Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Cotabato City

For one person, living is cheaper in Cotabato City: $764 a month against $1,363 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Cotabato City
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Cotabato City Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,363

/mo nomad

Cotabato City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$764

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Cotabato City

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

A single person spends $1,363 per month in Almaty vs $764 in Cotabato City, rent included.

Almaty $1,363
Cotabato City $764

A couple spends around $2,131 per month in Almaty vs $1,169 in Cotabato City, rent included.

Almaty $2,131
Cotabato City $1,169

A family of three spends $2,900 per month in Almaty vs $1,574 in Cotabato City, rent included.

Almaty $2,900
Cotabato City $1,574

Almaty costs about 78% more than Cotabato City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 1% above the global median, while Cotabato City is 44% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.05 ₸5,899

$4.65 ₱293

180.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.44 ₸19.6K

$16.57 ₱1,044

162.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ₸3,962

$4.00 ₱252

119.00%

Cappuccino

$3.32 ₸1,501

$2.23 ₱141

48.88%

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

$1.34 ₸607

$1.04 ₱65.4

28.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₸374

$0.64 ₱40.49

29.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 ₸1,518

$1.17 ₱73.4

187.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 ₸1,818

$1.91 ₱120

110.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ₸747

$2.02 ₱127

-18.32%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 ₸421

$1.08 ₱68.0

-13.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 ₸927

$0.78 ₱49.16

162.82%

Eggs

$2.46 ₸1,113

$1.89 ₱119

30.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.49 ₸5,646

$6.41 ₱404

94.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,035

$4.67 ₱294

43.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$9.06 ₱570

19.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 ₸807

$2.73 ₱172

-34.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.11 ₱69.9

102.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 ₸1,299

$2.44 ₱154

17.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 ₸1,227

$1.20 ₱75.3

125.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 ₸362

$1.94 ₱122

-58.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸249

$3.55 ₱224

-84.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$1.20 ₱75.4

35.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ₸453

$0.71 ₱44.58

40.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$2.47 ₱156

4.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,039

$8.06 ₱507

38.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₸572

$1.22 ₱77.1

3.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₸1,120

$1.68 ₱106

47.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₸128

$0.26 ₱16.40

7.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.05 ₸9,970

$11.02 ₱694

100.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 ₸607

$0.84 ₱52.8

59.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.23 ₱14.37

178.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.04 ₸4,993

$1.94 ₱122

469.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸326

$1.18 ₱74.4

-38.98%

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

$28.1K ₸12.7M

$21.5K ₱1.4M

31.04%

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

$31.8K ₸14.4M

$18.7K ₱1.2M

70.24%

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

$90.5 ₸40.9K

$108 ₱6,788

-16.04%

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

$10.63 ₸4,805

$19.38 ₱1,220

-45.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.12 ₸8,190

$31.55 ₱1,986

-42.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 ₸31.2K

$32.71 ₱2,060

110.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.98 ₸12.2K

$4.78 ₱301

464.44%

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 ₸3,062

$4.64 ₱292

45.91%

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

$444 ₸200.6K

$107 ₱6,709

316.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K ₸5.4M

$7,519 ₱473.4K

59.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.9 ₸41.5K

$33.49 ₱2,109

174.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.80 ₸21.6K

$19.69 ₱1,240

142.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 ₸63.0K

$71.2 ₱4,483

95.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₸59.4K

$60.8 ₱3,825

116.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$777 ₸351.2K

$270 ₱17.0K

187.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$494 ₸223.4K

$174 ₱11.0K

184.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 ₸650.4K

$524 ₱33.0K

174.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$905 ₸409.2K

$357 ₱22.5K

153.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,470 ₸1.1M

$2,445 ₱154.0K

1.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,517 ₸685.7K

$999 ₱62.9K

51.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$857 ₸387.2K

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 18, 2026

Last update for Cotabato City: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$494 36.3%

Cotabato City

$174 22.8% 64.8% $320

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$251 18.4%

Cotabato City

$199 26.1% 20.4% $51

Eating Out

Almaty

$204 15%

Cotabato City

$92 12.1% 54.7% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.6%

Cotabato City

$83 10.9% 54.9% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$119 8.8%

Cotabato City

$159 20.8% 33.1% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$83 6.1%

Cotabato City

$42 5.5% 49.1% $41

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Cotabato City

$14 1.8% 49.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $777 in Almaty versus $270 in Cotabato City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Almaty versus $17.00 in Cotabato City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $199 – making Cotabato City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇵🇭 Cotabato City

🕒 Local time

00:09 12:09 AM

02:09 2:09 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

325,079

💱 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 23, 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 23, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Almaty Cotabato City 6,090 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Cotabato City

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 Cotabato City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 78%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,044 per month in Almaty and $1,146 in Cotabato City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cotabato City, 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 $17.00 in Cotabato City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,363 in Almaty and $764 in Cotabato City. That's a gap of about 78%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cotabato City, where all-in costs run around $764, than in Almaty at $1,363. In Cotabato City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cotabato City – 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 Cotabato City. 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.