Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Ligao City

For one person, living is cheaper in Ligao City: $733 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Almaty
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
$1,372
/mo nomad
Ligao City
🇵🇭 Philippines
$733
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Ligao 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 Ligao City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $733 in Ligao City, rent included.

  • Almaty $1,372
  • Ligao City $733

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,111 in Ligao City, rent included.

  • Almaty $2,142
  • Ligao City $1,111

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,490 in Ligao City, rent included.

  • Almaty $2,913
  • Ligao City $1,490

Almaty costs about 87% more than Ligao City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Ligao City is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Almaty
Ligao City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.16 ₸5,949
$4.44 ₱280
196.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.86 ₸20.3K
$16.71 ₱1,052
168.46%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.90 ₸4,022
$2.73 ₱172
226.01%
Cappuccino
$3.25 ₸1,469
$2.27 ₱143
43.17%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 ₸639
$0.65 ₱41.00
116.92%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.88 ₸399
$0.31 ₱19.54
183.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.35 ₸1,513
$1.17 ₱73.7
186.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.04 ₸1,827
$1.98 ₱124
104.04%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Almaty
Ligao City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.69 ₸762
$1.62 ₱102
4.32%
White Bread (500g)
$0.86 ₸390
$1.15 ₱72.7
-25.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.03 ₸917
$0.91 ₱57.5
123.08%
Eggs
$2.43 ₸1,100
$1.92 ₱121
26.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.46 ₸5,632
$5.55 ₱349
124.50%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.71 ₸3,033
$4.14 ₱261
62.08%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.85 ₸4,905
$7.29 ₱459
48.83%
Apples (1kg)
$1.80 ₸813
$2.34 ₱148
-23.08%
Banana (1kg)
$2.25 ₸1,018
$1.54 ₱96.9
46.10%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.91 ₸1,314
$2.34 ₱147
24.36%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.75 ₸1,243
$1.12 ₱70.6
145.54%
Potato (1kg)
$0.75 ₸337
$1.91 ₱120
-60.73%
Onion (1kg)
$0.55 ₸248
$1.94 ₱122
-71.65%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.62 ₸732
$0.95 ₱59.7
70.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.05 ₸474
$0.55 ₱34.75
90.91%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.58 ₸1,167
$2.91 ₱183
-11.34%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.15 ₸5,042
$7.72 ₱486
44.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.21 ₸547
$0.98 ₱61.9
23.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.44 ₸1,104
$1.86 ₱117
31.18%
🚌 Getting Around
Almaty
Ligao City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.26 ₸117
$0.25 ₱15.56
4.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.03 ₸9,957
$9.63 ₱606
128.76%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.35 ₸611
$0.75 ₱47.10
80.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.64 ₸288
$0.20 ₱12.81
220.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.16 ₸5,044
$1.98 ₱125
463.64%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.72 ₸324
$1.20 ₱75.5
-40.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.5K ₸10.2M
$24.1K ₱1.5M
-6.38%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.3K ₸13.7M
$20.6K ₱1.3M
46.71%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Almaty
Ligao City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$91.8 ₸41.5K
$122 ₱7,655
-24.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.66 ₸4,820
$15.53 ₱978
-31.36%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.86 ₸8,072
$24.01 ₱1,512
-25.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Almaty
Ligao City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$70.3 ₸31.8K
$32.44 ₱2,042
116.80%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.60 ₸12.5K
$5.29 ₱333
421.74%
Cinema Ticket
$6.78 ₸3,064
$5.12 ₱322
32.42%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Almaty
Ligao City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$449 ₸202.9K
$134 ₱8,460
233.98%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.1K ₸5.5M
$7,903 ₱497.6K
53.17%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Almaty
Ligao City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$89.9 ₸40.7K
$33.37 ₱2,101
169.52%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.02 ₸21.3K
$19.88 ₱1,252
136.52%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$142 ₸64.1K
$70.7 ₱4,452
100.52%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$133 ₸60.0K
$54.8 ₱3,449
142.31%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Almaty
Ligao City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$805 ₸363.7K
$266 ₱16.7K
202.73%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$500 ₸225.9K
$173 ₱10.9K
188.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,429 ₸645.9K
$516 ₱32.5K
176.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$904 ₸408.8K
$347 ₱21.9K
160.29%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,503 ₸1.1M
$2,399 ₱151.1K
4.33%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,559 ₸704.7K
$986 ₱62.1K
58.13%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Almaty
Ligao City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$870 ₸393.3K
$272 ₱17.1K
219.46%
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 Ligao City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Almaty
$500
Ligao City
$173 65.3% $327
Groceries & Markets
Almaty
$250
Ligao City
$178 28.8% $72
Eating Out
Almaty
$205
Ligao City
$85 58.7% $120
Clothing & Footwear
Almaty
$185
Ligao City
$80 56.6% $105
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Almaty
$120
Ligao City
$161 33.9% $41
Sport & Entertainment
Almaty
$84
Ligao City
$43 49.1% $41
Getting Around
Almaty
$28
Ligao City
$12 55.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $266 in Ligao 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 219% 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 Ligao City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $178 – making Ligao City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇰🇿 Almaty
🇵🇭 Ligao City
🕒 Local time
09:01 9:01 AM
11:01 11:01 AM
2 h ahead of Almaty
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,475,400
3,955
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Almaty Ligao City 5,550 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Almaty
  • Ligao 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 Ligao City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ligao City cheaper than Almaty?
Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 87%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,058 per month in Almaty and $1,099 in Ligao City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Ligao City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Almaty or in Ligao City?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Almaty and $17.00 in Ligao City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Almaty and in Ligao City?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,372 in Almaty and $733 in Ligao City. That's a gap of about 87%.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Almaty or in Ligao City?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ligao City, where all-in costs run around $733, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Ligao City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Almaty or Ligao City more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Ligao City – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Ligao 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.

Almaty vs other spots: cost of living compared

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