Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Taraz

For one person, living is cheaper in Taraz: $626 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Taraz
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Taraz Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Taraz

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Taraz

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $626 in Taraz.

Phuket $1,278
Taraz $626

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,001 in Taraz.

Phuket $2,216
Taraz $1,001

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,375 in Taraz.

Phuket $3,154
Taraz $1,375

Living in Phuket is roughly 104% more expensive than in Taraz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Taraz 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$8.83 ₸4,023

-49.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$22.00 ₸10.0K

47.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.68 ₸3,043

31.89%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$1.56 ₸713

81.41%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.92 ₸420

-5.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.42 ₸192

16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$1.13 ₸516

126.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.80 ₸820

104.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.08 ₸493

53.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.44 ₸199

231.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.35 ₸615

11.11%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.69 ₸772

23.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$10.17 ₸4,634

87.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.16 ₸2,349

-36.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$8.26 ₸3,761

32.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.21 ₸549

142.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.17 ₸989

-22.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.59 ₸1,179

-13.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.37 ₸624

51.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.51 ₸233

196.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.44 ₸199

213.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.88 ₸403

21.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.80 ₸365

-35.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.39 ₸1,090

75.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$4.38 ₸1,993

329.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.08 ₸490

68.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.53 ₸696

85.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.21 ₸96.4

590.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.88 ₸399

243.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.37 ₸170

175.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$4.07 ₸1,852

-9.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.65 ₸298

126.15%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$27.6K ₸12.6M

-3.09%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$27.5K ₸12.5M

-2.97%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$47.53 ₸21.7K

102.71%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$8.64 ₸3,936

30.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$8.98 ₸4,089

87.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$36.00 ₸16.4K

86.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.54 ₸2,069

65.20%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$58.8 ₸26.8K

709.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$26.93 ₸12.3K

131.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$34.47 ₸15.7K

-17.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$111 ₸50.4K

-14.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$53.0 ₸24.2K

61.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$263 ₸120.0K

171.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$109 ₸49.8K

349.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$435 ₸198.0K

343.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$200 ₸91.1K

615.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$858 ₸391.0K

386.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$600 ₸273.2K

407.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$282 ₸128.2K

78.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

17.83

-68.76%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Taraz: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Taraz

$109 17.5% 77.7% $382

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Taraz

$177 28.4% 33.3% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Taraz

$65 10.4% 47.7% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Taraz

$101 16.2% 16.9% $21

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Taraz

$124 19.8% 2% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Taraz

$45 7.2% 45.2% $37

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Taraz

$3.6 * 0.6% 94.9% $67

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 $716 in Phuket and $263 in Taraz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 78% 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 in Phuket vs $22 in Taraz for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $177 per month, with Taraz cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇿 Taraz

🕒 Local time

11:01 11:01 AM

09:01 9:01 AM

2 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

431,160

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.2 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 455 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD). 1 EUR = 507 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Taraz 4,700 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Taraz

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 Taraz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taraz is about 51% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 78% 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: $716 in Phuket versus $263 in Taraz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $59 in Taraz. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Taraz – a meal for two runs $22 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $626 in Taraz versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Taraz but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Taraz the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Taraz are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Taraz wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.