Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Butuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Butuan: $578 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Butuan
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Butuan Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Butuan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$578

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Butuan

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $578 in Butuan, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Butuan $578

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $913 in Butuan, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Butuan $913

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,248 in Butuan, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Butuan $1,248

Almaty costs about 137% more than Butuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Butuan is 57% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$4.67 ₱294

181.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$26.83 ₱1,689

67.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$2.41 ₱152

269.29%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$2.09 ₱131

55.50%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$0.33 ₱21.01

327.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.23 ₱14.47

282.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

$1.57 ₱98.8

113.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$2.46 ₱155

64.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$1.95 ₱123

-13.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.09 ₱68.9

-21.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$0.87 ₱55.0

133.33%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$1.86 ₱117

30.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

$6.21 ₱391

100.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$4.84 ₱305

38.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$9.32 ₱587

16.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$2.68 ₱169

-32.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.11 ₱69.7

102.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$2.42 ₱152

20.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$1.20 ₱75.8

129.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$2.02 ₱127

-62.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$3.51 ₱221

-84.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$1.25 ₱79.0

29.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.67 ₱42.40

56.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$2.39 ₱150

7.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

$8.13 ₱512

37.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$1.25 ₱78.7

-3.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

$1.69 ₱106

44.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$0.78 ₱49.31

73.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.25 ₱15.83

156.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

$1.96 ₱123

469.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$1.05 ₱66.1

-31.43%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

6.07%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$19.0K ₱1.2M

59.08%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$107 ₱6,745

-14.30%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$18.89 ₱1,189

-43.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$30.87 ₱1,944

-42.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$23.85 ₱1,502

194.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$4.37 ₱275

55.15%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

$108 ₱6,790

316.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$7,696 ₱484.6K

57.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$61.7 ₱3,885

45.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$31.28 ₱1,970

50.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$71.8 ₱4,523

97.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$62.2 ₱3,916

113.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

8.31

148.50%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Butuan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Butuan

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Butuan

$200 34.6% 20.1% $50

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Butuan

$85 14.6% 58.7% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Butuan

$102 17.7% 44.8% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Butuan

$157 27.1% 30.4% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Butuan

$33 5.6% 61.2% $51

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Butuan

$2 * 0.4% 92.6% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Almaty versus $27.00 in Butuan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $200 – making Butuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇵🇭 Butuan

🕒 Local time

02:50 2:50 AM

04:50 4:50 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

337,063

💱 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 = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Almaty Butuan 6,050 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Butuan

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 Butuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 137%, 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 $867 in Butuan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,372 in Almaty and $578 in Butuan. That's a gap of about 137%.

Kindergarten costs $449 per month in Almaty and $108 in Butuan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Butuan, where all-in costs run around $578, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Butuan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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.

If budget matters most, go with Butuan. 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.