Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scarborough, Canada and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,561 in Scarborough, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Scarborough
Learn more

Scarborough Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Scarborough

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,561 in Scarborough versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Scarborough $2,561
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,474 in Scarborough versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Scarborough $3,474
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,388 in Scarborough versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Scarborough $4,388
Phuket $3,154

Living in Scarborough is roughly 100% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Scarborough is 88% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.32 CA$24.20

$4.47 ฿151

287.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$98.3

$32.41 ฿1,093

117.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.89 CA$15.22

$8.81 ฿297

23.61%

Cappuccino

$3.99 CA$5.57

$2.83 ฿95.4

40.99%

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

$2.03 CA$2.84

$0.87 ฿29.41

133.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 CA$2.05

$0.49 ฿16.65

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.55 CA$9.15

$2.56 ฿86.3

155.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.29 CA$10.18

$3.68 ฿124

98.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.51 CA$3.51

$1.66 ฿55.9

51.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 CA$3.68

$1.46 ฿49.31

80.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 CA$3.19

$1.50 ฿50.5

52.00%

Eggs

$3.64 CA$5.09

$2.09 ฿70.5

74.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.14 CA$12.77

$19.07 ฿643

-52.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.44 CA$15.99

$3.30 ฿111

246.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.96 CA$18.11

$10.91 ฿368

18.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 CA$4.79

$2.93 ฿98.9

17.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.69

$1.69 ฿57.0

-28.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 CA$4.67

$2.25 ฿75.8

48.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 CA$5.82

$2.08 ฿70.0

100.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 CA$2.37

$1.51 ฿51.0

11.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.68 CA$2.35

$1.38 ฿46.52

21.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 CA$3.08

$1.07 ฿35.96

105.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 CA$1.76

$0.52 ฿17.51

142.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 CA$19.56

$4.20 ฿142

233.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.58 CA$17.58

$18.79 ฿634

-33.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 CA$3.06

$1.82 ฿61.5

20.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 CA$3.57

$2.84 ฿95.8

-10.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.40 CA$3.35

$1.45 ฿48.98

65.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CA$147

$56.7 ฿1,912

85.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 CA$4.28

$3.02 ฿102

1.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 CA$1.79

$1.02 ฿34.33

25.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.52 CA$31.46

$3.69 ฿125

510.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 CA$1.75

$1.47 ฿49.76

-14.97%

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

$26.1K CA$36.5K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-2.36%

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

$21.7K CA$30.4K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-18.61%

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

$137 CA$192

$96.4 ฿3,251

42.55%

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

$35.21 CA$49.20

$11.26 ฿380

212.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.56 CA$67.9

$16.85 ฿568

188.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.87 CA$50.1

$67.2 ฿2,268

-46.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.96 CA$50.2

$10.73 ฿362

235.14%

Cinema Ticket

$12.95 CA$18.10

$7.50 ฿253

72.67%

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

$749 CA$1,047

$476 ฿16.1K

57.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K CA$15.1K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-4.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 CA$74.6

$62.4 ฿2,104

-14.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.94 CA$57.2

$28.41 ฿958

44.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 CA$119

$94.3 ฿3,181

-9.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 CA$147

$85.8 ฿2,895

22.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,744 CA$2,437

$716 ฿24.2K

143.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,415 CA$1,977

$491 ฿16.6K

188.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,122 CA$2,966

$1,927 ฿65.0K

10.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,758 CA$2,457

$1,431 ฿48.3K

22.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,770 CA$10.9K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

86.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,085 CA$8,502

$3,045 ฿102.7K

99.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,980 CA$4,163

$502 ฿16.9K

493.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.55

5.57

-18.31%

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

Last update for Scarborough: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Scarborough

$1.4K 55.3%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 65.3% $924

Groceries & Markets

Scarborough

$331 12.9%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 19.5% $65

Eating Out

Scarborough

$280 11%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 56.6% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scarborough

$221 8.6%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 43.7% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Scarborough

$128 5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 4.8% $6.1

Getting Around

Scarborough

$124 4.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 43.1% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Scarborough

$62 2.4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 33.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,744 in Scarborough and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Scarborough pays about 5.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $70 in Scarborough vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $331 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Scarborough

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

01:45 1:45 AM

12:45 12:45 PM

11 h ahead of Scarborough

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,960

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 1, 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Scarborough Phuket 14,270 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Scarborough
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

Scarborough vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 50% 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 Scarborough is about 5.9 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: $1,744 in Scarborough versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $749 in Scarborough 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 24% higher in Scarborough. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,561 in Scarborough, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Scarborough. 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 50% less than in Scarborough. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.