Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Thomas, Canada and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,436 in St. Thomas, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in St. Thomas
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St. Thomas Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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St. Thomas

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,436

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,436 in St. Thomas versus $1,278 in Phuket.

St. Thomas $2,436
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,399 in St. Thomas versus $2,216 in Phuket.

St. Thomas $3,399
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,363 in St. Thomas versus $3,154 in Phuket.

St. Thomas $4,363
Phuket $3,154

Living in St. Thomas is roughly 91% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: St. Thomas is 79% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.56 CA$30.13

$4.47 ฿151

382.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.6 CA$88.9

$32.41 ฿1,093

96.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.22 CA$15.67

$8.81 ฿297

27.36%

Cappuccino

$3.45 CA$4.82

$2.83 ฿95.4

21.91%

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

$2.11 CA$2.95

$0.87 ฿29.41

142.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 CA$2.28

$0.49 ฿16.65

232.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.85 CA$6.77

$2.56 ฿86.3

89.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 CA$8.59

$3.68 ฿124

67.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CA$3.10

$1.66 ฿55.9

33.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 CA$3.85

$1.46 ฿49.31

89.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.78 CA$5.28

$1.50 ฿50.5

152.00%

Eggs

$3.27 CA$4.57

$2.09 ฿70.5

56.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.05 CA$14.04

$19.07 ฿643

-47.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.80 CA$22.07

$3.30 ฿111

378.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.72 CA$27.56

$10.91 ฿368

80.75%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 CA$5.73

$2.93 ฿98.9

39.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 CA$1.78

$1.69 ฿57.0

-24.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.65 CA$5.10

$2.25 ฿75.8

62.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.06 CA$5.68

$2.08 ฿70.0

95.19%

Potato (1kg)

$3.30 CA$4.61

$1.51 ฿51.0

118.54%

Onion (1kg)

$3.06 CA$4.27

$1.38 ฿46.52

121.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 CA$4.01

$1.07 ฿35.96

168.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.17

$0.52 ฿17.51

198.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.23 CA$15.70

$4.20 ฿142

167.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.51 CA$17.48

$18.79 ฿634

-33.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 CA$3.52

$1.82 ฿61.5

38.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 CA$4.06

$2.84 ฿95.8

2.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 CA$3.06

$1.45 ฿48.98

51.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.2 CA$95.2

$56.7 ฿1,912

20.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.38 CA$3.32

$3.02 ฿102

-21.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 CA$2.32

$1.02 ฿34.33

62.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.83 CA$31.91

$3.69 ฿125

518.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.64

$1.47 ฿49.76

-20.41%

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

$27.0K CA$37.8K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

0.91%

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

$23.1K CA$32.2K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-13.64%

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

$126 CA$176

$96.4 ฿3,251

30.66%

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

$42.99 CA$60.1

$11.26 ฿380

281.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.4 CA$80.2

$16.85 ฿568

240.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.32 CA$55.0

$67.2 ฿2,268

-41.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 CA$23.84

$10.73 ฿362

58.99%

Cinema Ticket

$10.65 CA$14.88

$7.50 ฿253

42.00%

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

$421 CA$588

$476 ฿16.1K

-11.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K CA$24.2K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

53.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 CA$75.4

$62.4 ฿2,104

-13.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.85 CA$51.5

$28.41 ฿958

29.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.4 CA$115

$94.3 ฿3,181

-12.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 CA$126

$85.8 ฿2,895

5.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 CA$1,625

$716 ฿24.2K

62.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,245 CA$1,740

$491 ฿16.6K

153.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,276 CA$3,180

$1,927 ฿65.0K

18.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,659 CA$2,319

$1,431 ฿48.3K

15.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,403 CA$6,152

$4,175 ฿140.9K

5.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,575 CA$4,996

$3,045 ฿102.7K

17.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,004 CA$4,197

$502 ฿16.9K

498.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.99

5.57

-10.41%

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

Last update for St. Thomas: 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

St. Thomas

$1.2K 51.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 60.6% $754

Groceries & Markets

St. Thomas

$399 16.4%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 33.2% $133

Eating Out

St. Thomas

$299 12.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 59.3% $177

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Thomas

$226 9.3%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 45% $102

Clothing & Footwear

St. Thomas

$119 4.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 2.8% $3.3

Getting Around

St. Thomas

$88 3.6%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 19.4% $17

Sport & Entertainment

St. Thomas

$61 2.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 35.6% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,163 in St. Thomas and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

St. Thomas pays about 6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $64 in St. Thomas vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $399 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 St. Thomas

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

17:14 5:14 PM

05:14 5:14 AM

12 h ahead of St. Thomas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,909

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

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Between locations

St. Thomas Phuket 14,380 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

St. Thomas
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

St. Thomas vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 48% 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 St. Thomas is about 6 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: $1,163 in St. Thomas versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $421 in St. Thomas 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 50% higher in St. Thomas. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,436 in St. Thomas, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in St. Thomas. 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 48% less than in St. Thomas. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.