Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Kajang, Selangor

For one person, living is cheaper in Kajang, Selangor: $988 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Kajang, Selangor
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Kajang, Selangor Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Kajang, Selangor

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$988

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Kajang, Selangor

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 Kajang, Selangor actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $988 in Kajang, Selangor, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Kajang, Selangor $988

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,448 in Kajang, Selangor, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Kajang, Selangor $1,448

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,909 in Kajang, Selangor, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Kajang, Selangor $1,909

Almaty costs about 39% more than Kajang, Selangor, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Kajang, Selangor is 27% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$3.76 MYR 15.34

250.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$18.63 MYR 76.0

140.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$4.81 MYR 19.62

85.03%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$2.96 MYR 12.09

9.80%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$0.80 MYR 3.26

76.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.47 MYR 1.92

87.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

$4.35 MYR 17.76

-22.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$6.08 MYR 24.81

-33.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$1.69 MYR 6.88

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.05 MYR 4.28

-18.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$1.43 MYR 5.84

41.96%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$1.66 MYR 6.78

46.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

$17.84 MYR 72.8

-30.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$4.56 MYR 18.62

47.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$9.80 MYR 39.98

10.71%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$3.41 MYR 13.91

-47.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.69 MYR 6.88

33.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$2.32 MYR 9.48

25.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$1.53 MYR 6.23

79.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$1.34 MYR 5.46

-44.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$1.65 MYR 6.73

-66.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$1.13 MYR 4.60

43.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.51 MYR 2.09

105.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$4.36 MYR 17.79

-40.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

$13.93 MYR 56.8

-19.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$2.86 MYR 11.65

-57.69%

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

$0.76 MYR 3.08

-65.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

$12.29 MYR 50.1

79.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$1.21 MYR 4.92

11.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.71 MYR 2.91

-9.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

$4.94 MYR 20.16

125.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$0.82 MYR 3.35

-12.20%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$42.3K MYR 172.7K

-46.80%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$35.3K MYR 143.9K

-14.16%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$52.5 MYR 214

74.98%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$9.92 MYR 40.45

7.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$26.35 MYR 107

-32.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$44.80 MYR 183

56.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$7.53 MYR 30.73

266.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$4.91 MYR 20.05

38.09%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

$166 MYR 677

170.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$4,418 MYR 18.0K

174.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$54.6 MYR 223

64.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$16.33 MYR 66.6

187.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$81.6 MYR 333

73.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$97.2 MYR 396

36.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

$396 MYR 1,615

103.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

$337 MYR 1,375

48.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

$744 MYR 3,035

92.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

$502 MYR 2,047

80.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$1,919 MYR 7,828

30.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

$1,012 MYR 4,129

54.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

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 Kajang, Selangor: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Kajang, Selangor

$337 34.1% 32.6% $163

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Kajang, Selangor

$256 25.9% 2.2% $5.5

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Kajang, Selangor

$119 12.1% 41.9% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Kajang, Selangor

$112 11.4% 39.3% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Kajang, Selangor

$89 9% 26.3% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Kajang, Selangor

$55 5.5% 34.9% $29

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Kajang, Selangor

$20 2% 27.2% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $396 in Kajang, Selangor. 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 $19.00 in Kajang, Selangor. Groceries tell a different story – $250 in Almaty vs $256 in Kajang, Selangor – so Almaty wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇲🇾 Kajang, Selangor

🕒 Local time

11:14 11:14 AM

13:14 1:14 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

1,047,356

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Almaty Kajang, Selangor 5,100 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Kajang, Selangor

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 Kajang, Selangor: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 39%, 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 $1,482 in Kajang, Selangor. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kajang, Selangor, 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 Kajang, Selangor. 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 $988 in Kajang, Selangor. That's a gap of about 39%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kajang, Selangor, where all-in costs run around $988, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Kajang, Selangor it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kajang, Selangor – 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 Kajang, Selangor. 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.