Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Almaty: $1,387 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
Learn more

Almaty Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,387

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Cape Town

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

A single person spends $1,387 per month in Almaty vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Almaty $1,387
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $2,135 per month in Almaty vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Almaty $2,135
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $2,883 per month in Almaty vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Almaty $2,883
Cape Town $3,307

Almaty is about 12% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Almaty and Cape Town sit above the global median – Almaty by 3%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.31 ₸5,991

$11.78 R 195

12.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 ₸19.5K

$46.55 R 772

-6.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 ₸3,959

$5.96 R 98.9

47.65%

Cappuccino

$3.30 ₸1,486

$2.47 R 41.01

33.60%

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

$1.37 ₸616

$1.33 R 22.03

3.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₸406

$1.03 R 17.08

-12.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 ₸1,409

$3.01 R 49.98

3.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 ₸1,847

$3.66 R 60.8

12.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₸749

$1.39 R 23.08

19.42%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 ₸403

$1.19 R 19.70

-24.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 ₸927

$2.11 R 35.02

-2.37%

Eggs

$2.37 ₸1,067

$3.01 R 49.84

-21.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.64 ₸5,689

$8.96 R 149

41.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 ₸2,978

$6.65 R 110

-0.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.87 ₸4,893

$9.29 R 154

17.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₸839

$1.83 R 30.28

1.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 ₸1,067

$1.90 R 31.47

24.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 ₸1,348

$1.75 R 28.98

70.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.83 ₸1,273

$2.09 R 34.59

35.41%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ₸345

$1.55 R 25.78

-50.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 ₸262

$1.49 R 24.65

-61.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 ₸718

$1.30 R 21.53

22.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₸446

$1.16 R 19.29

-14.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.54 ₸1,145

$3.71 R 61.5

-31.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.04 ₸4,969

$6.06 R 101

82.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸546

$1.39 R 22.97

-12.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 ₸1,085

$2.20 R 36.51

9.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₸113

$1.51 R 25.11

-83.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.84 ₸9,831

$61.0 R 1,011

-64.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₸577

$0.63 R 10.38

103.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸289

$1.53 R 25.42

-58.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.74 ₸4,836

$4.81 R 79.8

123.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.69 ₸312

$1.58 R 26.22

-56.33%

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

$22.3K ₸10.0M

$35.5K R 588.7K

-37.25%

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

$29.3K ₸13.2M

$31.7K R 526.6K

-7.60%

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

$87.8 ₸39.5K

$116 R 1,930

-24.59%

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

$10.83 ₸4,874

$28.37 R 471

-61.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.40 ₸7,831

$40.69 R 675

-57.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 ₸31.4K

$48.85 R 810

42.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.58 ₸12.0K

$11.13 R 185

138.81%

Cinema Ticket

$6.68 ₸3,009

$8.83 R 146

-24.35%

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

$446 ₸200.8K

$261 R 4,336

70.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₸5.4M

$6,702 R 111.2K

77.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.7 ₸42.2K

$55.4 R 919

69.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.91 ₸21.1K

$32.27 R 535

45.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 ₸64.3K

$118 R 1,949

21.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.1K

$107 R 1,775

24.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$773 ₸348.1K

$1,015 R 16.8K

-23.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$497 ₸223.9K

$715 R 11.9K

-30.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 ₸625.9K

$1,801 R 29.9K

-22.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$880 ₸396.0K

$1,330 R 22.1K

-33.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,546 ₸1.1M

$2,331 R 38.7K

9.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,506 ₸678.2K

$1,513 R 25.1K

-0.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$834 ₸375.2K

$1,636 R 27.1K

-49.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

10.97

88.24%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$497 36.4%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 43.9% $218

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$251 18.4%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 11.5% $29

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 15%

Cape Town

$174 11% 15.5% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$188 13.7%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 25.1% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$116 8.5%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 59.9% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$83 6.1%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 19.9% $17

Getting Around

Almaty

$27 2%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 176% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $773 in Almaty versus $1,015 in Cape Town. 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 96% higher in Cape Town, 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 $43.00 in Almaty versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Groceries tell a different story – $251 in Almaty vs $222 in Cape Town – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

08:10 8:10 AM

04:10 4:10 AM

4 h behind Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.03 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 450 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Almaty Cape Town 10,430 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Cape Town

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 Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cape Town is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,080 per month in Almaty and $2,352 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Almaty, 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 $43.00 in Almaty and $47.00 in Cape Town. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,387 in Almaty and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 13%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Almaty, where all-in costs run around $1,387, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Almaty it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Almaty – 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 Almaty. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.