Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Boracay

For one person, living is cheaper in Boracay: $772 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Almaty
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
$1,372
/mo nomad
Boracay
🇵🇭 Philippines
$772
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Boracay

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $772 in Boracay, rent included.

  • Almaty $1,372
  • Boracay $772

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,313 in Boracay, rent included.

  • Almaty $2,142
  • Boracay $1,313

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,854 in Boracay, rent included.

  • Almaty $2,913
  • Boracay $1,854

Almaty costs about 78% more than Boracay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Boracay is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Almaty
Boracay
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.16 ₸5,949
$5.73 ₱361
129.67%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.86 ₸20.3K
$19.15 ₱1,206
134.26%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.90 ₸4,022
$5.94 ₱374
49.83%
Cappuccino
$3.25 ₸1,469
$2.37 ₱149
37.13%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 ₸639
$0.70 ₱43.78
101.43%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.88 ₸399
$0.23 ₱14.44
282.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.35 ₸1,513
$1.16 ₱73.0
188.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.04 ₸1,827
$1.92 ₱121
110.42%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Almaty
Boracay
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.69 ₸762
$2.95 ₱186
-42.71%
White Bread (500g)
$0.86 ₸390
$0.98 ₱61.9
-12.24%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.03 ₸917
$0.89 ₱56.3
128.09%
Eggs
$2.43 ₸1,100
$1.93 ₱122
25.91%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.46 ₸5,632
$5.13 ₱323
142.88%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.71 ₸3,033
$4.78 ₱301
40.38%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.85 ₸4,905
$7.28 ₱459
49.04%
Apples (1kg)
$1.80 ₸813
$2.51 ₱158
-28.29%
Banana (1kg)
$2.25 ₸1,018
$1.59 ₱100
41.51%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.91 ₸1,314
$2.21 ₱139
31.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.75 ₸1,243
$1.08 ₱67.9
154.63%
Potato (1kg)
$0.75 ₸337
$2.11 ₱133
-64.45%
Onion (1kg)
$0.55 ₸248
$2.02 ₱127
-72.77%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.62 ₸732
$0.99 ₱62.5
63.64%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.05 ₸474
$0.57 ₱35.84
84.21%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.58 ₸1,167
$2.28 ₱144
13.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.15 ₸5,042
$7.76 ₱489
43.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.21 ₸547
$0.96 ₱60.5
26.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.44 ₸1,104
$1.75 ₱110
39.43%
🚌 Getting Around
Almaty
Boracay
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.26 ₸117
$0.24 ₱15.09
8.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.03 ₸9,957
$11.23 ₱707
96.17%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.35 ₸611
$0.66 ₱41.52
104.55%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.64 ₸288
$0.23 ₱14.18
178.26%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.16 ₸5,044
$1.94 ₱122
475.26%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.72 ₸324
$1.11 ₱69.7
-35.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.5K ₸10.2M
$23.7K ₱1.5M
-4.82%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.3K ₸13.7M
$22.0K ₱1.4M
37.41%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Almaty
Boracay
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$91.8 ₸41.5K
$111 ₱6,979
-17.17%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.66 ₸4,820
$14.23 ₱896
-25.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.86 ₸8,072
$33.84 ₱2,131
-47.22%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Almaty
Boracay
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$70.3 ₸31.8K
$29.95 ₱1,886
134.82%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.60 ₸12.5K
$5.12 ₱323
439.06%
Cinema Ticket
$6.78 ₸3,064
$5.26 ₱331
28.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Almaty
Boracay
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$449 ₸202.9K
$136 ₱8,591
228.94%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.1K ₸5.5M
$8,041 ₱506.2K
50.56%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Almaty
Boracay
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$89.9 ₸40.7K
$36.09 ₱2,272
149.21%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.02 ₸21.3K
$19.21 ₱1,209
144.77%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$142 ₸64.1K
$75.8 ₱4,773
87.06%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$133 ₸60.0K
$59.1 ₱3,723
124.52%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Almaty
Boracay
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$805 ₸363.7K
$268 ₱16.9K
200.31%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$500 ₸225.9K
$174 ₱10.9K
187.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,429 ₸645.9K
$523 ₱32.9K
173.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$904 ₸408.8K
$614 ₱38.6K
47.35%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,503 ₸1.1M
$2,441 ₱153.7K
2.56%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,559 ₸704.7K
$979 ₱61.7K
59.18%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Almaty
Boracay
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$870 ₸393.3K
$229 ₱14.4K
279.76%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
20.65
6.79
204.12%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Boracay: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Almaty
$500
Boracay
$174 65.2% $326
Groceries & Markets
Almaty
$250
Boracay
$193 22.8% $57
Eating Out
Almaty
$205
Boracay
$105 48.5% $99
Clothing & Footwear
Almaty
$185
Boracay
$86 53.8% $100
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Almaty
$120
Boracay
$159 32.1% $39
Sport & Entertainment
Almaty
$84
Boracay
$40 51.8% $43
Getting Around
Almaty
$28
Boracay
$14 49.4% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $268 in Boracay. 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 280% higher in Almaty, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Almaty versus $19.00 in Boracay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $193 – making Boracay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇰🇿 Almaty
🇵🇭 Boracay
🕒 Local time
03:03 3:03 AM
05:03 5:03 AM
2 h ahead of Almaty
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,475,400
12,296
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Almaty Boracay 5,530 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Almaty
  • Boracay

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 Boracay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Boracay cheaper than Almaty?
Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 78%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,058 per month in Almaty and $1,157 in Boracay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Boracay, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Almaty or in Boracay?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Almaty and $19.00 in Boracay. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Almaty and in Boracay?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,372 in Almaty and $772 in Boracay. That's a gap of about 78%.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Almaty or in Boracay?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Boracay, where all-in costs run around $772, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Boracay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Almaty or Boracay more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Boracay – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Almaty or Boracay?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Boracay. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Almaty makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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