Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aktau and Phuket

Name: Phuket
Address: Phuket, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Aktau: $790 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Aktau
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Aktau Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Aktau

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$790

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $790 per month in Aktau vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Aktau $790
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,315 per month in Aktau vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Aktau $1,315
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $1,840 per month in Aktau vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Aktau $1,840
Phuket $3,154

Aktau is about 38% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Aktau and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Aktau 42% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.03 ₸5,023

$4.47 ฿151

146.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.54 ₸19.8K

$32.41 ฿1,092

34.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.90 ₸4,511

$8.81 ฿297

12.37%

Cappuccino

$2.59 ₸1,182

$2.83 ฿95.3

-8.48%

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

$0.79 ₸358

$0.87 ฿29.37

-9.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₸223

$0.49 ฿16.64

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.37 ₸623

$2.56 ฿86.2

-46.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 ₸723

$3.68 ฿124

-56.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ₸672

$1.66 ฿55.9

-11.45%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 ₸229

$1.46 ฿49.25

-65.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 ₸864

$1.50 ฿50.4

26.67%

Eggs

$1.69 ₸771

$2.09 ฿70.4

-19.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.02 ₸4,562

$19.07 ฿642

-47.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.16 ₸1,893

$3.30 ฿111

26.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.58 ₸3,909

$10.91 ฿368

-21.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.53 ₸696

$2.93 ฿98.7

-47.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 ₸1,059

$1.69 ฿56.9

37.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₸1,068

$2.25 ฿75.7

4.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.78 ₸1,268

$2.08 ฿70.0

33.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₸303

$1.51 ฿50.9

-56.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 ₸261

$1.38 ฿46.47

-58.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 ₸676

$1.07 ฿35.91

38.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ₸414

$0.52 ฿17.49

75.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.59 ₸1,181

$4.20 ฿142

-38.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.37 ₸4,267

$18.79 ฿633

-50.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ₸356

$1.82 ฿61.4

-57.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 ₸418

$2.84 ฿95.7

-67.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 ₸70.7

$1.45 ฿48.93

-88.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 ₸498

$3.02 ฿102

-63.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸292

$1.02 ฿34.29

-37.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.66 ₸302

$1.47 ฿49.70

-55.10%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

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

$31.4K ₸14.3M

$26.7K ฿899.5K

17.68%

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

$45.62 ₸20.8K

$96.4 ฿3,247

-52.65%

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

$8.07 ₸3,678

$11.26 ฿380

-28.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.70 ₸4,872

$16.85 ฿568

-36.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.05 ₸16.4K

$67.2 ฿2,266

-46.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$3.03 ₸1,379

$7.50 ฿253

-59.60%

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

$146 ₸66.5K

$476 ฿16.0K

-69.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,678 ₸1.2M

$11.3K ฿379.6K

-76.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.3 ₸30.7K

$62.4 ฿2,102

7.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.80 ₸18.1K

$28.41 ฿957

40.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.6 ₸32.6K

$94.3 ฿3,178

-24.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.2 ₸40.6K

$85.8 ฿2,892

3.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$328 ₸149.6K

$716 ฿24.1K

-54.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$193 ₸88.1K

$491 ฿16.5K

-60.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$544 ₸247.7K

$1,927 ฿64.9K

-71.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 ₸179.0K

$1,431 ฿48.2K

-72.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$806 ₸367.3K

$4,175 ฿140.7K

-80.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$657 ₸299.1K

$3,045 ฿102.6K

-78.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$553 ₸251.9K

$502 ฿16.9K

10.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

151.35%

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

Last update for Aktau: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Aktau

$200 25.3%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 33.1% $66

Accommodation & Living

Aktau

$193 24.5%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 154% $297

Eating Out

Aktau

$164 20.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 25.9% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Aktau

$121 15.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 1.1% $1.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aktau

$64 8.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 93.3% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Aktau

$42 5.3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 95.3% $40

Getting Around

Aktau

$4.9 * 0.6%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 1335% $66

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $328 in Aktau versus $716 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 10% higher in Aktau, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Aktau versus $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $200 in Aktau vs $266 in Phuket – so Aktau wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Aktau

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:35 1:35 PM

15:35 3:35 PM

2 h ahead of Aktau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

273,830

79,308

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 456 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 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 KZT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Aktau Phuket 6,050 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Aktau
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

Aktau vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 62% more than Aktau, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,185 per month in Aktau and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aktau, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $328 there versus $716 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Aktau and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Aktau – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.