Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Caloocan

For one person, living is cheaper in Caloocan: $504 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Almaty
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
$1,372
/mo nomad
Caloocan
🇵🇭 Philippines
$504
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Caloocan

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $504 in Caloocan, rent included.

  • Almaty $1,372
  • Caloocan $504

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $674 in Caloocan, rent included.

  • Almaty $2,142
  • Caloocan $674

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $845 in Caloocan, rent included.

  • Almaty $2,913
  • Caloocan $845

Almaty costs about 172% more than Caloocan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Caloocan is 63% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Almaty
Caloocan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.16 ₸5,949
$2.74 ₱173
380.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.86 ₸20.3K
$16.50 ₱1,039
171.88%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.90 ₸4,022
$2.22 ₱140
300.90%
Cappuccino
$3.25 ₸1,469
$0.91 ₱57.3
257.14%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 ₸639
$0.40 ₱25.01
252.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.88 ₸399
$0.33 ₱21.08
166.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.35 ₸1,513
$1.01 ₱63.8
231.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.04 ₸1,827
$1.61 ₱102
150.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Almaty
Caloocan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.69 ₸762
$1.62 ₱102
4.32%
White Bread (500g)
$0.86 ₸390
$1.11 ₱69.7
-22.52%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.03 ₸917
$1.00 ₱63.0
103.00%
Eggs
$2.43 ₸1,100
$1.81 ₱114
34.25%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.46 ₸5,632
$5.19 ₱327
140.08%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.71 ₸3,033
$3.44 ₱217
95.06%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.85 ₸4,905
$7.94 ₱500
36.65%
Apples (1kg)
$1.80 ₸813
$2.21 ₱139
-18.55%
Banana (1kg)
$2.25 ₸1,018
$0.92 ₱57.7
144.57%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.91 ₸1,314
$2.38 ₱150
22.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.75 ₸1,243
$1.04 ₱65.5
164.42%
Potato (1kg)
$0.75 ₸337
$1.12 ₱70.7
-33.04%
Onion (1kg)
$0.55 ₸248
$1.70 ₱107
-67.65%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.62 ₸732
$0.65 ₱41.18
149.23%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.05 ₸474
$0.49 ₱31.13
114.29%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.58 ₸1,167
$3.00 ₱189
-14.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.15 ₸5,042
$4.68 ₱295
138.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.21 ₸547
$0.91 ₱57.2
32.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.44 ₸1,104
$1.99 ₱126
22.61%
🚌 Getting Around
Almaty
Caloocan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.26 ₸117
$0.22 ₱13.86
18.18%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.03 ₸9,957
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.35 ₸611
$0.82 ₱51.9
64.63%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.64 ₸288
$0.25 ₱15.83
156.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.16 ₸5,044
$1.90 ₱119
487.37%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.72 ₸324
$1.09 ₱68.5
-33.94%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.5K ₸10.2M
$21.4K ₱1.3M
5.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.3K ₸13.7M
$19.3K ₱1.2M
57.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Almaty
Caloocan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$91.8 ₸41.5K
$53.2 ₱3,353
72.51%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.66 ₸4,820
$9.80 ₱617
8.78%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.86 ₸8,072
$23.23 ₱1,463
-23.12%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Almaty
Caloocan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$70.3 ₸31.8K
$4.76 ₱300
1377.52%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.60 ₸12.5K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.78 ₸3,064
$5.04 ₱318
34.52%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Almaty
Caloocan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$449 ₸202.9K
$134 ₱8,415
235.95%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.1K ₸5.5M
$10.9K ₱688.5K
10.75%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Almaty
Caloocan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$89.9 ₸40.7K
$29.00 ₱1,827
210.14%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.02 ₸21.3K
$19.90 ₱1,253
136.28%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$142 ₸64.1K
$55.3 ₱3,480
156.67%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$133 ₸60.0K
$47.92 ₱3,019
177.05%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Almaty
Caloocan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$805 ₸363.7K
$205 ₱12.9K
293.20%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$500 ₸225.9K
$121 ₱7,624
312.87%
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
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Almaty
Caloocan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$870 ₸393.3K
$320 ₱20.2K
171.97%
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 Caloocan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Almaty
$500
Caloocan
$121 75.8% $379
Groceries & Markets
Almaty
$250
Caloocan
$160 36.3% $91
Eating Out
Almaty
$205
Caloocan
$51 75.2% $154
Clothing & Footwear
Almaty
$185
Caloocan
$68 63% $117
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Almaty
$120
Caloocan
$86 28.3% $34
Sport & Entertainment
Almaty
$84
Caloocan
$15 82.3% $69
Getting Around
Almaty
$28
Caloocan
$3 * 89.3% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $205 in Caloocan. 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 172% 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 Caloocan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $160 – making Caloocan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇰🇿 Almaty
🇵🇭 Caloocan
🕒 Local time
01:58 1:58 AM
03:58 3:58 AM
2 h ahead of Almaty
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,475,400
1,661,584
💱 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 = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.82 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Almaty Caloocan 5,240 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Almaty
  • Caloocan

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 Caloocan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Caloocan cheaper than Almaty?
Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 172%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,058 per month in Almaty and $756 in Caloocan. 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 Caloocan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Almaty and in Caloocan?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,372 in Almaty and $504 in Caloocan. That's a gap of about 172%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $449 per month in Almaty and $134 in Caloocan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Almaty or in Caloocan?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Caloocan, where all-in costs run around $504, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Caloocan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Almaty or Caloocan more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Caloocan – 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 Caloocan?
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 Caloocan. 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.

Almaty vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?