Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Alga

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.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Alga
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Alga Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Alga

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$870

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Alga

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Alga actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Phuket $1,294
Alga $870

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

Phuket $2,204
Alga $1,421

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

Phuket $3,115
Alga $1,971

Living in Phuket is roughly 49% more expensive than in Alga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$9.95 ₸4,484

-55.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,078

$33.62 ₸15.1K

-3.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿290

$7.73 ₸3,483

12.55%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿90.9

$2.39 ₸1,079

13.81%

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

$0.93 ฿31.06

$1.11 ₸501

-16.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.67

$0.55 ₸249

-9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.5

$1.30 ₸587

94.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$2.12 ₸957

71.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.38 ₸622

26.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$0.48 ₸215

202.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.1

$1.51 ₸682

-0.66%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.5

$1.69 ₸763

28.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿637

$10.44 ₸4,702

82.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿113

$5.66 ₸2,550

-39.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$8.86 ₸3,989

23.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.2

$1.49 ₸670

97.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.5

$2.14 ₸965

-21.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.2

$2.38 ₸1,073

-7.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿70.9

$2.10 ₸946

0.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.68

$0.66 ₸297

121.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.66

$0.52 ₸235

163.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.91

$1.15 ₸518

-6.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.21

$0.99 ₸445

-44.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$2.38 ₸1,071

86.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿609

$7.89 ₸3,552

131.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.2

$1.25 ₸563

41.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.2

$2.04 ₸918

41.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$0.21 ₸94.1

590.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,832

$16.90 ₸7,613

224.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.5

$1.10 ₸495

37.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.90

$0.71 ₸320

9.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$5.87 ₸2,645

-34.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.65

$0.66 ₸299

125.76%

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

$26.9K ฿897.3K

$27.9K ₸12.6M

-3.57%

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

$26.3K ฿879.4K

$30.2K ₸13.6M

-12.87%

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

$97.8 ฿3,265

$66.1 ₸29.8K

47.88%

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

$11.29 ฿377

$10.36 ₸4,666

8.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿574

$15.58 ₸7,019

10.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,281

$41.84 ₸18.8K

63.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$5.08 ₸2,286

46.26%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$146 ₸65.9K

262.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿626.9K

$4,425 ₸2.0M

324.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,059

$56.6 ₸25.5K

8.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿943

$44.86 ₸20.2K

-37.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,204

$94.2 ₸42.4K

1.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,898

$87.5 ₸39.4K

-0.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$339 ₸152.7K

112.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$224 ₸100.8K

127.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.1K

$677 ₸304.8K

188.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.6K

$496 ₸223.5K

181.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿139.9K

$1,081 ₸487.0K

287.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.1K

$850 ₸382.8K

288.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

19.25

-71.06%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Alga: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Alga

$224 25.7% 56% $285

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Alga

$204 23.4% 23.7% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Alga

$92 10.6% 27.1% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Alga

$127 14.6% 3.8% $4.7

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Alga

$149 17.1% 24.6% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Alga

$52 6% 37.5% $31

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Alga

$22 2.6% 66.1% $44

Cost Breakdown

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

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

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇿 Alga

🕒 Local time

05:49 5:49 AM

03:49 3:49 AM

2 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Alga 4,560 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Alga

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

Phuket vs Alga: 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 $1,940 in Phuket and $1,305 in Alga 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: $721 in Phuket versus $339 in Alga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,294 per month in Phuket versus $870 in Alga – 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.