Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Laoag City

For one person, living is cheaper in Laoag City: $743 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Laoag City
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Laoag City Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Laoag City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$743

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Laoag City

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $743 in Laoag City, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Laoag City $743

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,112 in Laoag City, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Laoag City $1,112

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,480 in Laoag City, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Laoag City $1,480

Almaty costs about 85% more than Laoag City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Laoag City is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$3.41 ₱215

285.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$16.52 ₱1,040

171.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$2.94 ₱185

202.72%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$2.54 ₱160

27.95%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$0.67 ₱42.11

110.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.33 ₱20.52

166.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

$1.00 ₱63.3

235.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$1.85 ₱117

118.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$1.63 ₱102

3.68%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.17 ₱73.8

-26.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$0.92 ₱58.1

120.65%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$1.95 ₱123

24.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

$5.25 ₱331

137.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$4.30 ₱271

56.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$7.24 ₱456

49.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$2.42 ₱152

-25.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.63 ₱103

38.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$2.44 ₱154

19.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$1.19 ₱74.6

131.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$1.94 ₱122

-61.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$1.88 ₱119

-70.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$1.01 ₱63.3

60.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.54 ₱33.73

94.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$2.89 ₱182

-10.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

$7.37 ₱464

51.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$0.94 ₱59.5

28.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

$1.94 ₱122

25.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.26 ₱16.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

$11.99 ₱755

83.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$0.73 ₱45.76

84.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.24 ₱15.14

166.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

$2.19 ₱138

409.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$1.03 ₱64.6

-30.10%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$21.6K ₱1.4M

4.06%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$19.0K ₱1.2M

59.08%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$136 ₱8,542

-32.33%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$14.48 ₱912

-26.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$24.79 ₱1,561

-27.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$32.51 ₱2,047

116.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$5.10 ₱321

441.18%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$5.03 ₱316

34.79%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

$133 ₱8,385

236.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$8,190 ₱515.6K

47.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$33.49 ₱2,108

168.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$19.72 ₱1,242

138.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$71.2 ₱4,481

99.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$55.3 ₱3,483

139.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

$270 ₱17.0K

198.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

$171 ₱10.8K

191.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

$513 ₱32.3K

178.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

$330 ₱20.7K

174.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$2,434 ₱153.3K

2.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

$1,087 ₱68.4K

43.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

$162 ₱10.2K

437.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

6.79

204.12%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Laoag City: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Laoag City

$171 23% 65.7% $328

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Laoag City

$179 24.2% 28.3% $71

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Laoag City

$79 10.7% 61.3% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Laoag City

$81 10.9% 56.3% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Laoag City

$175 23.5% 45.4% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Laoag City

$43 5.7% 49.3% $41

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Laoag City

$15 2% 45.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $270 in Laoag City. 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 438% 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 $17.00 in Laoag City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $179 – making Laoag City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇵🇭 Laoag City

🕒 Local time

02:17 2:17 AM

04:17 4:17 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

112,117

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Almaty Laoag City 4,930 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Laoag City

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 Laoag City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 85%, 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 $1,115 in Laoag City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Laoag City, 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 $17.00 in Laoag City. 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 $743 in Laoag City. That's a gap of about 85%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Laoag City, where all-in costs run around $743, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Laoag City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Laoag City – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Laoag City. 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.