Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Andrews and Phuket

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.

Saint Andrews, Canada
Phuket, Thailand
Saint Andrews
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,252
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,294
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

  • Saint Andrews $2,252
  • Phuket $1,294

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

  • Saint Andrews $3,235
  • Phuket $2,204

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

  • Saint Andrews $4,219
  • Phuket $3,115

Living in Saint Andrews is roughly 74% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Saint Andrews
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.63 CA$24.61
$4.39 ฿147
301.59%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$64.6 CA$90.2
$32.31 ฿1,078
99.91%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 CA$14.80
$8.70 ฿290
21.84%
Cappuccino
$3.73 CA$5.20
$2.72 ฿90.9
37.13%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.98 CA$2.77
$0.93 ฿31.06
112.90%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 CA$2.35
$0.50 ฿16.67
236.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.27 CA$7.36
$2.53 ฿84.5
108.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.68 CA$7.93
$3.63 ฿121
56.47%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Saint Andrews
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.11 CA$2.94
$1.74 ฿58.1
21.26%
White Bread (500g)
$2.54 CA$3.54
$1.45 ฿48.42
75.17%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.51 CA$4.91
$1.50 ฿50.1
134.00%
Eggs
$3.45 CA$4.81
$2.17 ฿72.5
58.99%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.15 CA$14.17
$19.09 ฿637
-46.83%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.58 CA$16.17
$3.40 ฿113
240.59%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.99 CA$20.92
$10.90 ฿364
37.52%
Apples (1kg)
$3.80 CA$5.31
$2.94 ฿98.2
29.25%
Banana (1kg)
$1.36 CA$1.90
$1.69 ฿56.5
-19.53%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.59 CA$5.01
$2.19 ฿73.2
63.93%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.77 CA$5.27
$2.12 ฿70.9
77.83%
Potato (1kg)
$2.42 CA$3.38
$1.46 ฿48.68
65.75%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 CA$3.06
$1.37 ฿45.66
59.85%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.41 CA$3.37
$1.08 ฿35.91
123.15%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 CA$2.22
$0.55 ฿18.21
189.09%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.28 CA$19.94
$4.43 ฿148
222.35%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.92 CA$18.03
$18.25 ฿609
-29.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.74 CA$3.82
$1.77 ฿59.2
54.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.20 CA$4.47
$2.88 ฿96.2
11.11%
🚌 Getting Around
Saint Andrews
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.35 CA$3.29
$1.45 ฿48.32
62.07%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$63.5 CA$88.6
$54.9 ฿1,832
15.59%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.91 CA$4.06
$1.51 ฿50.5
92.72%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.49 CA$2.07
$0.78 ฿25.90
91.03%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$23.86 CA$33.30
$3.84 ฿128
521.35%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.18 CA$1.64
$1.49 ฿49.65
-20.81%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.1K CA$39.2K
$26.9K ฿897.3K
4.59%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.1K CA$29.4K
$26.3K ฿879.4K
-20.00%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Saint Andrews
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$137 CA$191
$97.8 ฿3,265
40.20%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$38.16 CA$53.3
$11.29 ฿377
238.00%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$54.4 CA$76.0
$17.19 ฿574
216.64%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Saint Andrews
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.52 CA$52.4
$68.3 ฿2,281
-45.09%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.30 CA$25.55
$10.92 ฿365
67.58%
Cinema Ticket
$10.80 CA$15.07
$7.43 ฿248
45.36%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Saint Andrews
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$648 CA$904
$530 ฿17.7K
22.13%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.3K CA$18.6K
$18.8K ฿626.9K
-29.18%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Saint Andrews
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.6 CA$77.6
$61.7 ฿2,059
-9.86%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.69 CA$54.0
$28.25 ฿943
36.96%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$87.6 CA$122
$96.0 ฿3,204
-8.74%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$105 CA$147
$86.8 ฿2,898
21.39%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Saint Andrews
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,289 CA$1,800
$721 ฿24.1K
78.80%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,126 CA$1,572
$509 ฿17.0K
121.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,970 CA$2,750
$1,950 ฿65.1K
1.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,678 CA$2,342
$1,397 ฿46.6K
20.10%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,296 CA$5,996
$4,192 ฿139.9K
2.47%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,614 CA$5,045
$3,298 ฿110.1K
9.58%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Saint Andrews
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$492 ฿16.4K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.68
5.57
-15.98%

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

Last update for Saint Andrews: November 2, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Saint Andrews
$1.1K
Phuket
$509 54.8% $617
Groceries & Markets
Saint Andrews
$354
Phuket
$267 24.7% $87
Eating Out
Saint Andrews
$270
Phuket
$120 55.7% $150
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Saint Andrews
$230
Phuket
$126 45% $103
Clothing & Footwear
Saint Andrews
$129
Phuket
$123 5.1% $6.5
Getting Around
Saint Andrews
$83
Phuket
$66 20.6% $17
Sport & Entertainment
Saint Andrews
$59
Phuket
$83 40.7% $24

Cost Breakdown

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

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

Good to know
🇨🇦 Saint Andrews
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
23:30 11:30 PM
10:30 10:30 AM
11 h ahead of Saint Andrews
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

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).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Saint Andrews Phuket 13,950 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Saint Andrews
  • Phuket

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Saint Andrews vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phuket cheaper than Saint Andrews?
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.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $3,377 in Saint Andrews and $1,940 in Phuket 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.
What is the rent difference between Saint Andrews and Phuket?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,289 in Saint Andrews versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $648 in Saint Andrews versus $530 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Saint Andrews and in Phuket?
Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Saint Andrews. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Saint Andrews or in Phuket?
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.
Is it better to live in Saint Andrews or in Phuket?
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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
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.

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