Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Kepong

For one person, living is cheaper in Kepong: $909 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Kepong
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Kepong Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Kepong

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$909

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Kepong

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $909 in Kepong, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Kepong $909

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,366 in Kepong, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Kepong $1,366

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,823 in Kepong, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Kepong $1,823

Almaty costs about 51% more than Kepong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Kepong is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$3.75 MYR 15.31

250.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$24.50 MYR 100.0

83.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$4.94 MYR 20.13

80.16%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$3.01 MYR 12.28

7.97%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$0.87 MYR 3.55

62.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.45 MYR 1.82

95.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

$3.40 MYR 13.86

-1.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$5.84 MYR 23.81

-30.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$1.76 MYR 7.18

-3.98%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.04 MYR 4.24

-17.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$1.42 MYR 5.81

42.96%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$1.80 MYR 7.34

35.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

$9.81 MYR 40.00

27.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$3.30 MYR 13.47

103.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$9.58 MYR 39.08

13.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$3.31 MYR 13.51

-45.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.69 MYR 6.91

33.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$2.71 MYR 11.06

7.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$1.70 MYR 6.93

61.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$1.47 MYR 5.99

-48.98%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$1.66 MYR 6.77

-66.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$1.32 MYR 5.37

22.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.55 MYR 2.22

90.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$4.17 MYR 17.00

-38.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

$13.90 MYR 56.7

-19.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$2.67 MYR 10.90

-54.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

$2.99 MYR 12.20

-18.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.82 MYR 3.34

-68.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

$12.06 MYR 49.18

82.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$1.00 MYR 4.09

35.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.38 MYR 1.56

68.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

$9.05 MYR 36.91

23.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$0.86 MYR 3.53

-16.28%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$41.3K MYR 168.5K

-45.46%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$32.0K MYR 130.6K

-5.45%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$49.51 MYR 202

85.44%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$8.27 MYR 33.74

28.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$27.27 MYR 111

-34.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$39.01 MYR 159

80.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$6.74 MYR 27.48

309.50%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$4.86 MYR 19.82

39.51%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

$164 MYR 668

173.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$4,528 MYR 18.5K

167.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$54.7 MYR 223

64.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$24.36 MYR 99.4

93.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$82.3 MYR 336

72.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$84.5 MYR 345

57.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

$404 MYR 1,649

99.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

$303 MYR 1,235

65.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

$668 MYR 2,726

113.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

$482 MYR 1,967

87.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$1,997 MYR 8,147

25.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

$1,073 MYR 4,378

45.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

$644 MYR 2,628

35.07%

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 Kepong: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Kepong

$303 33.3% 39.4% $197

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Kepong

$228 25.1% 8.8% $22

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Kepong

$115 12.6% 44% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Kepong

$111 12.2% 40.2% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Kepong

$85 9.4% 29.3% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Kepong

$49 5.4% 41.9% $35

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Kepong

$18 2% 33.9% $9.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $404 in Kepong. 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 35% 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 $25.00 in Kepong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $228 – making Kepong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇲🇾 Kepong

🕒 Local time

11:58 11:58 AM

13:58 1:58 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

85,960

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Almaty Kepong 5,070 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Kepong

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 Kepong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 51%, 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 $1,363 in Kepong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kepong, 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 $25.00 in Kepong. 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 $909 in Kepong. That's a gap of about 51%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kepong, where all-in costs run around $909, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Kepong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kepong – 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 Kepong. 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.