Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Iligan City

For one person, living is cheaper in Iligan City: $739 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Iligan City
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Iligan City Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Iligan City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$739

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Iligan 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 Iligan City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $739 in Iligan City, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Iligan City $739

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,126 in Iligan City, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Iligan City $1,126

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,514 in Iligan City, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Iligan City $1,514

Almaty costs about 86% more than Iligan City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Iligan City is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$3.99 ₱251

229.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$17.85 ₱1,124

151.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$2.74 ₱172

224.82%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$2.26 ₱142

43.81%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$0.67 ₱42.01

110.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.34 ₱21.15

158.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

$1.13 ₱71.1

196.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$1.90 ₱120

112.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$2.05 ₱129

-17.56%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.16 ₱72.8

-25.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$0.90 ₱56.7

125.56%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$1.93 ₱121

25.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

$5.66 ₱357

120.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$4.21 ₱265

59.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$7.26 ₱457

49.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$2.42 ₱153

-25.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.54 ₱97.2

46.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$2.34 ₱147

24.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$1.17 ₱73.7

135.04%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$2.01 ₱126

-62.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$1.92 ₱121

-71.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$0.92 ₱57.8

76.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.57 ₱35.82

84.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$2.97 ₱187

-13.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

$7.55 ₱476

47.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$0.96 ₱60.5

26.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

$2.01 ₱126

21.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.26 ₱16.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

$12.63 ₱795

74.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$0.85 ₱53.5

58.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.21 ₱13.33

204.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

$2.01 ₱127

455.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$1.17 ₱73.6

-38.46%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

6.41%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$16.8K ₱1.1M

80.16%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$129 ₱8,095

-28.60%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$15.31 ₱964

-30.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$24.12 ₱1,519

-25.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$31.95 ₱2,011

120.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$4.61 ₱290

498.70%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$5.14 ₱324

31.91%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

$131 ₱8,241

242.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$8,881 ₱559.2K

36.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$33.30 ₱2,097

170.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$18.10 ₱1,139

159.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$70.2 ₱4,422

101.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$48.70 ₱3,066

172.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

$111 ₱6,985

625.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

$172 ₱10.8K

190.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

$515 ₱32.4K

177.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

$357 ₱22.5K

153.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$2,600 ₱163.7K

-3.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

$875 ₱55.1K

78.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

$198 ₱12.5K

339.72%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Iligan City: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Iligan City

$172 23.2% 65.6% $328

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Iligan City

$184 24.9% 26.5% $66

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Iligan City

$81 10.9% 60.6% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Iligan City

$77 10.4% 58.6% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Iligan City

$168 22.7% 39.6% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Iligan City

$42 5.7% 49.7% $42

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Iligan City

$16 2.1% 43.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $111 in Iligan City. 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 340% 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 $45.00 in Almaty versus $18.00 in Iligan City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $184 – making Iligan City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇵🇭 Iligan City

🕒 Local time

09:01 9:01 AM

11:01 11:01 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

342,618

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Almaty Iligan City 6,010 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Iligan 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 Iligan City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 86%, 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 $1,108 in Iligan City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Iligan 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 $45.00 in Almaty and $18.00 in Iligan City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,372 in Almaty and $739 in Iligan City. That's a gap of about 86%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Iligan City, where all-in costs run around $739, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Iligan City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Iligan 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 Iligan 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.