Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Palawan

For one person, living is cheaper in Palawan: $792 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Palawan
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Palawan Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Palawan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$792

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Palawan

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $792 in Palawan, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Palawan $792

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,230 in Palawan, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Palawan $1,230

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,668 in Palawan, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Palawan $1,668

Almaty costs about 73% more than Palawan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Palawan is 41% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$3.62 ₱228

263.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$19.14 ₱1,205

134.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$3.37 ₱212

164.09%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$2.63 ₱165

23.57%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$0.83 ₱52.5

69.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.39 ₱24.65

125.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

$1.29 ₱81.4

159.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$2.16 ₱136

87.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$1.90 ₱120

-11.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.26 ₱79.4

-31.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$1.01 ₱63.5

100.99%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$1.98 ₱125

22.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

$7.83 ₱493

59.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$4.21 ₱265

59.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$7.78 ₱490

39.46%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$3.00 ₱189

-40.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.56 ₱98.2

44.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$2.72 ₱171

6.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$1.62 ₱102

69.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$2.31 ₱146

-67.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$2.59 ₱163

-78.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$1.06 ₱66.9

52.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.71 ₱44.86

47.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$2.78 ₱175

-7.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

$6.85 ₱431

62.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$1.20 ₱75.4

0.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

$2.03 ₱128

20.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.28 ₱17.81

-7.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

$11.29 ₱711

95.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$0.83 ₱52.4

62.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.24 ₱15.20

166.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

$2.15 ₱136

419.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$1.10 ₱69.2

-34.55%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$26.5K ₱1.7M

-15.02%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$20.1K ₱1.3M

50.90%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$114 ₱7,183

-19.53%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$32.54 ₱2,049

-67.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$27.55 ₱1,734

-35.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$34.48 ₱2,171

103.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$4.36 ₱275

533.03%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$5.80 ₱365

16.90%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

$150 ₱9,463

198.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$4,228 ₱266.2K

186.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$45.09 ₱2,839

99.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$26.54 ₱1,671

77.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$74.9 ₱4,713

89.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$53.6 ₱3,377

147.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

$264 ₱16.6K

204.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

$177 ₱11.1K

182.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

$589 ₱37.1K

142.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

$390 ₱24.5K

132.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$2,359 ₱148.5K

6.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

$994 ₱62.6K

56.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

6.67

209.60%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Palawan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Palawan

$177 22.4% 64.6% $323

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Palawan

$204 25.7% 18.7% $47

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Palawan

$86 10.9% 57.9% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Palawan

$90 11.4% 51.4% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Palawan

$174 22% 44.7% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Palawan

$46 5.8% 45.1% $38

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Palawan

$14 1.8% 47.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $264 in Palawan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Almaty versus $19.00 in Palawan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $204 – making Palawan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇵🇭 Palawan

🕒 Local time

22:57 10:57 PM

00:57 12:57 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

939,594

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Almaty Palawan 5,480 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Palawan

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 Palawan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 73%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,058 per month in Almaty and $1,187 in Palawan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Palawan, 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 $45.00 in Almaty and $19.00 in Palawan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,372 in Almaty and $792 in Palawan. That's a gap of about 73%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Palawan, where all-in costs run around $792, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Palawan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Palawan – 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 Palawan. 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.