Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Lucena

For one person, living is cheaper in Lucena: $646 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Lucena
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Lucena Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Lucena

🇵🇭 Philippines

$646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Lucena

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $646 in Lucena, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Lucena $646

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,041 in Lucena, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Lucena $1,041

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,436 in Lucena, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Lucena $1,436

Almaty costs about 113% more than Lucena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Lucena is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$1.50 ₱94.4

777.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$18.91 ₱1,191

137.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$1.72 ₱108

417.44%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$1.32 ₱83.2

146.21%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$0.33 ₱20.88

327.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.29 ₱18.26

203.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

$1.38 ₱86.7

142.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$1.28 ₱80.9

215.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$1.66 ₱105

1.81%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.17 ₱73.4

-26.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$0.92 ₱57.6

120.65%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$1.75 ₱110

38.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

$6.82 ₱429

82.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$4.21 ₱265

59.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$7.13 ₱449

52.17%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$4.04 ₱254

-55.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.37 ₱86.0

64.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$3.58 ₱225

-18.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$1.17 ₱73.5

135.04%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$2.27 ₱143

-66.96%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$3.30 ₱208

-83.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$1.42 ₱89.6

14.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.91 ₱57.0

15.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$2.74 ₱173

-5.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

$7.74 ₱487

44.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$1.34 ₱84.6

-9.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

$1.76 ₱111

38.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.24 ₱14.97

8.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

$12.08 ₱761

82.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$0.81 ₱51.0

66.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.21 ₱13.19

204.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

$2.54 ₱160

339.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$1.23 ₱77.6

-41.46%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$21.3K ₱1.3M

5.72%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$18.8K ₱1.2M

61.35%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$47.89 ₱3,015

91.71%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$6.37 ₱401

67.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$11.06 ₱696

61.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$34.15 ₱2,150

105.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$4.02 ₱253

586.57%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$7.38 ₱465

-8.13%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

$71.9 ₱4,529

523.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$2,515 ₱158.3K

381.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$35.78 ₱2,253

151.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$22.69 ₱1,428

107.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$79.7 ₱5,020

77.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$74.4 ₱4,683

78.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

$262 ₱16.5K

207.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

$170 ₱10.7K

194.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

$516 ₱32.5K

177.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

$357 ₱22.5K

153.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$2,274 ₱143.2K

10.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

$921 ₱58.0K

69.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

$320 ₱20.2K

171.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

195.00%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lucena: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Lucena

$170 26.3% 66% $330

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Lucena

$206 31.9% 17.7% $44

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Lucena

$45 7% 78.1% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Lucena

$96 14.8% 48.3% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Lucena

$65 10.1% 45.7% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Lucena

$49 7.6% 41.7% $35

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Lucena

$15 2.3% 46.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $262 in Lucena. 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 172% 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 $19.00 in Lucena. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $206 – making Lucena the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇵🇭 Lucena

🕒 Local time

08:28 8:28 AM

10:28 10:28 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

278,924

💱 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 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).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Almaty Lucena 5,350 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Lucena

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 Lucena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 113%, 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 $968 in Lucena. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lucena, 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 $19.00 in Lucena. 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 $646 in Lucena. That's a gap of about 113%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lucena, where all-in costs run around $646, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Lucena it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lucena – 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 Lucena. 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.