Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and El Nido

For one person, living is cheaper in El Nido: $739 a month against $1,363 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 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
36

Cost of Living Index in El Nido
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El Nido Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,363

/mo nomad

El Nido

🇵🇭 Philippines

$739

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in El Nido

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

A single person spends $1,363 per month in Almaty vs $739 in El Nido, rent included.

Almaty $1,363
El Nido $739

A couple spends around $2,131 per month in Almaty vs $1,148 in El Nido, rent included.

Almaty $2,131
El Nido $1,148

A family of three spends $2,900 per month in Almaty vs $1,557 in El Nido, rent included.

Almaty $2,900
El Nido $1,557

Almaty costs about 84% more than El Nido, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 1% above the global median, while El Nido is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.05 ₸5,899

$4.84 ₱305

169.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.44 ₸19.6K

$28.13 ₱1,771

54.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ₸3,962

$3.70 ₱233

136.76%

Cappuccino

$3.32 ₸1,501

$2.25 ₱142

47.56%

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

$1.34 ₸607

$1.17 ₱73.8

14.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₸374

$0.32 ₱20.45

159.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 ₸1,518

$1.30 ₱81.8

158.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 ₸1,818

$1.99 ₱125

102.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ₸747

$1.59 ₱100

3.77%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 ₸421

$1.00 ₱63.1

-7.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 ₸927

$1.29 ₱81.4

58.91%

Eggs

$2.46 ₸1,113

$1.95 ₱123

26.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.49 ₸5,646

$5.33 ₱336

134.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,035

$3.98 ₱250

68.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$6.98 ₱439

55.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 ₸807

$2.25 ₱142

-20.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.54 ₱97.1

46.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 ₸1,299

$2.26 ₱142

26.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 ₸1,227

$1.16 ₱72.8

133.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 ₸362

$1.95 ₱123

-58.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸249

$2.01 ₱127

-72.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$0.92 ₱58.0

76.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ₸453

$0.53 ₱33.65

88.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$3.35 ₱211

-22.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,039

$7.24 ₱456

54.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₸572

$1.00 ₱62.9

26.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₸1,120

$1.87 ₱118

32.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₸128

$0.24 ₱15.07

16.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.05 ₸9,970

$10.28 ₱648

114.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 ₸607

$0.85 ₱53.8

57.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.20 ₱12.47

220.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.04 ₸4,993

$1.72 ₱108

541.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸326

$1.31 ₱82.3

-45.04%

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

$28.1K ₸12.7M

$19.2K ₱1.2M

46.72%

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

$31.8K ₸14.4M

$21.6K ₱1.4M

47.28%

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

$90.5 ₸40.9K

$121 ₱7,638

-25.38%

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

$10.63 ₸4,805

$14.38 ₱906

-26.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.12 ₸8,190

$24.44 ₱1,539

-25.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 ₸31.2K

$34.90 ₱2,197

97.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.98 ₸12.2K

$3.99 ₱251

576.19%

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 ₸3,062

$5.23 ₱329

29.45%

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

$444 ₸200.6K

$124 ₱7,818

257.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K ₸5.4M

$6,869 ₱432.4K

74.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.9 ₸41.5K

$33.86 ₱2,132

171.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.80 ₸21.6K

$18.81 ₱1,185

154.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 ₸63.0K

$66.9 ₱4,211

108.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₸59.4K

$49.95 ₱3,145

163.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$777 ₸351.2K

$269 ₱17.0K

188.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$494 ₸223.4K

$177 ₱11.2K

178.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 ₸650.4K

$535 ₱33.7K

168.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$905 ₸409.2K

$358 ₱22.5K

153.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,470 ₸1.1M

$2,607 ₱164.1K

-5.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,517 ₸685.7K

$900 ₱56.7K

68.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$857 ₸387.2K

$257 ₱16.2K

233.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

6.79

204.12%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 18, 2026

Last update for El Nido: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$494 36.3%

El Nido

$177 24% 64.1% $317

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$251 18.4%

El Nido

$174 23.6% 30.5% $76

Eating Out

Almaty

$204 15%

El Nido

$93 12.6% 54.3% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.6%

El Nido

$76 10.3% 58.7% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$119 8.8%

El Nido

$160 21.7% 34.3% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$83 6.1%

El Nido

$45 6.1% 45% $37

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

El Nido

$13 1.8% 52.8% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $777 in Almaty versus $269 in El Nido. 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 234% 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 $43.00 in Almaty versus $28.00 in El Nido. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $174 – making El Nido the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇵🇭 El Nido

🕒 Local time

01:33 1:33 AM

03:33 3:33 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

50,494

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 El Nido 5,410 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
El Nido

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 El Nido: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 84%, 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 $1,109 in El Nido. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in El Nido, 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 $28.00 in El Nido. 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 $739 in El Nido. That's a gap of about 84%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in El Nido, where all-in costs run around $739, than in Almaty at $1,363. In El Nido it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward El Nido – 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 El Nido. 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.