vaughan

$324 13.1% 21.7% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Vaughan

$192 7.8% 54.2% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Vaughan

$135 5.5% 11.1% $14

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Vaughan

$269 10.9% 121% $147

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Vaughan

$52 2.1% 37.2% $31

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Vaughan

$134 5.4% 89.5% $63

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,794 in Vaughan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vaughan pays about 6.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $72 in Vaughan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $324 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇦 Vaughan

🕒 Local time

05:03 5:03 AM

18:03 6:03 PM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

323,103

💱 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 Vaughan 14,260 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Vaughan

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 Vaughan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 48% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and groceries. 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 $1,794 in Vaughan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $722 in Vaughan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Vaughan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,476 in Vaughan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Vaughan. 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 48% less than in Vaughan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.