Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Nilai

For one person, living is cheaper in Nilai: $944 a month against $1,363 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Nilai
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Nilai Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,363

/mo nomad

Nilai

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$944

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Nilai

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

A single person spends $1,363 per month in Almaty vs $944 in Nilai, rent included.

Almaty $1,363
Nilai $944

A couple spends around $2,131 per month in Almaty vs $1,408 in Nilai, rent included.

Almaty $2,131
Nilai $1,408

A family of three spends $2,900 per month in Almaty vs $1,873 in Nilai, rent included.

Almaty $2,900
Nilai $1,873

Almaty costs about 44% more than Nilai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 1% above the global median, while Nilai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.05 ₸5,899

$3.61 MYR 14.71

261.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.44 ₸19.6K

$19.70 MYR 80.4

120.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ₸3,962

$6.16 MYR 25.13

42.21%

Cappuccino

$3.32 ₸1,501

$3.45 MYR 14.09

-3.77%

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

$1.34 ₸607

$0.81 MYR 3.32

65.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₸374

$0.38 MYR 1.56

118.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 ₸1,518

$3.56 MYR 14.54

-5.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 ₸1,818

$4.48 MYR 18.29

-10.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ₸747

$1.73 MYR 7.05

-4.62%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 ₸421

$1.38 MYR 5.65

-32.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 ₸927

$1.43 MYR 5.84

43.36%

Eggs

$2.46 ₸1,113

$2.22 MYR 9.06

10.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.49 ₸5,646

$13.82 MYR 56.4

-9.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,035

$4.32 MYR 17.61

55.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$9.83 MYR 40.11

10.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 ₸807

$3.22 MYR 13.15

-44.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.69 MYR 6.91

33.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 ₸1,299

$2.47 MYR 10.07

16.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 ₸1,227

$1.55 MYR 6.33

74.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 ₸362

$1.28 MYR 5.21

-37.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸249

$1.29 MYR 5.27

-57.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$1.18 MYR 4.81

37.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ₸453

$0.56 MYR 2.29

78.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$4.97 MYR 20.29

-48.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,039

$20.83 MYR 85.0

-46.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₸572

$2.60 MYR 10.60

-51.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₸1,120

$4.35 MYR 17.75

-42.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₸128

$0.73 MYR 2.99

-61.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.05 ₸9,970

$13.51 MYR 55.1

63.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 ₸607

$1.12 MYR 4.57

19.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.52 MYR 2.11

23.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.04 ₸4,993

$8.45 MYR 34.46

30.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸326

$0.96 MYR 3.93

-25.00%

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

$28.1K ₸12.7M

$42.8K MYR 174.4K

-34.19%

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

$31.8K ₸14.4M

$30.6K MYR 125.0K

3.77%

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

$90.5 ₸40.9K

$49.33 MYR 201

83.50%

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

$10.63 ₸4,805

$9.58 MYR 39.06

10.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.12 ₸8,190

$28.03 MYR 114

-35.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 ₸31.2K

$36.98 MYR 151

86.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.98 ₸12.2K

$6.36 MYR 25.94

324.21%

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 ₸3,062

$4.79 MYR 19.55

41.34%

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

$444 ₸200.6K

$186 MYR 759

138.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K ₸5.4M

$6,358 MYR 25.9K

88.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.9 ₸41.5K

$49.57 MYR 202

85.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.80 ₸21.6K

$37.46 MYR 153

27.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 ₸63.0K

$75.4 MYR 308

84.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₸59.4K

$81.2 MYR 331

61.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$777 ₸351.2K

$382 MYR 1,558

103.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$494 ₸223.4K

$297 MYR 1,210

66.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 ₸650.4K

$665 MYR 2,715

116.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$905 ₸409.2K

$477 MYR 1,947

89.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,470 ₸1.1M

$2,219 MYR 9,052

11.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,517 ₸685.7K

$979 MYR 3,993

54.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$857 ₸387.2K

$1,393 MYR 5,683

-38.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

4.06

408.62%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nilai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$494 36.3%

Nilai

$297 31.4% 40% $198

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$251 18.4%

Nilai

$263 27.9% 5.1% $13

Eating Out

Almaty

$204 15%

Nilai

$120 12.8% 41% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.6%

Nilai

$110 11.6% 40.6% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$119 8.8%

Nilai

$87 9.2% 27.1% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$83 6.1%

Nilai

$47 4.9% 43.6% $36

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Nilai

$20 2.1% 27.3% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $777 in Almaty versus $382 in Nilai. 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 63% higher in Nilai, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Almaty versus $20.00 in Nilai. Groceries tell a different story – $251 in Almaty vs $263 in Nilai – so Almaty wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇲🇾 Nilai

🕒 Local time

04:38 4:38 AM

06:38 6:38 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

38,612

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Almaty Nilai 5,120 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Nilai

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 Nilai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 44%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,044 per month in Almaty and $1,415 in Nilai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nilai, 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 $20.00 in Nilai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,363 in Almaty and $944 in Nilai. That's a gap of about 44%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Nilai, where all-in costs run around $944, than in Almaty at $1,363. In Nilai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nilai – 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 Nilai. 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.