Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Makati

For one person, living is cheaper in Makati: $1,257 a month against $1,387 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Makati
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Makati Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,387

/mo nomad

Makati

🇵🇭 Philippines

$1,257

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Makati

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

A single person spends $1,387 per month in Almaty vs $1,257 in Makati, rent included.

Almaty $1,387
Makati $1,257

A couple spends around $2,135 per month in Almaty vs $2,052 in Makati, rent included.

Almaty $2,135
Makati $2,052

A family of three spends $2,883 per month in Almaty vs $2,847 in Makati, rent included.

Almaty $2,883
Makati $2,847

Almaty costs about 10% more than Makati, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 3% above the global median, while Makati is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.31 ₸5,991

$6.56 ₱412

102.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 ₸19.5K

$40.13 ₱2,524

8.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 ₸3,959

$4.75 ₱299

85.26%

Cappuccino

$3.30 ₸1,486

$2.65 ₱166

24.53%

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

$1.37 ₸616

$1.08 ₱67.8

26.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₸406

$0.50 ₱31.56

80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 ₸1,409

$2.44 ₱153

28.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 ₸1,847

$3.10 ₱195

32.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₸749

$1.83 ₱115

-9.29%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 ₸403

$1.24 ₱77.9

-27.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 ₸927

$1.01 ₱63.7

103.96%

Eggs

$2.37 ₸1,067

$2.37 ₱149

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.64 ₸5,689

$7.35 ₱462

71.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 ₸2,978

$4.91 ₱309

34.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.87 ₸4,893

$6.81 ₱429

59.62%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₸839

$4.09 ₱257

-54.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 ₸1,067

$2.00 ₱126

18.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 ₸1,348

$3.27 ₱206

-8.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.83 ₸1,273

$2.29 ₱144

23.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ₸345

$3.59 ₱226

-78.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 ₸262

$3.45 ₱217

-83.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 ₸718

$1.07 ₱67.2

48.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₸446

$1.11 ₱69.9

-10.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.54 ₸1,145

$2.66 ₱167

-4.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.04 ₸4,969

$8.01 ₱504

37.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸546

$1.35 ₱84.7

-10.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 ₸1,085

$1.98 ₱125

21.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₸113

$0.99 ₱62.0

-74.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.84 ₸9,831

$57.4 ₱3,609

-61.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₸577

$0.66 ₱41.50

93.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸289

$0.23 ₱14.50

178.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.74 ₸4,836

$1.88 ₱118

471.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.69 ₸312

$1.26 ₱79.2

-45.24%

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

$22.3K ₸10.0M

$21.5K ₱1.4M

3.74%

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

$29.3K ₸13.2M

$19.8K ₱1.2M

48.13%

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

$87.8 ₸39.5K

$155 ₱9,752

-43.41%

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

$10.83 ₸4,874

$15.90 ₱1,000

-31.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.40 ₸7,831

$32.67 ₱2,055

-46.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 ₸31.4K

$55.4 ₱3,482

25.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.58 ₸12.0K

$14.51 ₱913

83.18%

Cinema Ticket

$6.68 ₸3,009

$6.98 ₱439

-4.30%

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

$446 ₸200.8K

$783 ₱49.2K

-43.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₸5.4M

$7,340 ₱461.6K

61.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.7 ₸42.2K

$59.6 ₱3,748

57.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.91 ₸21.1K

$37.48 ₱2,357

25.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 ₸64.3K

$82.5 ₱5,185

73.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.1K

$102 ₱6,400

31.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$773 ₸348.1K

$828 ₱52.1K

-6.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$497 ₸223.9K

$416 ₱26.2K

19.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 ₸625.9K

$2,318 ₱145.8K

-40.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$880 ₸396.0K

$1,067 ₱67.1K

-17.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,546 ₸1.1M

$6,082 ₱382.5K

-58.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,506 ₸678.2K

$3,765 ₱236.8K

-59.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$834 ₸375.2K

$616 ₱38.7K

35.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

7.5

175.33%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 5, 2026

Last update for Makati: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$497 36.4%

Makati

$416 33.8% 16.3% $81

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$251 18.4%

Makati

$230 18.7% 8.4% $21

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 15%

Makati

$123 10% 40% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$188 13.7%

Makati

$127 10.3% 32.5% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$116 8.5%

Makati

$204 16.5% 75.6% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$83 6.1%

Makati

$69 5.6% 16.5% $14

Getting Around

Almaty

$27 2%

Makati

$63 5.1% 131% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $773 in Almaty versus $828 in Makati. 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 35% 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 $43.00 in Almaty versus $40.00 in Makati. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $230 – making Makati the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇵🇭 Makati

🕒 Local time

16:09 4:09 PM

18:09 6:09 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

582,602

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 450 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.47 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Almaty Makati 5,250 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Makati

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 Makati: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,080 per month in Almaty and $1,885 in Makati. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Makati, 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 $40.00 in Makati. 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 $1,257 in Makati. That's a gap of about 10%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Makati, where all-in costs run around $1,257, than in Almaty at $1,387. In Makati it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Makati – 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 Makati. 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.