Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thunder Bay and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,169 in Thunder Bay, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Thunder Bay
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Thunder Bay Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Thunder Bay

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,169

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,169 in Thunder Bay versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Thunder Bay $2,169
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,338 in Thunder Bay versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Thunder Bay $3,338
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,508 in Thunder Bay versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Thunder Bay $4,508
Phuket $2,845

Living in Thunder Bay is roughly 79% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Thunder Bay is 60% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.63 CA$24.93

$4.40 ฿147

300.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 CA$85.1

$32.26 ฿1,078

86.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.62 CA$17.84

$8.76 ฿293

44.06%

Cappuccino

$3.40 CA$4.81

$2.83 ฿94.5

20.14%

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

$1.86 CA$2.63

$0.90 ฿30.14

106.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 CA$2.25

$0.47 ฿15.56

238.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.43 CA$7.68

$2.55 ฿85.2

112.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.03 CA$7.12

$3.83 ฿128

31.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.27 CA$3.20

$1.73 ฿57.7

31.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 CA$3.60

$1.47 ฿49.11

73.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.29 CA$4.65

$1.51 ฿50.6

117.88%

Eggs

$3.59 CA$5.08

$2.17 ฿72.7

65.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.69 CA$23.59

$19.70 ฿658

-15.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.91 CA$22.50

$3.34 ฿112

376.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.25 CA$22.98

$11.16 ฿373

45.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.33 CA$4.71

$2.85 ฿95.1

16.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.71

$1.70 ฿56.9

-28.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.92 CA$5.54

$2.19 ฿73.3

79.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.48 CA$4.92

$2.05 ฿68.4

69.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 CA$3.53

$1.45 ฿48.57

72.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 CA$3.05

$1.38 ฿46.16

56.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 CA$4.12

$1.07 ฿35.69

171.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 CA$3.36

$0.51 ฿16.91

366.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.69 CA$15.11

$4.26 ฿142

150.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.67 CA$12.26

$18.58 ฿621

-53.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 CA$2.77

$1.78 ฿59.7

10.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 CA$4.14

$2.85 ฿95.2

2.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.28 CA$3.22

$2.26 ฿75.6

0.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.3 CA$90.9

$22.10 ฿738

191.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.26 CA$7.44

$3.01 ฿101

74.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 CA$2.94

$1.06 ฿35.34

96.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.48 CA$50.2

$3.86 ฿129

819.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 CA$1.63

$1.45 ฿48.45

-20.00%

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

$28.0K CA$39.6K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

6.28%

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

$21.0K CA$29.7K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-22.11%

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

$159 CA$225

$96.4 ฿3,221

65.31%

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

$57.9 CA$81.8

$11.04 ฿369

424.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.3 CA$112

$17.14 ฿573

362.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.52 CA$41.73

$52.2 ฿1,744

-43.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.06 CA$25.54

$11.16 ฿373

61.83%

Cinema Ticket

$17.88 CA$25.27

$7.81 ฿261

128.94%

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

$670 CA$947

$556 ฿18.6K

20.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.7 CA$108

$64.2 ฿2,146

19.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.15 CA$49.69

$28.69 ฿959

22.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 CA$108

$95.4 ฿3,187

-19.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 CA$184

$88.0 ฿2,940

47.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 CA$1,488

$737 ฿24.6K

42.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$908 CA$1,283

$462 ฿15.5K

96.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,898 CA$2,683

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-9.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,741 CA$2,461

$1,201 ฿40.1K

44.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,027 CA$4,279

$501 ฿16.7K

504.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.58

5.57

-17.77%

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

Last update for Thunder Bay: October 17, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Thunder Bay

$908 41.9%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 49.1% $445

Groceries & Markets

Thunder Bay

$396 18.3%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 32.2% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thunder Bay

$296 13.7%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 58% $172

Eating Out

Thunder Bay

$271 12.5%

Phuket

$121 10% 55.2% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Thunder Bay

$143 6.6%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 13.3% $19

Getting Around

Thunder Bay

$89 4.1%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 55.7% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Thunder Bay

$65 3%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 3.9% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,053 in Thunder Bay and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Thunder Bay pays 504% 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: $60.0 in Thunder Bay vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $396 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Thunder Bay

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

10:19 10:19 AM

21:19 9:19 PM

11 h ahead of Thunder Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

107,909

79,308

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Thunder Bay Phuket 13,710 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Thunder Bay
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

Thunder Bay vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 79% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 504% higher in Thunder Bay, 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: $1,053 in Thunder Bay versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $670 in Thunder Bay versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in Thunder Bay. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,169 in Thunder Bay, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Thunder Bay. 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 Thunder Bay, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Thunder Bay 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 79% less than in Thunder Bay. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.