Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Oskemen

For one person, living is cheaper in Oskemen: $904 a month against $1,363 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Oskemen
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Oskemen Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,363

/mo nomad

Oskemen

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$904

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Oskemen

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

A single person spends $1,363 per month in Almaty vs $904 in Oskemen, rent included.

Almaty $1,363
Oskemen $904

A couple spends around $2,131 per month in Almaty vs $1,517 in Oskemen, rent included.

Almaty $2,131
Oskemen $1,517

A family of three spends $2,900 per month in Almaty vs $2,131 in Oskemen, rent included.

Almaty $2,900
Oskemen $2,131

Almaty costs about 51% more than Oskemen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Almaty sits 1% above the global median, while Oskemen is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.05 ₸5,899

$13.29 ₸6,010

-1.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.44 ₸19.6K

$26.05 ₸11.8K

66.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ₸3,962

$3.90 ₸1,764

124.62%

Cappuccino

$3.32 ₸1,501

$3.42 ₸1,547

-2.92%

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

$1.34 ₸607

$0.98 ₸444

36.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₸374

$0.55 ₸248

50.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 ₸1,518

$1.58 ₸716

112.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 ₸1,818

$1.69 ₸766

137.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ₸747

$1.45 ₸656

13.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 ₸421

$0.49 ₸223

89.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 ₸927

$1.37 ₸618

49.64%

Eggs

$2.46 ₸1,113

$1.76 ₸795

39.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.49 ₸5,646

$10.07 ₸4,554

24.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,035

$5.93 ₸2,681

13.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$8.02 ₸3,624

35.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 ₸807

$1.17 ₸530

52.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$2.01 ₸907

11.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 ₸1,299

$2.72 ₸1,230

5.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 ₸1,227

$2.52 ₸1,140

7.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 ₸362

$0.94 ₸425

-14.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸249

$0.52 ₸236

5.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$0.32 ₸145

406.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ₸453

$1.05 ₸476

-4.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$2.23 ₸1,006

15.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,039

$4.87 ₸2,201

128.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₸572

$1.45 ₸656

-13.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₸1,120

$1.62 ₸733

53.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₸128

$0.24 ₸108

16.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.05 ₸9,970

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 ₸607

$1.13 ₸511

18.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.32 ₸146

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.04 ₸4,993

$2.47 ₸1,119

346.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸326

$0.66 ₸297

9.09%

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

$28.1K ₸12.7M

$32.4K ₸14.7M

-13.20%

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

$31.8K ₸14.4M

$31.1K ₸14.1M

2.24%

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

$90.5 ₸40.9K

$46.60 ₸21.1K

94.25%

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

$10.63 ₸4,805

$11.54 ₸5,217

-7.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.12 ₸8,190

$22.44 ₸10.1K

-19.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 ₸31.2K

$26.34 ₸11.9K

161.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.98 ₸12.2K

$19.83 ₸8,964

36.06%

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 ₸3,062

$5.09 ₸2,301

33.01%

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

$444 ₸200.6K

$66.0 ₸29.8K

572.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K ₸5.4M

$2,835 ₸1.3M

322.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.9 ₸41.5K

$112 ₸50.8K

-18.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.80 ₸21.6K

$81.0 ₸36.6K

-40.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 ₸63.0K

$97.9 ₸44.3K

42.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₸59.4K

$121 ₸54.7K

8.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$777 ₸351.2K

$339 ₸153.3K

129.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$494 ₸223.4K

$226 ₸102.2K

118.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 ₸650.4K

$675 ₸305.0K

113.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$905 ₸409.2K

$572 ₸258.6K

58.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,470 ₸1.1M

$1,107 ₸500.3K

123.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,517 ₸685.7K

$838 ₸378.8K

81.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$857 ₸387.2K

$800 ₸361.6K

7.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

19.5

5.90%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 18, 2026

Last update for Oskemen: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$494 36.3%

Oskemen

$226 25% 54.2% $268

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$251 18.4%

Oskemen

$195 21.6% 22.1% $55

Eating Out

Almaty

$204 15%

Oskemen

$177 19.5% 13.5% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.6%

Oskemen

$185 20.5% 0.4% $0.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$119 8.8%

Oskemen

$81 8.9% 32.4% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$83 6.1%

Oskemen

$37 4% 55.8% $46

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Oskemen

$3.7 * 0.4% 86.7% $24

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $777 in Almaty versus $339 in Oskemen. 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 7% 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 $26.00 in Oskemen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $195 – making Oskemen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇰🇿 Oskemen

🕒 Local time

21:15 9:15 PM

Same time as Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

354,770

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Almaty Oskemen 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Almaty
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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 Oskemen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 51%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,044 per month in Almaty and $1,356 in Oskemen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Oskemen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,363 in Almaty and $904 in Oskemen. That's a gap of about 51%.

Kindergarten costs $444 per month in Almaty and $66.0 in Oskemen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Oskemen, where all-in costs run around $904, than in Almaty at $1,363. In Oskemen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Oskemen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Oskemen. 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.