Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Bloemfontein

For one person, living is cheaper in Bloemfontein: $1,061 a month against $1,359 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Bloemfontein
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Bloemfontein Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,359

/mo nomad

Bloemfontein

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,061

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Bloemfontein

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

A single person spends $1,359 per month in Almaty vs $1,061 in Bloemfontein, rent included.

Almaty $1,359
Bloemfontein $1,061

A couple spends around $2,117 per month in Almaty vs $1,674 in Bloemfontein, rent included.

Almaty $2,117
Bloemfontein $1,674

A family of three spends $2,876 per month in Almaty vs $2,287 in Bloemfontein, rent included.

Almaty $2,876
Bloemfontein $2,287

Almaty costs about 28% more than Bloemfontein, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.39 ₸6,067

$11.84 R 197

13.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.76 ₸19.8K

$41.31 R 686

5.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.75 ₸3,963

$7.00 R 116

25.00%

Cappuccino

$3.33 ₸1,508

$2.07 R 34.41

60.87%

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

$1.25 ₸564

$1.44 R 23.92

-13.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₸406

$1.07 R 17.84

-15.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.02 ₸1,366

$2.58 R 42.79

17.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 ₸1,778

$2.76 R 45.82

42.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸766

$1.03 R 17.08

64.08%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 ₸446

$1.07 R 17.69

-8.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 ₸939

$2.12 R 35.22

-2.36%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,103

$2.17 R 35.97

11.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.86 ₸5,827

$7.67 R 127

67.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 ₸3,013

$4.83 R 80.2

37.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.67 ₸4,835

$7.60 R 126

40.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 ₸805

$1.88 R 31.24

-5.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 ₸1,023

$1.56 R 25.87

44.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 ₸1,406

$1.74 R 28.89

78.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 ₸1,268

$1.57 R 25.99

78.34%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ₸337

$1.57 R 26.03

-52.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 ₸256

$1.85 R 30.70

-69.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.67 ₸758

$1.09 R 18.10

53.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ₸465

$0.96 R 15.96

7.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.71 ₸1,228

$2.54 R 42.24

6.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.85 ₸4,915

$4.71 R 78.2

130.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₸569

$1.81 R 29.99

-30.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ₸1,072

$1.36 R 22.54

74.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₸128

$0.91 R 15.13

-69.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.82 ₸9,885

$75.5 R 1,254

-71.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 ₸488

$1.11 R 18.38

-2.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 ₸308

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.49 ₸2,486

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.67 ₸302

$1.46 R 24.19

-54.11%

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

$29.0K ₸13.1M

$36.3K R 602.9K

-20.13%

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

$31.2K ₸14.1M

$29.4K R 488.4K

5.91%

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

$90.4 ₸40.9K

$76.6 R 1,272

17.96%

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

$10.52 ₸4,768

$33.40 R 555

-68.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.34 ₸7,854

$32.15 R 534

-46.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₸29.0K

$31.41 R 522

103.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.37 ₸12.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.53 ₸2,957

$4.93 R 81.8

32.45%

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

$489 ₸221.6K

$192 R 3,194

154.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₸8.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.0 ₸42.1K

$59.0 R 980

57.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.42 ₸21.5K

$42.91 R 713

10.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 ₸62.6K

$134 R 2,233

2.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₸59.0K

$111 R 1,839

17.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$773 ₸350.2K

$319 R 5,304

142.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$495 ₸224.2K

$285 R 4,728

73.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,393 ₸631.0K

$515 R 8,549

170.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$885 ₸401.0K

$537 R 8,914

64.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,426 ₸1.1M

$477 R 7,924

408.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,565 ₸709.2K

$622 R 10.3K

151.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₸401.9K

$1,325 R 22.0K

-33.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.38

12.13

68.01%

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

Last update for Almaty: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bloemfontein: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$495 36.4%

Bloemfontein

$285 26.8% 42.5% $210

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$253 18.6%

Bloemfontein

$187 17.6% 25.9% $66

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 15.1%

Bloemfontein

$169 15.9% 17.5% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$184 13.5%

Bloemfontein

$156 14.7% 15.1% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$118 8.7%

Bloemfontein

$142 13.4% 20.3% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$77 5.7%

Bloemfontein

$41 3.9% 46.5% $36

Getting Around

Almaty

$27 2%

Bloemfontein

$80 * 7.6% 193% $53

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $773 in Almaty versus $319 in Bloemfontein. 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 49% higher in Bloemfontein, 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 $44 in Almaty versus $41 in Bloemfontein. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $253 vs $187 – making Bloemfontein the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇿🇦 Bloemfontein

🕒 Local time

18:47 6:47 PM

15:47 3:47 PM

3 h behind Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

370,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 453 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 507 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 16.61 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Almaty Bloemfontein 9,560 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Bloemfontein

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

Almaty vs Bloemfontein: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,039 per month in Almaty and $1,591 in Bloemfontein. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bloemfontein, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $319 there versus $773 in Almaty.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Almaty and $41 in Bloemfontein. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,359 in Almaty and $1,061 in Bloemfontein. That makes Bloemfontein about 22% cheaper.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,359 in Almaty and $1,061 in Bloemfontein. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Bloemfontein – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.