Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kostanay and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Kostanay: $958 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Kostanay
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
$958
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,207
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $958 per month in Kostanay vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Kostanay $958
  • Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $1,445 per month in Kostanay vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Kostanay $1,445
  • Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $1,932 per month in Kostanay vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Kostanay $1,932
  • Phuket $2,867

Kostanay is about 21% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kostanay and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Kostanay 29% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kostanay
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.42 ₸2,452
$4.58 ฿153
18.34%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$29.19 ₸13.2K
$32.48 ฿1,086
-10.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.13 ₸3,223
$8.55 ฿286
-16.61%
Cappuccino
$2.20 ₸992
$2.72 ฿91.0
-19.12%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.13 ₸509
$0.94 ฿31.25
20.21%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.91 ₸413
$0.49 ฿16.39
85.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.42 ₸644
$2.59 ฿86.6
-45.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.68 ₸1,212
$3.83 ฿128
-30.03%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kostanay
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.26 ₸570
$1.74 ฿58.1
-27.59%
White Bread (500g)
$0.53 ₸240
$1.43 ฿47.82
-62.94%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.07 ₸483
$1.53 ฿51.0
-30.07%
Eggs
$2.18 ₸988
$2.17 ฿72.7
0.46%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.47 ₸4,732
$19.15 ฿640
-45.33%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.93 ₸2,682
$3.30 ฿110
79.70%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.35 ₸3,774
$11.14 ฿372
-25.04%
Apples (1kg)
$1.58 ₸713
$2.95 ฿98.5
-46.44%
Banana (1kg)
$2.29 ₸1,033
$1.68 ฿56.1
36.31%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.85 ₸835
$2.30 ฿76.8
-19.57%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.30 ₸1,040
$2.13 ฿71.3
7.98%
Potato (1kg)
$0.58 ₸264
$1.53 ฿51.1
-62.09%
Onion (1kg)
$0.65 ₸294
$1.36 ฿45.55
-52.21%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.20 ₸544
$1.12 ฿37.44
7.14%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.89 ₸404
$0.55 ฿18.24
61.82%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.50 ₸1,131
$4.26 ฿142
-41.31%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.16 ₸3,689
$18.19 ฿608
-55.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.10 ₸496
$1.74 ฿58.2
-36.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 ₸1,025
$2.79 ฿93.3
-18.64%
🚌 Getting Around
Kostanay
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.34 ₸155
$2.22 ฿74.1
-84.68%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$22.06 ฿737
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.89 ₸403
$2.91 ฿97.3
-69.42%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.09 ₸492
$1.01 ฿33.79
7.92%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.84 ₸2,641
$3.83 ฿128
52.48%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.64 ₸288
$1.49 ฿49.85
-57.05%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.8K ₸13.9M
$26.7K ฿891.6K
15.28%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.7K ₸13.9M
$26.7K ฿892.7K
15.08%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kostanay
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$78.5 ₸35.5K
$99.4 ฿3,321
-20.98%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.07 ₸5,005
$11.28 ฿377
-1.86%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.05 ₸7,253
$17.36 ฿580
-7.55%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kostanay
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.87 ₸21.6K
$52.3 ฿1,747
-8.45%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.28 ₸9,167
$10.85 ฿362
86.91%
Cinema Ticket
$4.20 ₸1,900
$7.57 ฿253
-44.52%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kostanay
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$213 ₸96.1K
$558 ฿18.7K
-61.94%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,512 ₸2.9M
$11.5K ฿383.9K
-43.31%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kostanay
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$94.6 ₸42.7K
$62.9 ฿2,102
50.37%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.4 ₸24.6K
$28.58 ฿955
90.27%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$111 ₸50.1K
$96.1 ฿3,213
15.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$91.7 ₸41.5K
$88.1 ฿2,943
4.12%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kostanay
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$394 ₸177.9K
$729 ฿24.4K
-46.04%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$316 ₸142.9K
$460 ฿15.4K
-31.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$600 ₸271.0K
$2,096 ฿70.0K
-71.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$481 ₸217.2K
$1,222 ฿40.8K
-60.68%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,183 ₸534.7K
$3,459 ฿115.6K
-65.81%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$929 ₸420.0K
$2,489 ฿83.2K
-62.67%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kostanay
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$658 ₸297.3K
$493 ฿16.5K
33.41%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
18.5
5.57
232.14%

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

Last update for Kostanay: October 10, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Kostanay
$316
Phuket
$460 45.5% $144
Groceries & Markets
Kostanay
$202
Phuket
$268 32.1% $65
Clothing & Footwear
Kostanay
$158
Phuket
$124 21.5% $34
Eating Out
Kostanay
$112
Phuket
$121 8.6% $9.6
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kostanay
$106
Phuket
$128 21.2% $22
Sport & Entertainment
Kostanay
$56
Phuket
$67 19.8% $11
Getting Around
Kostanay
$7.7 *
Phuket
$39 404% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $394 in Kostanay versus $729 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 33% higher in Kostanay, 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 $29.00 in Kostanay versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $202 vs $268 – making Kostanay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇰🇿 Kostanay
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
13:52 1:52 PM
14:52 2:52 PM
1 h ahead of Kostanay
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
264,446
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kostanay Phuket 5,930 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Kostanay
  • 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
Kostanay vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Kostanay or Phuket?
Phuket costs about 26% more than Kostanay, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Kostanay and in Phuket?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,437 per month in Kostanay and $1,811 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Kostanay or Phuket?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kostanay, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do dining costs compare in Kostanay and in Phuket?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $29.00 in Kostanay and $32.00 in Phuket. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Kostanay or in Phuket?
Groceries cost about 32% more in Phuket, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Kostanay or in Phuket?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kostanay, where all-in costs run around $958, than in Phuket at $1,207. In Kostanay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Kostanay or Phuket?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kostanay costs $958 versus $1,207 in Phuket. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Kostanay compared to Phuket?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Should I move to Kostanay or to Phuket?
If budget matters most, go with Kostanay. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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