Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Albany and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Almaty: $1,372 a month against $2,486 in Albany, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Albany
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Albany Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Albany

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,486

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Albany and in Almaty

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,486 in Albany versus $1,372 in Almaty.

Albany $2,486
Almaty $1,372

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,609 in Albany versus $2,142 in Almaty.

Albany $3,609
Almaty $2,142

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,732 in Albany versus $2,913 in Almaty.

Albany $4,732
Almaty $2,913

Living in Albany is roughly 81% more expensive than in Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Albany 84% above, Almaty 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.51 A$28.07

$13.16 ₸5,949

48.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.9 A$122

$44.86 ₸20.3K

89.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.11 A$14.54

$8.90 ₸4,022

13.60%

Cappuccino

$4.33 A$6.22

$3.25 ₸1,469

33.23%

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

$2.49 A$3.58

$1.41 ₸639

76.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 A$2.92

$0.88 ₸399

130.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.50 A$12.24

$3.35 ₸1,513

153.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.55 A$10.87

$4.04 ₸1,827

86.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.23

$1.69 ₸762

-8.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.69 A$3.88

$0.86 ₸390

212.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 A$3.08

$2.03 ₸917

5.42%

Eggs

$5.19 A$7.47

$2.43 ₸1,100

113.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.46 A$15.05

$12.46 ₸5,632

-16.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 A$13.41

$6.71 ₸3,033

38.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.64 A$18.18

$10.85 ₸4,905

16.50%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$1.80 ₸813

126.11%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.51

$2.25 ₸1,018

39.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.75 A$5.39

$2.91 ₸1,314

28.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 A$6.52

$2.75 ₸1,243

64.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.71 A$3.90

$0.75 ₸337

261.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 A$3.38

$0.55 ₸248

327.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 A$3.05

$1.62 ₸732

30.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 A$1.99

$1.05 ₸474

31.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.14 A$60.6

$2.58 ₸1,167

1533.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.68 A$21.13

$11.15 ₸5,042

31.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.44 A$6.40

$1.21 ₸547

266.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.93 A$8.53

$2.44 ₸1,104

143.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 A$4.25

$0.26 ₸117

1034.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.8 A$115

$22.03 ₸9,957

262.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 A$4.29

$1.35 ₸611

120.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.64 ₸288

143.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.56 A$51.2

$11.16 ₸5,044

218.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 A$1.71

$0.72 ₸324

65.28%

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

$25.6K A$36.9K

$22.5K ₸10.2M

13.73%

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

$33.5K A$48.1K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

10.51%

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

$202 A$290

$91.8 ₸41.5K

119.50%

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

$27.79 A$39.99

$10.66 ₸4,820

160.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.77 A$70.2

$17.86 ₸8,072

173.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.4 A$76.9

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-24.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.39 A$25.03

$27.60 ₸12.5K

-36.99%

Cinema Ticket

$14.90 A$21.43

$6.78 ₸3,064

119.76%

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

$2,234 A$3,215

$449 ₸202.9K

397.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K A$29.3K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

68.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.9 A$112

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-13.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.4 A$72.5

$47.02 ₸21.3K

7.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 A$167

$142 ₸64.1K

-18.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 A$161

$133 ₸60.0K

-15.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,194 A$1,718

$805 ₸363.7K

48.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,182 A$1,701

$500 ₸225.9K

136.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,181 A$3,139

$1,429 ₸645.9K

52.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,789 A$2,574

$904 ₸408.8K

97.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,564 A$8,006

$2,503 ₸1.1M

122.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,761 A$6,851

$1,559 ₸704.7K

205.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,598 A$3,738

$870 ₸393.3K

198.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

20.65

-71.72%

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

Last update for Albany: October 11, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Albany

$1.2K 47.6%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 57.7% $682

Groceries & Markets

Albany

$366 14.7%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 31.6% $115

Eating Out

Albany

$314 12.6%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 34.7% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Albany

$278 11.2%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 56.7% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Albany

$160 6.4%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 15.6% $25

Getting Around

Albany

$102 4.1%

Almaty

$28 2% 73% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Albany

$83 3.4%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 0.8% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,194 in Albany and $805 in Almaty. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Albany pays 199% 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: $85.0 in Albany vs $45.00 in Almaty for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $366 vs $250 per month, with Almaty cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Albany

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

21:49 9:49 PM

19:49 7:49 PM

2 h behind Albany

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,128

1,475,400

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Albany Almaty 9,640 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Albany
Almaty

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

Albany vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Almaty wins on cost – living expenses run 81% lower than in Albany. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Almaty the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 199% higher in Albany, 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: $1,194 in Albany versus $805 in Almaty. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,486 per month in Albany versus $1,372 in Almaty – a 81% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Almaty runs roughly 262% less than in Albany. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,372 in Almaty versus $2,486 in Albany, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Almaty but tight or insufficient in Albany. The gap between the two cities makes Almaty the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Almaty delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,372 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Almaty hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Albany and Almaty 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 Almaty gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Albany. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.