Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thompson and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,806 in Thompson, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Thompson
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Thompson Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Thompson

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,806

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Thompson versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Thompson $1,806
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,737 in Thompson versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Thompson $2,737
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,669 in Thompson versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Thompson $3,669
Phuket $3,154

Living in Thompson is roughly 41% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Thompson is 33% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.00 CA$25.18

$4.47 ฿151

302.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.4 CA$90.1

$32.41 ฿1,092

98.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.52 CA$14.71

$8.81 ฿297

19.41%

Cappuccino

$3.72 CA$5.20

$2.83 ฿95.3

31.45%

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

$1.97 CA$2.76

$0.87 ฿29.37

126.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.24

$0.49 ฿16.64

226.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.16 CA$7.22

$2.56 ฿86.2

101.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 CA$8.04

$3.68 ฿124

56.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 CA$2.93

$1.66 ฿55.9

25.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 CA$3.58

$1.46 ฿49.25

75.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.51 CA$4.91

$1.50 ฿50.4

134.00%

Eggs

$3.49 CA$4.88

$2.09 ฿70.4

66.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.29 CA$14.40

$19.07 ฿642

-46.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.63 CA$16.27

$3.30 ฿111

252.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.89 CA$20.82

$10.91 ฿368

36.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.93 CA$5.50

$2.93 ฿98.7

34.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 CA$1.91

$1.69 ฿56.9

-18.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.98 CA$5.56

$2.25 ฿75.7

76.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.82 CA$5.34

$2.08 ฿70.0

83.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.35 CA$3.29

$1.51 ฿50.9

55.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 CA$3.09

$1.38 ฿46.47

60.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 CA$3.48

$1.07 ฿35.91

132.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 CA$2.32

$0.52 ฿17.49

219.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 CA$19.58

$4.20 ฿142

233.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.62 CA$17.65

$18.79 ฿633

-32.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 CA$3.96

$1.82 ฿61.4

55.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CA$4.44

$2.84 ฿95.7

11.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 CA$3.22

$1.45 ฿48.93

58.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.9 CA$93.5

$56.7 ฿1,909

18.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 CA$4.21

$3.02 ฿102

-0.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 CA$1.93

$1.02 ฿34.29

35.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.88 CA$33.39

$3.69 ฿124

547.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 CA$1.54

$1.47 ฿49.70

-25.17%

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

$28.2K CA$39.4K

$26.8K ฿902.4K

5.31%

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

$23.6K CA$33.0K

$26.7K ฿899.5K

-11.65%

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

$136 CA$191

$96.4 ฿3,247

41.45%

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

$39.10 CA$54.7

$11.26 ฿380

247.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.9 CA$76.8

$16.85 ฿568

225.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.46 CA$52.4

$67.2 ฿2,266

-44.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.81 CA$24.91

$10.73 ฿361

65.98%

Cinema Ticket

$10.46 CA$14.63

$7.50 ฿253

39.47%

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

$664 CA$928

$476 ฿16.0K

39.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K CA$16.0K

$11.3K ฿379.6K

1.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.4 CA$76.1

$62.4 ฿2,102

-12.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.02 CA$54.6

$28.41 ฿957

37.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.4 CA$122

$94.3 ฿3,178

-7.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 CA$144

$85.8 ฿2,892

19.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$687 CA$961

$716 ฿24.1K

-4.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$674 CA$942

$491 ฿16.5K

37.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,109 CA$1,551

$1,927 ฿64.9K

-42.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,114 CA$1,558

$1,431 ฿48.2K

-22.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,361 CA$6,100

$4,175 ฿140.7K

4.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,358 CA$4,697

$3,045 ฿102.6K

10.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,567 CA$2,192

$502 ฿16.9K

211.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.68

5.57

-15.98%

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

Last update for Thompson: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Thompson

$674 37.3%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 27.1% $183

Groceries & Markets

Thompson

$358 19.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 25.7% $92

Eating Out

Thompson

$272 15.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 55.2% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thompson

$230 12.8%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 45.9% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Thompson

$128 7.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 4.5% $5.7

Getting Around

Thompson

$86 4.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 17.9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Thompson

$58 3.2%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 40.9% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $687 in Thompson and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Thompson pays about 3.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $64 in Thompson vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $358 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Thompson

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

08:04 8:04 AM

20:04 8:04 PM

12 h ahead of Thompson

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,829

79,308

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Thompson Phuket 12,780 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Thompson
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

Thompson vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 29% 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 Thompson is about 3.1 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: $687 in Thompson versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $664 in Thompson 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 35% higher in Thompson. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,806 in Thompson, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Thompson. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Thompson on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.