Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Kota Kinabalu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kota Kinabalu: $917 a month against $1,387 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Kota Kinabalu
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Kota Kinabalu Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,387

/mo nomad

Kota Kinabalu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$917

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Kota Kinabalu

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

A single person spends $1,387 per month in Almaty vs $917 in Kota Kinabalu, rent included.

Almaty $1,387
Kota Kinabalu $917

A couple spends around $2,135 per month in Almaty vs $1,429 in Kota Kinabalu, rent included.

Almaty $2,135
Kota Kinabalu $1,429

A family of three spends $2,883 per month in Almaty vs $1,941 in Kota Kinabalu, rent included.

Almaty $2,883
Kota Kinabalu $1,941

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

Almaty sits 3% above the global median, while Kota Kinabalu is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.31 ₸6,034

$3.57 MYR 14.59

272.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 ₸19.7K

$19.54 MYR 79.8

121.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 ₸3,988

$4.92 MYR 20.09

78.86%

Cappuccino

$3.30 ₸1,497

$2.63 MYR 10.74

25.48%

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

$1.37 ₸620

$0.60 MYR 2.44

128.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₸409

$0.30 MYR 1.22

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 ₸1,419

$2.39 MYR 9.75

30.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 ₸1,860

$3.74 MYR 15.27

9.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₸754

$1.74 MYR 7.11

-4.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 ₸406

$1.28 MYR 5.23

-29.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 ₸933

$2.26 MYR 9.23

-8.85%

Eggs

$2.37 ₸1,074

$3.46 MYR 14.13

-31.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.64 ₸5,730

$28.33 MYR 116

-55.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 ₸3,000

$3.69 MYR 15.05

79.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.87 ₸4,928

$6.68 MYR 27.27

62.72%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₸845

$2.24 MYR 9.15

-16.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 ₸1,075

$1.43 MYR 5.84

65.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 ₸1,358

$1.94 MYR 7.91

54.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.83 ₸1,282

$1.99 MYR 8.13

42.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ₸347

$1.67 MYR 6.81

-53.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 ₸264

$2.13 MYR 8.71

-72.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 ₸723

$0.94 MYR 3.84

69.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₸449

$0.47 MYR 1.93

110.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.54 ₸1,153

$4.92 MYR 20.10

-48.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.04 ₸5,005

$15.84 MYR 64.7

-30.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸550

$3.63 MYR 14.81

-66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 ₸1,093

$2.47 MYR 10.07

-2.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₸113

$1.91 MYR 7.80

-86.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.84 ₸9,901

$41.92 MYR 171

-47.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₸581

$1.91 MYR 7.82

-32.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸291

$0.23 MYR 0.94

178.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.74 ₸4,870

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.69 ₸314

$0.76 MYR 3.11

-9.21%

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

$22.3K ₸10.1M

$42.1K MYR 172.1K

-47.14%

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

$29.3K ₸13.3M

$35.6K MYR 145.5K

-17.67%

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

$87.8 ₸39.8K

$70.5 MYR 288

24.52%

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

$10.83 ₸4,909

$9.69 MYR 39.56

11.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.40 ₸7,887

$32.36 MYR 132

-46.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 ₸31.6K

$52.3 MYR 214

33.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.58 ₸12.1K

$3.09 MYR 12.64

760.19%

Cinema Ticket

$6.68 ₸3,031

$5.22 MYR 21.31

27.97%

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

$446 ₸202.2K

$141 MYR 575

216.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₸5.4M

$6,995 MYR 28.6K

69.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.7 ₸42.5K

$81.5 MYR 333

14.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.91 ₸21.3K

$36.64 MYR 150

28.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 ₸64.7K

$93.7 MYR 382

52.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.5K

$48.75 MYR 199

173.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$773 ₸350.6K

$425 MYR 1,735

82.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$497 ₸225.5K

$193 MYR 788

157.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 ₸630.4K

$679 MYR 2,771

104.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$880 ₸398.9K

$368 MYR 1,501

139.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,546 ₸1.2M

$1,848 MYR 7,546

37.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,506 ₸683.0K

$1,099 MYR 4,489

37.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$834 ₸377.9K

$592 MYR 2,419

40.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

3.9

429.49%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Almaty: October 5, 2026

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$497 36.4%

Kota Kinabalu

$193 20.9% 61.2% $304

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$251 18.4%

Kota Kinabalu

$288 31.1% 14.4% $36

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 15%

Kota Kinabalu

$98 10.6% 52.3% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$188 13.7%

Kota Kinabalu

$117 12.7% 37.5% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$116 8.5%

Kota Kinabalu

$113 12.2% 3% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$83 6.1%

Kota Kinabalu

$63 6.8% 24.4% $20

Getting Around

Almaty

$27 2%

Kota Kinabalu

$53 5.7% 92.6% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $773 in Almaty versus $425 in Kota Kinabalu. 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 41% 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 $43.00 in Almaty versus $20.00 in Kota Kinabalu. Groceries tell a different story – $251 in Almaty vs $288 in Kota Kinabalu – so Almaty wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇲🇾 Kota Kinabalu

🕒 Local time

16:48 4:48 PM

18:48 6:48 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

500,425

💱 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 = 0.219 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 453 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Almaty Kota Kinabalu 5,640 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Kota Kinabalu

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 Kota Kinabalu: 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 $2,080 per month in Almaty and $1,375 in Kota Kinabalu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kota Kinabalu, 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 $43.00 in Almaty and $20.00 in Kota Kinabalu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,387 in Almaty and $917 in Kota Kinabalu. That's a gap of about 51%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kota Kinabalu, where all-in costs run around $917, than in Almaty at $1,387. In Kota Kinabalu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kota Kinabalu – 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 Kota Kinabalu. 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.