Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Johor Bahru

For one person, living is cheaper in Johor Bahru: $1,056 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Johor Bahru
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Johor Bahru Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Johor Bahru

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,056

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Johor Bahru

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $1,056 in Johor Bahru, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Johor Bahru $1,056

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,551 in Johor Bahru, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Johor Bahru $1,551

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $2,046 in Johor Bahru, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Johor Bahru $2,046

Almaty costs about 30% more than Johor Bahru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Johor Bahru is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$3.56 MYR 14.53

269.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$18.68 MYR 76.2

140.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$4.93 MYR 20.11

80.53%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$2.86 MYR 11.67

13.64%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$0.84 MYR 3.45

67.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.55 MYR 2.25

60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

$4.54 MYR 18.52

-26.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$6.20 MYR 25.31

-34.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$1.66 MYR 6.79

1.81%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.11 MYR 4.52

-22.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$1.50 MYR 6.13

35.33%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$1.72 MYR 7.00

41.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

$17.86 MYR 72.9

-30.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$4.56 MYR 18.58

47.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$10.49 MYR 42.80

3.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$3.26 MYR 13.28

-44.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.70 MYR 6.94

32.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$3.91 MYR 15.96

-25.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$1.68 MYR 6.86

63.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$1.47 MYR 6.00

-48.98%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$1.65 MYR 6.74

-66.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$1.32 MYR 5.37

22.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.55 MYR 2.24

90.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$4.17 MYR 17.01

-38.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

$13.98 MYR 57.1

-20.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$2.84 MYR 11.59

-57.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

$3.11 MYR 12.68

-21.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.71 MYR 2.90

-63.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

$12.11 MYR 49.42

81.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$0.96 MYR 3.90

40.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.70 MYR 2.85

-8.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

$9.50 MYR 38.75

17.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$0.83 MYR 3.40

-13.25%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$41.1K MYR 167.8K

-45.23%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$36.1K MYR 147.2K

-16.12%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$53.0 MYR 216

73.13%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$10.99 MYR 44.84

-3.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$28.42 MYR 116

-37.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$39.45 MYR 161

78.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$5.63 MYR 22.97

390.23%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$4.92 MYR 20.08

37.80%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

$161 MYR 658

178.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$4,478 MYR 18.3K

170.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$54.2 MYR 221

65.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$16.54 MYR 67.5

184.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$81.5 MYR 332

74.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$97.3 MYR 397

36.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

$517 MYR 2,109

55.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

$397 MYR 1,620

25.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

$900 MYR 3,673

58.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

$624 MYR 2,548

44.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$2,019 MYR 8,238

23.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

$1,167 MYR 4,759

33.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

$1,060 MYR 4,325

-17.93%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Johor Bahru: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Johor Bahru

$397 37.6% 20.5% $103

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Johor Bahru

$267 25.3% 6.6% $17

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Johor Bahru

$118 11.2% 42.3% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Johor Bahru

$112 10.6% 39.3% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Johor Bahru

$92 8.8% 23.2% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Johor Bahru

$49 4.7% 41.2% $35

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Johor Bahru

$19 1.8% 29.7% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $517 in Johor Bahru. 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 22% higher in Johor Bahru, 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 $45.00 in Almaty versus $19.00 in Johor Bahru. Groceries tell a different story – $250 in Almaty vs $267 in Johor Bahru – so Almaty wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇲🇾 Johor Bahru

🕒 Local time

10:46 10:46 AM

12:46 12:46 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

858,118

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Almaty Johor Bahru 5,350 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Johor Bahru

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 Johor Bahru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 30%, 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 $1,584 in Johor Bahru. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Johor Bahru, 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 $19.00 in Johor Bahru. 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 $1,056 in Johor Bahru. That's a gap of about 30%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Johor Bahru, where all-in costs run around $1,056, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Johor Bahru it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Johor Bahru – 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 Johor Bahru. 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.