Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Makassar

For one person, living is cheaper in Makassar: $641 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Almaty
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
$1,372
/mo nomad
Makassar
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$641
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Makassar

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $641 in Makassar, rent included.

  • Almaty $1,372
  • Makassar $641

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $985 in Makassar, rent included.

  • Almaty $2,142
  • Makassar $985

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,328 in Makassar, rent included.

  • Almaty $2,913
  • Makassar $1,328

Almaty costs about 114% more than Makassar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Makassar is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Almaty
Makassar
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.16 ₸5,949
$1.72 Rp 31.0K
665.12%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.86 ₸20.3K
$8.88 Rp 159.8K
405.18%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.90 ₸4,022
$3.15 Rp 56.7K
182.54%
Cappuccino
$3.25 ₸1,469
$1.92 Rp 34.5K
69.27%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 ₸639
$0.50 Rp 9,030
182.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.88 ₸399
$0.36 Rp 6,497
144.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.35 ₸1,513
$2.49 Rp 44.8K
34.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.04 ₸1,827
$3.30 Rp 59.4K
22.42%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Almaty
Makassar
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.69 ₸762
$1.59 Rp 28.6K
6.29%
White Bread (500g)
$0.86 ₸390
$0.98 Rp 17.7K
-12.24%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.03 ₸917
$0.62 Rp 11.2K
227.42%
Eggs
$2.43 ₸1,100
$1.50 Rp 27.0K
62.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.46 ₸5,632
$6.29 Rp 113.3K
98.09%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.71 ₸3,033
$3.44 Rp 61.9K
95.06%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.85 ₸4,905
$5.24 Rp 94.3K
107.06%
Apples (1kg)
$1.80 ₸813
$2.35 Rp 42.3K
-23.40%
Banana (1kg)
$2.25 ₸1,018
$1.36 Rp 24.5K
65.44%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.91 ₸1,314
$1.90 Rp 34.3K
53.16%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.75 ₸1,243
$1.86 Rp 33.4K
47.85%
Potato (1kg)
$0.75 ₸337
$1.25 Rp 22.6K
-40.00%
Onion (1kg)
$0.55 ₸248
$1.57 Rp 28.2K
-64.97%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.62 ₸732
$0.73 Rp 13.2K
121.92%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.05 ₸474
$0.42 Rp 7,526
150.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.58 ₸1,167
$2.63 Rp 47.4K
-1.90%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.15 ₸5,042
$22.11 Rp 398.0K
-49.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.21 ₸547
$1.81 Rp 32.7K
-33.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.44 ₸1,104
$3.00 Rp 54.0K
-18.67%
🚌 Getting Around
Almaty
Makassar
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.26 ₸117
$0.27 Rp 4,854
-3.70%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.03 ₸9,957
$4.30 Rp 77.5K
412.33%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.35 ₸611
$0.49 Rp 8,781
175.51%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.64 ₸288
$0.35 Rp 6,271
82.86%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.16 ₸5,044
$2.66 Rp 47.9K
319.55%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.72 ₸324
$0.74 Rp 13.3K
-2.70%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.5K ₸10.2M
$23.9K Rp 430.8M
-5.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.3K ₸13.7M
$30.9K Rp 557.0M
-2.17%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Almaty
Makassar
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$91.8 ₸41.5K
$89.0 Rp 1.6M
3.20%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.66 ₸4,820
$2.71 Rp 48.7K
293.36%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.86 ₸8,072
$24.90 Rp 448.1K
-28.27%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Almaty
Makassar
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$70.3 ₸31.8K
$21.47 Rp 386.5K
227.57%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.60 ₸12.5K
$8.40 Rp 151.1K
228.57%
Cinema Ticket
$6.78 ₸3,064
$3.36 Rp 60.5K
101.79%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Almaty
Makassar
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$449 ₸202.9K
$93.5 Rp 1.7M
380.21%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.1K ₸5.5M
$3,746 Rp 67.4M
223.14%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Almaty
Makassar
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$89.9 ₸40.7K
$26.95 Rp 485.2K
233.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.02 ₸21.3K
$23.52 Rp 423.3K
99.91%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$142 ₸64.1K
$75.3 Rp 1.4M
88.43%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$133 ₸60.0K
$40.00 Rp 720.0K
231.90%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Almaty
Makassar
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$805 ₸363.7K
$232 Rp 4.2M
246.73%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$500 ₸225.9K
$148 Rp 2.7M
237.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,429 ₸645.9K
$546 Rp 9.8M
161.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$904 ₸408.8K
$360 Rp 6.5M
151.49%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,503 ₸1.1M
$1,159 Rp 20.9M
116.00%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,559 ₸704.7K
$803 Rp 14.5M
94.14%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Almaty
Makassar
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$870 ₸393.3K
$214 Rp 3.8M
306.97%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
20.65
9.46
118.29%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Makassar: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Almaty
$500
Makassar
$148 70.4% $352
Groceries & Markets
Almaty
$250
Makassar
$197 21.3% $53
Eating Out
Almaty
$205
Makassar
$69 66.5% $136
Clothing & Footwear
Almaty
$185
Makassar
$75 59.7% $111
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Almaty
$120
Makassar
$117 3.1% $3.8
Sport & Entertainment
Almaty
$84
Makassar
$28 66.4% $56
Getting Around
Almaty
$28
Makassar
$7.6 72.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $232 in Makassar. 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 307% 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 $9.00 in Makassar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $197 – making Makassar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇰🇿 Almaty
🇮🇩 Makassar
🕒 Local time
02:49 2:49 AM
04:49 4:49 AM
2 h ahead of Almaty
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,475,400
1,427,619
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

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).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Almaty Makassar 6,860 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Almaty
  • Makassar

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 Makassar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Makassar cheaper than Almaty?
Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 114%, 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 $961 in Makassar. 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 Makassar, 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 Makassar?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Almaty and $9.00 in Makassar. 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 Makassar?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,372 in Almaty and $641 in Makassar. That's a gap of about 114%.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Almaty or in Makassar?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Makassar, where all-in costs run around $641, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Makassar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Almaty or Makassar more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Makassar – 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 Makassar. 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.

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