Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Squamish, BC and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,634 in Squamish, BC, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Squamish, BC
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Squamish, BC Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Squamish, BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,634

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,634 in Squamish, BC versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Squamish, BC $2,634
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,904 in Squamish, BC versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Squamish, BC $3,904
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,175 in Squamish, BC versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Squamish, BC $5,175
Phuket $2,867

Living in Squamish, BC is roughly 118% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Squamish, BC is 95% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.19 CA$23.02

$4.58 ฿154

253.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.77 CA$69.3

$32.48 ฿1,090

50.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.01 CA$14.23

$8.55 ฿287

17.08%

Cappuccino

$3.94 CA$5.60

$2.72 ฿91.3

44.85%

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

$1.79 CA$2.54

$0.94 ฿31.37

90.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 CA$2.09

$0.49 ฿16.46

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 CA$7.92

$2.59 ฿86.9

115.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.63 CA$8.00

$3.83 ฿129

47.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 CA$2.50

$1.74 ฿58.3

1.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 CA$2.99

$1.43 ฿48.01

46.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.46 CA$4.92

$1.53 ฿51.2

126.14%

Eggs

$3.08 CA$4.39

$2.17 ฿73.0

41.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.38 CA$17.60

$19.15 ฿642

-35.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.93 CA$21.23

$3.30 ฿111

352.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 CA$27.24

$11.14 ฿374

71.99%

Apples (1kg)

$5.31 CA$7.55

$2.95 ฿98.9

80.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 CA$1.65

$1.68 ฿56.3

-30.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.90 CA$6.97

$2.30 ฿77.1

113.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.93

$2.13 ฿71.6

62.91%

Potato (1kg)

$4.16 CA$5.91

$1.53 ฿51.3

171.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 CA$3.51

$1.36 ฿45.73

81.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 CA$3.49

$1.12 ฿37.59

119.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 CA$2.65

$0.55 ฿18.31

238.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.86 CA$21.12

$4.26 ฿143

248.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.58 CA$15.04

$18.19 ฿610

-41.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 CA$4.03

$1.74 ฿58.4

62.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 CA$5.01

$2.79 ฿93.7

26.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 CA$2.03

$2.22 ฿74.3

-35.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.87 CA$42.46

$22.06 ฿740

35.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 CA$5.12

$2.91 ฿97.7

23.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 CA$1.96

$1.01 ฿33.93

36.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.89 CA$35.38

$3.83 ฿128

549.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 CA$1.61

$1.49 ฿50.0

-24.16%

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

$26.2K CA$37.2K

$26.7K ฿895.1K

-1.96%

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

$18.6K CA$26.4K

$26.7K ฿896.1K

-30.39%

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

$116 CA$166

$99.4 ฿3,334

17.20%

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

$42.93 CA$61.0

$11.28 ฿379

280.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.6 CA$89.0

$17.36 ฿582

260.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 CA$72.6

$52.3 ฿1,754

-2.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿364

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 CA$16.24

$7.57 ฿254

50.86%

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

$1,084 CA$1,541

$558 ฿18.7K

94.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,273 CA$11.8K

$11.5K ฿385.4K

-27.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 CA$73.2

$62.9 ฿2,110

-18.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.42 CA$57.5

$28.58 ฿959

41.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 CA$113

$96.1 ฿3,226

-17.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.9 CA$135

$88.1 ฿2,954

7.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 CA$2,225

$729 ฿24.5K

114.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 CA$2,157

$460 ฿15.4K

229.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,188 CA$4,532

$2,096 ฿70.3K

52.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,719 CA$3,865

$1,222 ฿41.0K

122.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,931 CA$8,433

$3,459 ฿116.0K

71.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,077 CA$4,376

$493 ฿16.5K

524.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.72

5.57

-15.26%

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

Last update for Squamish, BC: October 10, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Squamish, BC

$1.5K 57.6%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 69.7% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Squamish, BC

$396 15.1%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 32.5% $129

Eating Out

Squamish, BC

$259 9.8%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 53.2% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Squamish, BC

$222 8.4%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 42.3% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Squamish, BC

$120 4.5%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 3.6% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Squamish, BC

$74 2.8%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 8.7% $6.5

Getting Around

Squamish, BC

$46 1.8%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 15.6% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,565 in Squamish, BC and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Squamish, BC pays 524% 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: $49.00 in Squamish, BC vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $396 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Squamish, BC

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:30 6:30 PM

08:30 8:30 AM

14 h ahead of Squamish, BC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,512

79,308

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 33.55 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Squamish, BC Phuket 12,460 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Squamish, BC
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

Squamish, BC vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 118% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 524% higher in Squamish, BC, 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: $1,565 in Squamish, BC versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,084 in Squamish, BC versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 48% higher in Squamish, BC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,634 in Squamish, BC, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Squamish, BC. 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 Squamish, BC, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Squamish, BC 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 118% less than in Squamish, BC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.