Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Victoria, Canada and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,554 in Victoria, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Victoria, Canada
Phuket, Thailand
Victoria
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,554
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,554 in Victoria versus $1,278 in Phuket.

  • Victoria $2,554
  • Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,830 in Victoria versus $2,216 in Phuket.

  • Victoria $3,830
  • Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,107 in Victoria versus $3,154 in Phuket.

  • Victoria $5,107
  • Phuket $3,154

Living in Victoria is roughly 100% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Victoria is 88% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Victoria
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.57 CA$27.49
$4.47 ฿151
337.81%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$70.3 CA$98.8
$32.41 ฿1,094
116.88%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.92 CA$15.34
$8.81 ฿297
23.95%
Cappuccino
$4.27 CA$6.00
$2.83 ฿95.5
50.88%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.34 CA$3.29
$0.87 ฿29.43
168.97%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.88 CA$2.65
$0.49 ฿16.67
283.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.57 CA$7.83
$2.56 ฿86.4
117.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.63 CA$9.32
$3.68 ฿124
80.16%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Victoria
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.79 CA$3.93
$1.66 ฿56.0
68.07%
White Bread (500g)
$3.08 CA$4.32
$1.46 ฿49.35
110.96%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.06 CA$5.70
$1.50 ฿50.6
170.67%
Eggs
$4.25 CA$5.97
$2.09 ฿70.5
103.35%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$27.60 CA$38.77
$19.07 ฿644
44.73%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.88 CA$18.09
$3.30 ฿111
290.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.43 CA$20.28
$10.91 ฿368
32.26%
Apples (1kg)
$4.09 CA$5.75
$2.93 ฿99.0
39.59%
Banana (1kg)
$1.47 CA$2.06
$1.69 ฿57.1
-13.02%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.90 CA$5.48
$2.25 ฿75.8
73.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.16 CA$5.85
$2.08 ฿70.1
100.00%
Potato (1kg)
$3.54 CA$4.97
$1.51 ฿51.0
134.44%
Onion (1kg)
$2.88 CA$4.04
$1.38 ฿46.56
108.70%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.24 CA$4.55
$1.07 ฿35.99
202.80%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.51 CA$3.52
$0.52 ฿17.52
382.69%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$15.04 CA$21.13
$4.20 ฿142
258.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.77 CA$24.96
$18.79 ฿634
-5.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.85 CA$5.41
$1.82 ฿61.5
111.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.62 CA$5.09
$2.84 ฿95.9
27.46%
🚌 Getting Around
Victoria
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.10 CA$2.96
$1.45 ฿49.03
44.83%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$60.0 CA$84.3
$56.7 ฿1,913
5.93%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.78 CA$3.91
$3.02 ฿102
-7.95%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.59 CA$2.23
$1.02 ฿34.36
55.88%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$34.64 CA$48.67
$3.69 ฿125
838.75%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.39 CA$1.95
$1.47 ฿49.81
-5.44%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.6K CA$40.2K
$26.8K ฿904.3K
6.79%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.2K CA$29.8K
$26.7K ฿901.3K
-20.46%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Victoria
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$104 CA$146
$96.4 ฿3,254
8.03%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$44.11 CA$62.0
$11.26 ฿380
291.74%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$62.1 CA$87.3
$16.85 ฿569
268.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Victoria
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.39 CA$58.2
$67.2 ฿2,270
-38.44%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.05 CA$23.96
$10.73 ฿362
58.90%
Cinema Ticket
$10.58 CA$14.87
$7.50 ฿253
41.07%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Victoria
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$890 CA$1,250
$476 ฿16.1K
86.91%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.1K CA$32.5K
$11.3K ฿380.4K
105.26%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Victoria
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.4 CA$77.9
$62.4 ฿2,106
-11.14%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.45 CA$61.1
$28.41 ฿959
52.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.9 CA$129
$94.3 ฿3,184
-2.51%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 CA$150
$85.8 ฿2,898
24.44%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Victoria
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,557 CA$2,188
$716 ฿24.2K
117.55%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,300 CA$1,827
$491 ฿16.6K
164.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,730 CA$3,835
$1,927 ฿65.1K
41.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,233 CA$3,138
$1,431 ฿48.3K
56.12%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,638 CA$7,921
$4,175 ฿141.0K
35.02%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,578 CA$6,432
$3,045 ฿102.8K
50.37%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Victoria
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,229 CA$4,537
$502 ฿17.0K
542.95%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.31
5.57
-22.62%

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

Last update for Victoria: 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
Victoria
$1.3K
Phuket
$491 62.3% $810
Groceries & Markets
Victoria
$470
Phuket
$266 43.3% $203
Eating Out
Victoria
$299
Phuket
$122 59.2% $177
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Victoria
$210
Phuket
$124 40.8% $86
Clothing & Footwear
Victoria
$134
Phuket
$122 9% $12
Getting Around
Victoria
$79
Phuket
$71 10.8% $8.6
Sport & Entertainment
Victoria
$63
Phuket
$82 31.5% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,557 in Victoria and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Victoria pays about 6.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $70 in Victoria vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $470 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Victoria
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
10:47 10:47 AM
00:47 12:47 AM
14 h ahead of Victoria
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
85,792
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.712 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.639 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Victoria Phuket 12,540 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Victoria
  • 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
Victoria vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phuket cheaper than Victoria?
Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 100% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Victoria or Phuket?
Average pay in Victoria is about 6.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Victoria and Phuket?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,557 in Victoria versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $890 in Victoria versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Victoria and in Phuket?
Supermarket bills run roughly 76% higher in Victoria. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Victoria or in Phuket?
At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,554 in Victoria, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Victoria. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Victoria or in Phuket?
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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Victoria. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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