Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint John, New Brunswick and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,954 in Saint John, New Brunswick, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Saint John, New Brunswick
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Saint John, New Brunswick Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Saint John, New Brunswick

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,954

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,954 in Saint John, New Brunswick versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Saint John, New Brunswick $1,954
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,938 in Saint John, New Brunswick versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Saint John, New Brunswick $2,938
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,922 in Saint John, New Brunswick versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Saint John, New Brunswick $3,922
Phuket $2,845

Living in Saint John, New Brunswick is roughly 62% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Saint John, New Brunswick is 44% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.44 CA$26.08

$4.40 ฿147

319.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 CA$86.2

$32.26 ฿1,078

89.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 CA$15.31

$8.76 ฿293

23.63%

Cappuccino

$2.96 CA$4.18

$2.83 ฿94.5

4.59%

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

$1.77 CA$2.50

$0.90 ฿30.14

96.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 CA$1.52

$0.47 ฿15.56

127.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.49 CA$6.35

$2.55 ฿85.2

76.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.00 CA$7.06

$3.83 ฿128

30.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CA$3.16

$1.73 ฿57.7

28.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 CA$3.97

$1.47 ฿49.11

91.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 CA$4.23

$1.51 ฿50.6

98.01%

Eggs

$3.56 CA$5.03

$2.17 ฿72.7

64.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.47 CA$19.05

$19.70 ฿658

-31.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.04 CA$17.02

$3.34 ฿112

260.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.83 CA$18.14

$11.16 ฿373

14.96%

Apples (1kg)

$5.00 CA$7.07

$2.85 ฿95.1

75.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$1.70 ฿56.9

-12.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.16 CA$5.88

$2.19 ฿73.3

89.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 CA$5.70

$2.05 ฿68.4

96.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 CA$2.86

$1.45 ฿48.57

40.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 CA$3.12

$1.38 ฿46.16

60.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 CA$3.50

$1.07 ฿35.69

131.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 CA$1.95

$0.51 ฿16.91

170.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.23 CA$20.12

$4.26 ฿142

234.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.67 CA$13.67

$18.58 ฿621

-47.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 CA$2.52

$1.78 ฿59.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 CA$2.93

$2.85 ฿95.2

-27.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.09 CA$2.95

$2.26 ฿75.6

-7.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.4 CA$79.8

$22.10 ฿738

155.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 CA$3.97

$3.01 ฿101

-6.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 CA$1.48

$1.06 ฿35.34

-0.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.60 CA$24.89

$3.86 ฿129

355.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 CA$1.80

$1.45 ฿48.45

-11.72%

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

$26.4K CA$37.3K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

0.16%

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

$21.4K CA$30.3K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-20.47%

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

$122 CA$173

$96.4 ฿3,221

26.67%

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

$42.20 CA$59.7

$11.04 ฿369

282.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.5 CA$91.2

$17.14 ฿573

276.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 CA$75.4

$52.2 ฿1,744

2.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.52 CA$50.2

$11.16 ฿373

218.28%

Cinema Ticket

$12.61 CA$17.83

$7.81 ฿261

61.46%

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

$372 CA$526

$556 ฿18.6K

-33.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K CA$16.0K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-2.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.5 CA$71.4

$64.2 ฿2,146

-21.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.95 CA$50.8

$28.69 ฿959

25.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 CA$143

$95.4 ฿3,187

5.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 CA$151

$88.0 ฿2,940

21.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$966 CA$1,366

$737 ฿24.6K

31.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$826 CA$1,168

$462 ฿15.5K

78.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 CA$2,275

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-23.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,353 CA$1,913

$1,201 ฿40.1K

12.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,035 CA$2,876

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-41.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,131 CA$3,013

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-15.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,596 CA$3,670

$501 ฿16.7K

418.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.69

5.57

-15.80%

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

Last update for Saint John, New Brunswick: October 17, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint John, New Brunswick

$826 42.3%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 44% $364

Groceries & Markets

Saint John, New Brunswick

$356 18.2%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 24.5% $87

Eating Out

Saint John, New Brunswick

$259 13.3%

Phuket

$121 10% 53.2% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint John, New Brunswick

$229 11.7%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 45.6% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Saint John, New Brunswick

$132 6.8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 6% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

Saint John, New Brunswick

$79 4%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 13.7% $11

Getting Around

Saint John, New Brunswick

$73 3.7%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 45.8% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $966 in Saint John, New Brunswick and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint John, New Brunswick pays 419% 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: $61.0 in Saint John, New Brunswick vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $356 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Saint John, New Brunswick

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

10:24 10:24 AM

20:24 8:24 PM

10 h ahead of Saint John, New Brunswick

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,063

79,308

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Saint John, New Brunswick Phuket 13,900 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint John, New Brunswick
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

Saint John, New Brunswick vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 62% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 419% higher in Saint John, New Brunswick, 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: $966 in Saint John, New Brunswick versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $372 in Saint John, New Brunswick versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Saint John, New Brunswick. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,954 in Saint John, New Brunswick, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Saint John, New Brunswick. 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 Saint John, New Brunswick, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Saint John, New Brunswick and Phuket 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 62% less than in Saint John, New Brunswick. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.