Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surrey, Canada and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,338 in Surrey, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in Surrey
Learn more

Surrey Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Surrey

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,338

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,338 in Surrey versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Surrey $2,338
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,564 in Surrey versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Surrey $3,564
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,791 in Surrey versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Surrey $4,791
Phuket $3,154

Living in Surrey is roughly 83% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Surrey is 72% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.11 CA$25.31

$4.47 ฿151

305.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 CA$80.3

$32.41 ฿1,093

77.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.06 CA$14.06

$8.81 ฿297

14.19%

Cappuccino

$3.52 CA$4.92

$2.83 ฿95.4

24.38%

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

$2.01 CA$2.81

$0.87 ฿29.41

131.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.10

$0.49 ฿16.65

206.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.01 CA$8.40

$2.56 ฿86.3

134.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.63 CA$7.87

$3.68 ฿124

52.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.47 CA$3.46

$1.66 ฿55.9

48.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 CA$2.94

$1.46 ฿49.31

43.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.64 CA$5.09

$1.50 ฿50.5

142.67%

Eggs

$3.22 CA$4.50

$2.09 ฿70.5

54.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.77 CA$13.65

$19.07 ฿643

-48.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 CA$14.78

$3.30 ฿111

220.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.34 CA$28.42

$10.91 ฿368

86.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.33 CA$4.65

$2.93 ฿98.9

13.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 CA$1.82

$1.69 ฿57.0

-23.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.10

$2.25 ฿75.8

30.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.02 CA$4.23

$2.08 ฿70.0

45.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.59 CA$3.62

$1.51 ฿51.0

71.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 CA$3.01

$1.38 ฿46.52

55.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 CA$2.80

$1.07 ฿35.96

86.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 CA$2.56

$0.52 ฿17.51

251.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.11 CA$19.72

$4.20 ฿142

235.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.20 CA$19.85

$18.79 ฿634

-24.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 CA$3.43

$1.82 ฿61.5

34.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 CA$4.51

$2.84 ฿95.8

13.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 CA$3.57

$1.45 ฿48.98

75.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 CA$154

$56.7 ฿1,912

94.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 CA$3.69

$3.02 ฿102

-12.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 CA$2.23

$1.02 ฿34.33

56.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.02 CA$39.15

$3.69 ฿125

659.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 CA$1.92

$1.47 ฿49.76

-6.12%

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

$28.2K CA$39.3K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

5.16%

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

$21.7K CA$30.3K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-18.66%

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

$187 CA$261

$96.4 ฿3,251

93.57%

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

$37.14 CA$51.9

$11.26 ฿380

229.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.7 CA$91.9

$16.85 ฿568

290.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.83 CA$44.48

$67.2 ฿2,268

-52.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.35 CA$35.42

$10.73 ฿362

136.25%

Cinema Ticket

$12.18 CA$17.02

$7.50 ฿253

62.40%

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

$668 CA$934

$476 ฿16.1K

40.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K CA$16.9K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

7.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 CA$76.8

$62.4 ฿2,104

-11.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 CA$85.4

$28.41 ฿958

115.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.5 CA$139

$94.3 ฿3,181

5.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 CA$127

$85.8 ฿2,895

5.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,376 CA$1,923

$716 ฿24.2K

92.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,094 CA$1,528

$491 ฿16.6K

122.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,606 CA$3,641

$1,927 ฿65.0K

35.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 CA$2,927

$1,431 ฿48.3K

46.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,631 CA$9,265

$4,175 ฿140.9K

58.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,166 CA$7,218

$3,045 ฿102.7K

69.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,156 CA$4,410

$502 ฿16.9K

528.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

5.57

-12.57%

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

Last update for Surrey: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Surrey

$1.1K 46.8%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 55.1% $603

Groceries & Markets

Surrey

$357 15.3%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 25.4% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surrey

$289 12.4%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 57% $165

Eating Out

Surrey

$273 11.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 55.4% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Surrey

$138 5.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 11.6% $16

Getting Around

Surrey

$131 5.6%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 46.2% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Surrey

$56 2.4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 46.3% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,376 in Surrey and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Surrey pays about 6.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $57 in Surrey vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $357 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Surrey

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

08:48 8:48 AM

14 h ahead of Surrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

517,887

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

Surrey Phuket 12,510 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Surrey
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

Surrey vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 45% 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 Surrey is about 6.3 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: $1,376 in Surrey versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Surrey 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 34% higher in Surrey. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,338 in Surrey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Surrey. 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 45% less than in Surrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.