Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Shymkent

For one person, living is cheaper in Shymkent: $808 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Shymkent
Learn more

Shymkent Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Shymkent

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$808

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Shymkent

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $808 in Shymkent.

Phuket $1,208
Shymkent $808

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,390 in Shymkent.

Phuket $2,027
Shymkent $1,390

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,971 in Shymkent.

Phuket $2,845
Shymkent $1,971

Living in Phuket is roughly 50% more expensive than in Shymkent, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Shymkent 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$11.25 ₸5,086

-60.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$33.35 ₸15.1K

-3.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$6.50 ₸2,938

34.77%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.54 ₸1,147

11.42%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.03 ₸467

-12.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.54 ₸246

-12.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$1.09 ₸492

133.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.35 ₸609

183.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.46 ₸661

18.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$0.41 ₸184

258.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.79 ₸811

-15.64%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.73 ₸783

25.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$10.04 ₸4,538

96.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$5.26 ₸2,376

-36.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$8.98 ₸4,059

24.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$1.19 ₸538

139.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$2.12 ₸957

-19.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$2.58 ₸1,166

-15.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.35 ₸610

51.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.55 ₸250

163.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.41 ₸184

236.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.88 ₸397

21.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.83 ₸376

-38.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.46 ₸1,114

73.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$4.55 ₸2,057

308.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.03 ₸466

72.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.51 ₸683

88.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.14 ₸64.0

1514.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$0.87 ₸395

245.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.34 ₸156

211.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$10.02 ₸4,532

-61.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$0.64 ₸291

126.56%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$27.2K ₸12.3M

-3.12%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$29.0K ₸13.1M

-7.25%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$47.29 ₸21.4K

103.81%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$9.60 ₸4,338

15.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$14.79 ₸6,685

15.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$38.82 ₸17.5K

34.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$8.82 ₸3,986

26.53%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$5.68 ₸2,567

37.50%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$57.8 ₸26.1K

862.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$37.55 ₸17.0K

70.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$33.85 ₸15.3K

-15.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$187 ₸84.4K

-48.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$52.9 ₸23.9K

66.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$338 ₸153.0K

117.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$203 ₸92.0K

127.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$698 ₸315.6K

200.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$545 ₸246.2K

120.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$1,104 ₸499.1K

215.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$986 ₸445.6K

155.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$442 ₸199.6K

13.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

18.25

-69.48%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Shymkent: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Shymkent

$203 25.2% 56% $259

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Shymkent

$185 22.9% 31.1% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Shymkent

$72 8.9% 42.5% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Shymkent

$140 17.3% 12.6% $16

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Shymkent

$154 19.1% 27.4% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Shymkent

$50 6.2% 26% $18

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Shymkent

$3.2 * 0.4% 92% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $338 in Shymkent. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 13% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $33.00 in Shymkent. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $185, with Shymkent cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇿 Shymkent

🕒 Local time

20:18 8:18 PM

19:18 7:18 PM

1 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,222,055

💱 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 Shymkent 4,750 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Shymkent

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 Shymkent: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shymkent is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 50% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 13% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $737 in Phuket versus $338 in Shymkent. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $57.8 in Shymkent. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Shymkent – a meal for two runs $33.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $808 in Shymkent versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shymkent but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Shymkent the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Shymkent is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Shymkent are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Shymkent gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.