Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Macao

For one person, living is cheaper in Almaty: $1,387 a month against $2,107 in Macao, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 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
104

Cost of Living Index in Macao
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Macao Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,387

/mo nomad

Macao

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Macao

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

A single person spends $1,387 per month in Almaty vs $2,107 in Macao, rent included.

Almaty $1,387
Macao $2,107

A couple spends around $2,135 per month in Almaty vs $3,021 in Macao, rent included.

Almaty $2,135
Macao $3,021

A family of three spends $2,883 per month in Almaty vs $3,935 in Macao, rent included.

Almaty $2,883
Macao $3,935

Almaty is about 34% cheaper than Macao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Almaty and Macao sit above the global median – Almaty by 3%, Macao by 57%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.31 ₸5,991

$6.31 MOP 51.0

110.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 ₸19.5K

$54.9 MOP 444

-21.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 ₸3,959

$5.91 MOP 47.73

48.90%

Cappuccino

$3.30 ₸1,486

$4.89 MOP 39.49

-32.52%

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

$1.37 ₸616

$1.06 MOP 8.56

29.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₸406

$0.93 MOP 7.55

-3.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 ₸1,409

$5.63 MOP 45.49

-44.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 ₸1,847

$7.23 MOP 58.4

-43.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₸749

$3.09 MOP 24.98

-46.28%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 ₸403

$1.67 MOP 13.50

-46.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 ₸927

$1.73 MOP 13.97

19.08%

Eggs

$2.37 ₸1,067

$3.40 MOP 27.46

-30.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.64 ₸5,689

$16.05 MOP 130

-21.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 ₸2,978

$19.07 MOP 154

-65.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.87 ₸4,893

$29.25 MOP 236

-62.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₸839

$2.71 MOP 21.87

-31.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 ₸1,067

$2.86 MOP 23.14

-17.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 ₸1,348

$1.97 MOP 15.90

51.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.83 ₸1,273

$2.36 MOP 19.06

19.92%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ₸345

$3.85 MOP 31.10

-80.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 ₸262

$2.95 MOP 23.86

-80.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 ₸718

$0.66 MOP 5.30

140.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₸446

$1.20 MOP 9.74

-17.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.54 ₸1,145

$6.64 MOP 53.7

-61.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.04 ₸4,969

$12.14 MOP 98.1

-9.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸546

$1.77 MOP 14.34

-31.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 ₸1,085

$2.31 MOP 18.66

4.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₸113

$0.76 MOP 6.13

-67.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.84 ₸9,831

$22.62 MOP 183

-3.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₸577

$2.57 MOP 20.78

-50.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸289

$1.24 MOP 9.99

-48.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.74 ₸4,836

$15.00 MOP 121

-28.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.69 ₸312

$1.76 MOP 14.22

-60.80%

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

$22.3K ₸10.0M

$31.1K MOP 251.3K

-28.35%

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

$29.3K ₸13.2M

$31.8K MOP 256.7K

-7.62%

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

$87.8 ₸39.5K

$124 MOP 1,002

-29.23%

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

$10.83 ₸4,874

$23.44 MOP 189

-53.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.40 ₸7,831

$36.46 MOP 295

-52.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 ₸31.4K

$63.3 MOP 511

10.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.58 ₸12.0K

$3.78 MOP 30.57

603.17%

Cinema Ticket

$6.68 ₸3,009

$14.73 MOP 119

-54.65%

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

$446 ₸200.8K

$1,193 MOP 9,642

-62.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₸5.4M

$19.3K MOP 156.2K

-38.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.7 ₸42.2K

$70.0 MOP 566

33.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.91 ₸21.1K

$33.25 MOP 269

41.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 ₸64.3K

$92.4 MOP 747

54.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.1K

$134 MOP 1,084

-0.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$773 ₸348.1K

$1,130 MOP 9,136

-31.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$497 ₸223.9K

$1,070 MOP 8,651

-53.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 ₸625.9K

$2,092 MOP 16.9K

-33.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$880 ₸396.0K

$1,461 MOP 11.8K

-39.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,546 ₸1.1M

$8,347 MOP 67.5K

-69.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,506 ₸678.2K

$5,538 MOP 44.8K

-72.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$834 ₸375.2K

$2,053 MOP 16.6K

-59.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

588.33%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 5, 2026

Last update for Macao: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$497 36.4%

Macao

$1.1K 50.3% 115% $573

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$251 18.4%

Macao

$422 19.8% 68% $171

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 15%

Macao

$177 8.3% 13.6% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$188 13.7%

Macao

$148 7% 20.9% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$116 8.5%

Macao

$184 8.6% 58.6% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$83 6.1%

Macao

$93 4.4% 11.6% $9.7

Getting Around

Almaty

$27 2%

Macao

$34 1.6% 25.9% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $773 in Almaty versus $1,130 in Macao. 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 146% higher in Macao, 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 $55.0 in Macao. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $422 – making Almaty the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇲🇴 Macao

🕒 Local time

09:49 9:49 AM

11:49 11:49 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

622,567 Capital

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Macanese Pataca MOP P

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MOP, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 450 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

Macanese Pataca exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 MOP (1 MOP = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.07 MOP (1 MOP = 0.11 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Almaty Macao 4,100 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Macao

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 Macao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Macao is pricier by about 52%, 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 $3,160 in Macao. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Almaty and $55.0 in Macao. 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 $2,107 in Macao. That's a gap of about 52%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Almaty, where all-in costs run around $1,387, than in Macao at $2,107. In Almaty it covers expenses comfortably, while in Macao 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, Macao makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.