Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Cheras

For one person, living is cheaper in Cheras: $1,139 a month against $1,362 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Cheras
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Cheras Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,362

/mo nomad

Cheras

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,139

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Cheras

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

A single person spends $1,362 per month in Almaty vs $1,139 in Cheras, rent included.

Almaty $1,362
Cheras $1,139

A couple spends around $2,151 per month in Almaty vs $1,560 in Cheras, rent included.

Almaty $2,151
Cheras $1,560

A family of three spends $2,940 per month in Almaty vs $1,982 in Cheras, rent included.

Almaty $2,940
Cheras $1,982

Almaty costs about 20% more than Cheras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.32 ₸6,066

$3.61 MYR 14.72

268.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.80 ₸20.4K

$24.03 MYR 97.9

86.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 ₸4,071

$5.02 MYR 20.44

78.09%

Cappuccino

$3.37 ₸1,537

$2.99 MYR 12.17

12.71%

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

$1.32 ₸602

$0.91 MYR 3.71

45.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 ₸398

$0.57 MYR 2.32

52.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 ₸1,434

$4.33 MYR 17.63

-27.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 ₸1,801

$6.32 MYR 25.74

-37.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₸756

$1.89 MYR 7.69

-12.17%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸393

$1.07 MYR 4.36

-19.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 ₸913

$1.49 MYR 6.07

34.90%

Eggs

$2.47 ₸1,127

$1.78 MYR 7.26

38.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.58 ₸5,728

$18.03 MYR 73.5

-30.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.57 ₸2,992

$4.56 MYR 18.59

44.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.61 ₸4,832

$10.89 MYR 44.39

-2.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 ₸816

$3.58 MYR 14.59

-50.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₸1,046

$1.86 MYR 7.58

23.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 ₸1,349

$2.63 MYR 10.73

12.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 ₸1,301

$1.67 MYR 6.80

71.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 ₸367

$2.08 MYR 8.48

-61.06%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₸268

$1.65 MYR 6.73

-64.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 ₸721

$1.33 MYR 5.43

18.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₸453

$0.50 MYR 2.05

98.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.74 ₸1,248

$4.30 MYR 17.53

-36.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.30 ₸5,147

$14.15 MYR 57.7

-20.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 ₸558

$2.66 MYR 10.82

-54.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 ₸1,122

$3.15 MYR 12.83

-21.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.76 MYR 3.11

-65.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.98 ₸10.0K

$12.45 MYR 50.7

76.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸616

$0.94 MYR 3.84

43.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 ₸320

$0.36 MYR 1.46

94.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.12 ₸5,065

$9.17 MYR 37.38

21.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸329

$0.86 MYR 3.52

-16.28%

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

$28.4K ₸12.9M

$45.0K MYR 183.5K

-36.95%

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

$31.8K ₸14.5M

$35.8K MYR 146.0K

-11.24%

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

$91.3 ₸41.6K

$49.55 MYR 202

84.24%

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

$10.60 ₸4,827

$10.91 MYR 44.46

-2.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.89 ₸8,147

$27.88 MYR 114

-35.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.3 ₸29.7K

$52.1 MYR 212

25.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.76 ₸12.6K

$6.66 MYR 27.12

316.82%

Cinema Ticket

$6.47 ₸2,945

$4.99 MYR 20.35

29.66%

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

$473 ₸215.3K

$164 MYR 667

188.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K ₸5.6M

$4,411 MYR 18.0K

177.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.1 ₸42.4K

$53.6 MYR 218

73.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.67 ₸21.7K

$30.08 MYR 123

58.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 ₸65.0K

$81.9 MYR 334

74.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 ₸61.3K

$97.3 MYR 396

38.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₸355.5K

$386 MYR 1,574

102.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$492 ₸224.1K

$463 MYR 1,886

6.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₸646.5K

$666 MYR 2,713

113.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$934 ₸425.5K

$490 MYR 1,995

90.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,462 ₸1.1M

$2,001 MYR 8,155

23.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,591 ₸724.9K

$1,081 MYR 4,402

47.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$873 ₸397.4K

$1,161 MYR 4,730

-24.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

4.06

408.62%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cheras: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$492 36.1%

Cheras

$463 40.6% 5.9% $29

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.4%

Cheras

$269 23.6% 7.6% $19

Eating Out

Almaty

$206 15.1%

Cheras

$120 10.5% 41.8% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$188 13.8%

Cheras

$118 10.4% 37.1% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Cheras

$88 7.8% 26.2% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$78 5.7%

Cheras

$62 5.5% 20.7% $16

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2.1%

Cheras

$18 1.6% 34.6% $9.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $780 in Almaty versus $386 in Cheras. 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 33% higher in Cheras, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Almaty versus $24 in Cheras. Groceries tell a different story – $250 in Almaty vs $269 in Cheras – so Almaty wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇲🇾 Cheras

🕒 Local time

21:46 9:46 PM

00:46 12:46 AM

3 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

440,000

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 455 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD). 1 EUR = 507 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Almaty Cheras 5,090 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Cheras

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 Cheras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,043 per month in Almaty and $1,708 in Cheras. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cheras, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $386 there versus $780 in Almaty.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Almaty and $24 in Cheras. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,362 in Almaty and $1,139 in Cheras. That’s a gap of about 20%.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,362 in Almaty and $1,139 in Cheras, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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