Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Bulacan

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulacan: $638 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Bulacan
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Bulacan Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Bulacan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Bulacan

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $638 in Bulacan, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Bulacan $638

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $927 in Bulacan, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Bulacan $927

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,215 in Bulacan, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Bulacan $1,215

Almaty costs about 115% more than Bulacan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Bulacan is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$2.00 ₱126

558.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$15.88 ₱1,000

182.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$2.71 ₱171

228.41%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$1.79 ₱113

81.56%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$0.44 ₱27.73

220.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.26 ₱16.40

238.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

$0.93 ₱58.4

260.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$1.60 ₱101

152.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$1.61 ₱102

4.97%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.16 ₱73.1

-25.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$0.95 ₱60.2

113.68%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$1.79 ₱113

35.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

$2.80 ₱176

345.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$3.45 ₱217

94.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$6.03 ₱380

79.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$2.06 ₱130

-12.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.56 ₱98.2

44.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$1.99 ₱125

46.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$1.04 ₱65.4

164.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$1.61 ₱102

-53.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$1.73 ₱109

-68.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$0.62 ₱39.15

161.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.49 ₱31.09

114.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$3.04 ₱191

-15.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

$3.53 ₱222

215.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$0.89 ₱56.3

35.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

$1.56 ₱98.2

56.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.19 ₱11.82

36.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

$6.68 ₱421

229.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$0.69 ₱43.22

95.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.15 ₱9.68

326.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

$1.87 ₱118

496.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$1.06 ₱66.8

-32.08%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$21.7K ₱1.4M

3.90%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$16.4K ₱1.0M

84.77%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$112 ₱7,034

-17.78%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$17.26 ₱1,087

-38.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$23.39 ₱1,473

-23.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$37.17 ₱2,341

89.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$0.78 ₱49.17

3438.46%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$5.09 ₱321

33.20%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

$96.7 ₱6,091

364.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$941 ₱59.3K

1186.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$28.48 ₱1,794

215.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$19.39 ₱1,221

142.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$75.5 ₱4,758

87.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$55.5 ₱3,495

139.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

$237 ₱15.0K

238.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

$146 ₱9,228

241.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

$385 ₱24.3K

271.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

$215 ₱13.5K

321.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$1,879 ₱118.4K

33.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

$1,458 ₱91.8K

6.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

$290 ₱18.2K

200.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

6.75

205.93%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bulacan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Bulacan

$146 23% 70.7% $353

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Bulacan

$147 23% 41.4% $104

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Bulacan

$56 8.8% 72.6% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Bulacan

$81 12.6% 56.5% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Bulacan

$152 23.9% 26.6% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Bulacan

$47 7.4% 43.6% $37

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Bulacan

$8.9 1.4% 67.8% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $237 in Bulacan. 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 200% 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 $16.00 in Bulacan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $147 – making Bulacan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇵🇭 Bulacan

🕒 Local time

00:59 12:59 AM

02:59 2:59 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

3,700,000

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

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 = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.82 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Almaty Bulacan 5,220 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Bulacan

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 Bulacan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 115%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,058 per month in Almaty and $958 in Bulacan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bulacan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Almaty and $16.00 in Bulacan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,372 in Almaty and $638 in Bulacan. That's a gap of about 115%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bulacan, where all-in costs run around $638, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Bulacan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Bulacan. 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.