Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and General Santos

For one person, living is cheaper in General Santos: $628 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in General Santos
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General Santos Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

General Santos

🇵🇭 Philippines

$628

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in General Santos

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $628 in General Santos, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
General Santos $628

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,009 in General Santos, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
General Santos $1,009

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,391 in General Santos, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
General Santos $1,391

Almaty costs about 118% more than General Santos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while General Santos is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$3.38 ₱213

289.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$27.40 ₱1,725

63.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$2.72 ₱172

227.21%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$2.56 ₱161

26.95%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$0.28 ₱17.41

403.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.25 ₱15.83

252.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

$1.58 ₱99.3

112.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$2.34 ₱147

72.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$2.00 ₱126

-15.50%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.08 ₱68.2

-20.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$0.87 ₱54.7

133.33%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$1.86 ₱117

30.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

$6.38 ₱402

95.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$4.77 ₱300

40.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$9.25 ₱582

17.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$2.74 ₱172

-34.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.07 ₱67.2

110.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$2.45 ₱154

18.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$1.19 ₱74.6

131.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$1.98 ₱125

-62.12%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$3.28 ₱207

-83.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$1.24 ₱78.2

30.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.68 ₱42.60

54.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$2.46 ₱155

4.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

$7.76 ₱488

43.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$1.25 ₱78.5

-3.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

$1.68 ₱106

45.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.39 ₱24.37

-33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

$8.15 ₱513

170.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$0.78 ₱49.25

73.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.25 ₱15.79

156.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

$0.82 ₱51.4

1260.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$1.12 ₱70.7

-35.71%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$20.9K ₱1.3M

7.91%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

58.32%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$76.6 ₱4,825

19.79%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$6.53 ₱411

63.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$31.67 ₱1,994

-43.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$4.91 ₱309

38.09%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

$109 ₱6,840

313.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$7,532 ₱474.2K

60.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$59.8 ₱3,767

50.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$30.67 ₱1,931

53.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$70.3 ₱4,428

101.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$60.7 ₱3,823

118.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

$174 ₱11.0K

361.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

$112 ₱7,068

345.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

$359 ₱22.6K

298.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

$238 ₱15.0K

279.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

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 10, 2026

Last update for General Santos: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

General Santos

$112 17.9% 77.5% $387

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

General Santos

$199 31.7% 20.5% $51

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

General Santos

$81 12.8% 60.7% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

General Santos

$100 15.9% 46.2% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

General Santos

$115 18.3% 4.6% $5.5

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

General Santos

$9.8 * 1.6% 88.3% $74

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

General Santos

$12 1.9% 57.5% $16

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 $174 in General Santos. 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 $45.00 in Almaty versus $27.00 in General Santos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $199 – making General Santos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇵🇭 General Santos

🕒 Local time

09:26 9:26 AM

11:26 11:26 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

697,315

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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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Between locations

Almaty General Santos 6,260 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
General Santos

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 General Santos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 118%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,058 per month in Almaty and $942 in General Santos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in General Santos, 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 $45.00 in Almaty and $27.00 in General Santos. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,372 in Almaty and $628 in General Santos. That's a gap of about 118%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in General Santos, where all-in costs run around $628, than in Almaty at $1,372. In General Santos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward General Santos – 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 General Santos. 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.