Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quebec City and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,935 in Quebec City, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Quebec City
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Quebec City Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Quebec City

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,935

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Quebec City 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 Quebec City and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,935 in Quebec City versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Quebec City $1,935
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,912 in Quebec City versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Quebec City $2,912
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,889 in Quebec City versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Quebec City $3,889
Phuket $3,154

Living in Quebec City is roughly 51% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Quebec City is 42% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.22 CA$29.64

$4.47 ฿151

374.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.9 CA$89.2

$32.41 ฿1,094

97.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.75 CA$15.02

$8.81 ฿297

22.02%

Cappuccino

$3.83 CA$5.35

$2.83 ฿95.4

35.34%

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

$2.13 CA$2.97

$0.87 ฿29.42

144.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.09

$0.49 ฿16.66

206.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.68 CA$7.94

$2.56 ฿86.3

121.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.88 CA$8.21

$3.68 ฿124

59.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 CA$2.88

$1.66 ฿56.0

24.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 CA$4.04

$1.46 ฿49.32

97.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.14 CA$5.78

$1.50 ฿50.5

176.00%

Eggs

$3.15 CA$4.40

$2.09 ฿70.5

50.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.13 CA$12.76

$19.07 ฿643

-52.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 CA$15.35

$3.30 ฿111

233.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.62 CA$14.84

$10.91 ฿368

-2.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 CA$5.82

$2.93 ฿98.9

42.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 CA$2.17

$1.69 ฿57.0

-8.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.71 CA$5.18

$2.25 ฿75.8

64.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 CA$5.64

$2.08 ฿70.1

94.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.93 CA$4.10

$1.51 ฿51.0

94.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 CA$3.99

$1.38 ฿46.54

107.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.73 CA$3.81

$1.07 ฿35.97

155.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.12

$0.52 ฿17.51

192.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.78 CA$20.65

$4.20 ฿142

251.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.35 CA$15.86

$18.79 ฿634

-39.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.24 CA$4.52

$1.82 ฿61.5

78.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 CA$4.81

$2.84 ฿95.9

21.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 CA$4.06

$1.45 ฿49.00

100.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.6 CA$98.7

$56.7 ฿1,912

24.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.89 CA$4.04

$3.02 ฿102

-4.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.07

$1.02 ฿34.34

45.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.46 CA$49.54

$3.69 ฿125

860.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 CA$1.81

$1.47 ฿49.78

-11.56%

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

$28.7K CA$40.1K

$26.8K ฿903.7K

7.22%

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

$22.2K CA$31.0K

$26.7K ฿900.8K

-16.94%

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

$100 CA$140

$96.4 ฿3,252

3.99%

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

$32.19 CA$44.97

$11.26 ฿380

185.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.61 CA$63.7

$16.85 ฿569

170.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.12 CA$46.27

$67.2 ฿2,269

-50.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.66 CA$17.68

$10.73 ฿362

17.99%

Cinema Ticket

$10.56 CA$14.75

$7.50 ฿253

40.80%

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

$676 CA$945

$476 ฿16.1K

42.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,492 CA$13.3K

$11.3K ฿380.1K

-15.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.3 CA$82.9

$62.4 ฿2,105

-4.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 CA$71.2

$28.41 ฿959

79.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 CA$126

$94.3 ฿3,182

-4.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$152

$85.8 ฿2,896

26.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,029 CA$1,437

$716 ฿24.2K

43.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$821 CA$1,147

$491 ฿16.6K

67.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,633 CA$2,281

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-15.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,333 CA$1,862

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-6.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,733 CA$6,613

$4,175 ฿140.9K

13.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,728 CA$3,811

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-10.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,906 CA$4,060

$502 ฿17.0K

478.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

5.57

-20.29%

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

Last update for Quebec City: 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

Quebec City

$821 42.4%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 40.2% $330

Groceries & Markets

Quebec City

$347 18%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 23.4% $81

Eating Out

Quebec City

$303 15.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 59.8% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quebec City

$178 9.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 30.1% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Quebec City

$139 7.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 12.3% $17

Getting Around

Quebec City

$93 4.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 23.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Quebec City

$54 2.8%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 51.6% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,029 in Quebec City and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Quebec City pays about 5.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $64 in Quebec City vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $347 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Quebec City

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

00:32 12:32 AM

12:32 12:32 PM

12 h ahead of Quebec City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

530,168

79,308

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Quebec City Phuket 13,850 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Quebec City vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 34% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Quebec City is about 5.8 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: $1,029 in Quebec City versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $676 in Quebec City 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 30% higher in Quebec City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,935 in Quebec City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Quebec City. 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 34% less than in Quebec City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.