Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Kuala Belait

For one person, living is cheaper in Almaty: $1,387 a month against $1,699 in Kuala Belait, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
84

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Belait
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Kuala Belait Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,387

/mo nomad

Kuala Belait

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,699

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Kuala Belait

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

A single person spends $1,387 per month in Almaty vs $1,699 in Kuala Belait, rent included.

Almaty $1,387
Kuala Belait $1,699

A couple spends around $2,135 per month in Almaty vs $2,569 in Kuala Belait, rent included.

Almaty $2,135
Kuala Belait $2,569

A family of three spends $2,883 per month in Almaty vs $3,438 in Kuala Belait, rent included.

Almaty $2,883
Kuala Belait $3,438

Almaty is about 18% cheaper than Kuala Belait, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Almaty and Kuala Belait sit above the global median – Almaty by 3%, Kuala Belait by 27%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.31 ₸6,034

$7.91 BND 10.12

68.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 ₸19.7K

$46.43 BND 59.4

-6.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 ₸3,988

$7.85 BND 10.05

12.10%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 BND 2.57

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 BND 3.06

Cappuccino

$3.30 ₸1,497

$4.41 BND 5.64

-25.17%

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

$1.37 ₸620

$0.89 BND 1.15

53.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₸409

$0.50 BND 0.64

80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 ₸1,419

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 ₸1,860

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₸754

$1.84 BND 2.36

-9.78%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 ₸406

$2.43 BND 3.12

-62.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 ₸933

$2.25 BND 2.88

-8.44%

Eggs

$2.37 ₸1,074

$2.58 BND 3.31

-8.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.64 ₸5,730

$18.59 BND 23.80

-32.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 ₸3,000

$9.85 BND 12.61

-32.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.87 ₸4,928

$24.88 BND 31.85

-56.31%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₸845

$4.69 BND 6.00

-60.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 ₸1,075

$2.17 BND 2.78

9.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 ₸1,358

$4.83 BND 6.18

-38.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.83 ₸1,282

$2.47 BND 3.17

14.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ₸347

$1.71 BND 2.19

-54.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 ₸264

$2.90 BND 3.71

-80.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 ₸723

$5.54 BND 7.09

-71.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₸449

$0.93 BND 1.19

6.45%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$11.59 BND 14.84

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.99 BND 7.67

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.54 ₸1,153

$7.86 BND 10.07

-67.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.04 ₸5,005

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸550

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 ₸1,093

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₸113

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.84 ₸9,901

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₸581

$3.99 BND 5.11

-67.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸291

$3.43 BND 4.39

-81.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.74 ₸4,870

$11.59 BND 14.84

-7.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.69 ₸314

$0.35 BND 0.45

97.14%

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

$22.3K ₸10.1M

$30.7K BND 39.3K

-27.42%

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

$29.3K ₸13.3M

$27.2K BND 34.9K

7.68%

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

$87.8 ₸39.8K

$38.45 BND 49.23

128.24%

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

$10.83 ₸4,909

$21.58 BND 27.63

-49.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.40 ₸7,887

$64.4 BND 82.4

-72.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 ₸31.6K

$95.9 BND 123

-27.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.58 ₸12.1K

$27.34 BND 35.00

-2.78%

Cinema Ticket

$6.68 ₸3,031

$5.51 BND 7.05

21.23%

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

$446 ₸202.2K

$217 BND 278

105.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₸5.4M

$9,398 BND 12.0K

26.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.7 ₸42.5K

$74.8 BND 95.8

25.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.91 ₸21.3K

$101 BND 129

-53.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 ₸64.7K

$153 BND 196

-6.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.5K

$71.4 BND 91.4

86.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$773 ₸350.6K

$753 BND 964

2.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$497 ₸225.5K

$771 BND 987

-35.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 ₸630.4K

$1,193 BND 1,527

16.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$880 ₸398.9K

$1,177 BND 1,506

-25.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,546 ₸1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,506 ₸683.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$834 ₸377.9K

$3,398 BND 4,350

-75.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

3.88

432.22%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 5, 2026

Last update for Kuala Belait: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$497 36.4%

Kuala Belait

$771 45.3% 55% $274

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$251 18.4%

Kuala Belait

$354 20.8% 41% $103

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 15%

Kuala Belait

$145 8.5% 29.3% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$188 13.7%

Kuala Belait

$180 10.6% 4.1% $7.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$116 8.5%

Kuala Belait

$124 7.3% 7.3% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$83 6.1%

Kuala Belait

$107 6.3% 28.7% $24

Getting Around

Almaty

$27 2%

Kuala Belait

$21 * 1.2% 22.7% $6.2

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $773 in Almaty versus $753 in Kuala Belait. 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 308% higher in Kuala Belait, 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 $46.00 in Kuala Belait. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $354 – making Almaty the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇧🇳 Kuala Belait

🕒 Local time

17:42 5:42 PM

19:42 7:42 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

31,178

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Brunei Dollar BND $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

1 BND = 0.781 USD

1 BND = 0.697 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BND, 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).

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 BND (1 BND = 0.697 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Almaty Kuala Belait 5,640 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Kuala Belait

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 Kuala Belait: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Kuala Belait is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,080 per month in Almaty and $2,549 in Kuala Belait. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Almaty, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,387 in Almaty and $1,699 in Kuala Belait. That's a gap of about 23%.

Kindergarten costs $446 per month in Almaty and $217 in Kuala Belait. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Almaty, where all-in costs run around $1,387, than in Kuala Belait at $1,699. In Almaty it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kuala Belait it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Almaty – 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 Almaty. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kuala Belait makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.