Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Alberni and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,693 in Port Alberni, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

82

Cost of Living Index in Port Alberni
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Port Alberni Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Port Alberni

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,693

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Port Alberni and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Port Alberni and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,693 in Port Alberni versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Port Alberni $1,693
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Port Alberni versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Port Alberni $2,863
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,033 in Port Alberni versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Port Alberni $4,033
Phuket $3,154

Living in Port Alberni is roughly 32% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Port Alberni is 24% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.90 CA$25.13

$4.47 ฿151

300.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 CA$86.0

$32.41 ฿1,094

89.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$14.96

$8.81 ฿297

21.00%

Cappuccino

$4.03 CA$5.65

$2.83 ฿95.5

42.40%

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

$2.13 CA$2.99

$0.87 ฿29.43

144.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 CA$2.05

$0.49 ฿16.67

197.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.52 CA$4.94

$2.56 ฿86.4

37.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 CA$7.64

$3.68 ฿124

47.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 CA$3.06

$1.66 ฿56.0

31.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 CA$3.40

$1.46 ฿49.35

65.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 CA$3.96

$1.50 ฿50.6

88.00%

Eggs

$4.08 CA$5.72

$2.09 ฿70.5

95.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 CA$13.39

$19.07 ฿644

-49.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.34 CA$6.09

$3.30 ฿111

31.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 CA$27.83

$10.91 ฿368

81.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 CA$4.08

$2.93 ฿99.0

-0.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 CA$1.54

$1.69 ฿57.1

-35.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.66 CA$5.13

$2.25 ฿75.8

62.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 CA$5.15

$2.08 ฿70.1

76.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.19 CA$3.07

$1.51 ฿51.0

45.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 CA$2.68

$1.38 ฿46.56

38.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 CA$2.92

$1.07 ฿35.99

94.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 CA$1.03

$0.52 ฿17.52

40.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.85 CA$15.23

$4.20 ฿142

158.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.89 CA$15.29

$18.79 ฿634

-42.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 CA$3.66

$1.82 ฿61.5

43.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 CA$4.17

$2.84 ฿95.9

4.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 CA$2.03

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.61 CA$48.57

$56.7 ฿1,913

-38.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 CA$3.83

$3.02 ฿102

-9.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 CA$2.27

$1.02 ฿34.36

58.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.91 CA$44.79

$3.69 ฿125

764.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.70

$1.47 ฿49.81

-17.69%

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

$27.9K CA$39.2K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

4.26%

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

$21.3K CA$29.9K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-20.20%

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

$83.0 CA$117

$96.4 ฿3,254

-13.83%

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

$36.65 CA$51.4

$11.26 ฿380

225.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.6 CA$73.9

$16.85 ฿569

212.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.57 CA$59.7

$67.2 ฿2,270

-36.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$12.40 CA$17.41

$7.50 ฿253

65.33%

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

$1,079 CA$1,515

$476 ฿16.1K

126.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.1K CA$28.2K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

78.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 CA$82.5

$62.4 ฿2,106

-5.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.50 CA$47.01

$28.41 ฿959

17.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.2 CA$134

$94.3 ฿3,184

0.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.6 CA$137

$85.8 ฿2,898

13.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$819 CA$1,150

$716 ฿24.2K

14.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$701 CA$984

$491 ฿16.6K

42.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,719 CA$2,413

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-10.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,739 CA$2,441

$1,431 ฿48.3K

21.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,079 CA$4,321

$502 ฿17.0K

512.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

5.57

-23.16%

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

Last update for Port Alberni: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Alberni

$701 41.4%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 30% $211

Groceries & Markets

Port Alberni

$306 18.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 12.9% $40

Eating Out

Port Alberni

$266 15.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 54.3% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Alberni

$172 10.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 27.8% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Port Alberni

$128 7.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 5% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

Port Alberni

$67 4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 22.1% $15

Getting Around

Port Alberni

$51 3%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 37.8% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $819 in Port Alberni and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

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

Dining out: $61 in Port Alberni vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $306 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Port Alberni

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

08:11 8:11 AM

22:11 10:11 PM

14 h ahead of Port Alberni

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,743

79,308

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

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).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Port Alberni Phuket 12,410 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Alberni
Phuket

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

Port Alberni vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and groceries. The 32% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Port Alberni is about 6.1 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $819 in Port Alberni versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,079 in Port Alberni versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Port Alberni. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,693 in Port Alberni, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Port Alberni. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Port Alberni on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.