Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kostanay

For one person, living is cheaper in Kostanay: $962 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Kostanay
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Kostanay Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Kostanay

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$962

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kostanay

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 Kostanay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $962 in Kostanay, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Kostanay $962

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $1,452 in Kostanay, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Kostanay $1,452

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $1,943 in Kostanay, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Kostanay $1,943

Phuket costs about 26% more than Kostanay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$5.60 ₸2,532

-21.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$28.73 ₸13.0K

12.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$7.05 ₸3,186

24.26%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.18 ₸988

29.82%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.12 ₸506

-19.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.86 ₸389

-45.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$1.45 ₸656

75.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.61 ₸1,181

46.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.22 ₸550

41.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$0.52 ₸235

182.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.05 ₸474

43.81%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.27 ₸1,026

-4.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$10.21 ₸4,614

92.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$5.72 ₸2,585

-41.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$8.33 ₸3,767

33.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$1.61 ₸730

77.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$2.37 ₸1,071

-28.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.84 ₸831

19.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$2.32 ₸1,047

-11.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.58 ₸264

150.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.68 ₸308

102.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.21 ₸548

-11.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.88 ₸399

-42.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.51 ₸1,135

69.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$8.47 ₸3,827

119.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.10 ₸495

61.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.37 ₸1,071

20.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.31 ₸142

629.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$0.95 ₸430

216.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$1.14 ₸516

-7.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$6.09 ₸2,755

-36.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$0.58 ₸263

150.00%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-13.07%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$30.5K ₸13.8M

-11.73%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$76.8 ₸34.7K

25.46%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$10.97 ₸4,961

0.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$15.99 ₸7,229

7.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$48.26 ₸21.8K

8.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$20.11 ₸9,091

-44.51%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$4.40 ₸1,989

77.50%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$209 ₸94.5K

165.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$6,498 ₸2.9M

78.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$96.3 ₸43.5K

-33.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$53.8 ₸24.3K

-46.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$107 ₸48.6K

-11.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$93.7 ₸42.3K

-6.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$402 ₸181.7K

83.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$321 ₸144.9K

44.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$598 ₸270.1K

250.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$494 ₸223.4K

142.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$1,218 ₸550.5K

186.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$925 ₸418.0K

172.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$657 ₸297.0K

-23.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

18.5

-69.89%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Kostanay: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Kostanay

$321 33.4% 30.7% $142

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Kostanay

$202 21% 24.9% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Kostanay

$104 10.8% 16.7% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Kostanay

$158 16.4% 27.1% $34

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Kostanay

$113 11.7% 7.2% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Kostanay

$57 5.9% 15.8% $11

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Kostanay

$7.9 * 0.8% 79.9% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $402 in Kostanay. 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 31% 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 $32.00 in Phuket versus $29.00 in Kostanay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $202 – making Kostanay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇿 Kostanay

🕒 Local time

20:19 8:19 PM

19:19 7:19 PM

1 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

264,446

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Kostanay 5,930 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kostanay

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 Kostanay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $1,443 in Kostanay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket and $29.00 in Kostanay. 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 it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kostanay, where all-in costs run around $962, than in Phuket at $1,208. In Kostanay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kostanay costs $962 versus $1,208 in Phuket. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

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.