Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alga and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Alga: $870 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Alga
Learn more

Alga Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Alga

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$870

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $870 in Alga versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Alga $870
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,421 in Alga versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Alga $1,421
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,971 in Alga versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Alga $1,971
Phuket $3,115

Living in Alga costs roughly 33% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Alga 36% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.95 ₸4,484

$4.39 ฿147

126.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.62 ₸15.1K

$32.31 ฿1,078

4.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.73 ₸3,483

$8.70 ฿290

-11.15%

Cappuccino

$2.39 ₸1,079

$2.72 ฿90.9

-12.13%

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

$1.11 ₸501

$0.93 ฿31.06

19.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₸249

$0.50 ฿16.67

10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.30 ₸587

$2.53 ฿84.5

-48.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 ₸957

$3.63 ฿121

-41.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 ₸622

$1.74 ฿58.1

-20.69%

White Bread (500g)

$0.48 ₸215

$1.45 ฿48.42

-66.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ₸682

$1.50 ฿50.1

0.67%

Eggs

$1.69 ₸763

$2.17 ฿72.5

-22.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.44 ₸4,702

$19.09 ฿637

-45.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.66 ₸2,550

$3.40 ฿113

66.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.86 ₸3,989

$10.90 ฿364

-18.72%

Apples (1kg)

$1.49 ₸670

$2.94 ฿98.2

-49.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 ₸965

$1.69 ฿56.5

26.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ₸1,073

$2.19 ฿73.2

8.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 ₸946

$2.12 ฿70.9

-0.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₸297

$1.46 ฿48.68

-54.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.52 ₸235

$1.37 ฿45.66

-62.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₸518

$1.08 ฿35.91

6.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₸445

$0.55 ฿18.21

80.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.38 ₸1,071

$4.43 ฿148

-46.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 ₸3,552

$18.25 ฿609

-56.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 ₸563

$1.77 ฿59.2

-29.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 ₸918

$2.88 ฿96.2

-29.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 ₸94.1

$1.45 ฿48.32

-85.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.90 ₸7,613

$54.9 ฿1,832

-69.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 ₸495

$1.51 ฿50.5

-27.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 ₸320

$0.78 ฿25.90

-8.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.87 ₸2,645

$3.84 ฿128

52.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.66 ₸299

$1.49 ฿49.65

-55.70%

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

$27.9K ₸12.6M

$26.9K ฿897.3K

3.70%

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

$30.2K ₸13.6M

$26.3K ฿879.4K

14.77%

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

$66.1 ₸29.8K

$97.8 ฿3,265

-32.38%

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

$10.36 ₸4,666

$11.29 ฿377

-8.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.58 ₸7,019

$17.19 ฿574

-9.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.84 ₸18.8K

$68.3 ฿2,281

-38.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

Cinema Ticket

$5.08 ₸2,286

$7.43 ฿248

-31.63%

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

$146 ₸65.9K

$530 ฿17.7K

-72.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,425 ₸2.0M

$18.8K ฿626.9K

-76.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.6 ₸25.5K

$61.7 ฿2,059

-8.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.86 ₸20.2K

$28.25 ฿943

58.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.2 ₸42.4K

$96.0 ฿3,204

-1.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.5 ₸39.4K

$86.8 ฿2,898

0.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$339 ₸152.7K

$721 ฿24.1K

-52.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$224 ₸100.8K

$509 ฿17.0K

-56.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 ₸304.8K

$1,950 ฿65.1K

-65.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$496 ₸223.5K

$1,397 ฿46.6K

-64.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,081 ₸487.0K

$4,192 ฿139.9K

-74.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$850 ₸382.8K

$3,298 ฿110.1K

-74.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.25

5.57

245.60%

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

Last update for Alga: October 31, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alga

$224 25.7%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 128% $285

Groceries & Markets

Alga

$204 23.4%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 31.1% $63

Eating Out

Alga

$149 17.1%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 19.8% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Alga

$127 14.6%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 3.7% $4.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alga

$92 10.6%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 37.1% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Alga

$52 6%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 60% $31

Getting Around

Alga

$22 2.6%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 195% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $339 in Alga and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $34 in Alga vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $204 vs $267, with Alga cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Alga

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

03:49 3:49 AM

05:49 5:49 AM

2 h ahead of Alga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 450 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Alga Phuket 4,560 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Alga
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

Alga vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alga wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Alga the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,305 in Alga and $1,940 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $339 in Alga versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $870 per month in Alga versus $1,294 in Phuket – Alga is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Alga runs roughly 69% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Alga is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.