Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Panglao

For one person, living is cheaper in Panglao: $817 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Panglao
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Panglao Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Panglao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$817

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Panglao

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $817 in Panglao, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Panglao $817

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,137 in Panglao, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Panglao $1,137

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,456 in Panglao, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Panglao $1,456

Almaty costs about 68% more than Panglao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Panglao is 39% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$3.08 ₱194

327.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$23.75 ₱1,495

88.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$3.94 ₱248

125.89%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$2.27 ₱143

43.17%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$1.60 ₱101

-11.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.53 ₱33.19

66.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

$1.55 ₱97.6

116.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$1.90 ₱119

112.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$1.59 ₱100

6.29%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.13 ₱70.9

-23.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$0.94 ₱59.2

115.96%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$1.79 ₱113

35.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

$8.58 ₱540

45.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$4.61 ₱290

45.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$7.62 ₱480

42.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$1.92 ₱121

-6.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.39 ₱87.5

61.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$1.87 ₱118

55.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$1.53 ₱96.1

79.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$2.41 ₱152

-68.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$1.96 ₱123

-71.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$1.14 ₱71.8

42.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.47 ₱29.49

123.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$2.91 ₱183

-11.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

$5.70 ₱359

95.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$0.79 ₱49.65

53.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

$1.56 ₱97.9

56.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.23 ₱14.60

13.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

$11.32 ₱713

94.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$0.73 ₱46.14

84.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.23 ₱14.53

178.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

$1.94 ₱122

475.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$0.90 ₱57.0

-20.00%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

6.19%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$19.2K ₱1.2M

57.57%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$58.9 ₱3,711

55.77%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$6.75 ₱425

57.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$24.52 ₱1,544

-27.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$20.96 ₱1,320

235.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$4.71 ₱297

485.99%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$3.92 ₱247

72.96%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

$135 ₱8,504

232.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$7,988 ₱502.9K

51.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$32.48 ₱2,045

176.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$19.59 ₱1,233

140.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$66.4 ₱4,183

113.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$47.63 ₱2,999

178.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

$280 ₱17.7K

186.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

$343 ₱21.6K

45.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

$567 ₱35.7K

152.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

$390 ₱24.6K

131.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$947 ₱59.6K

164.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

$1,014 ₱63.8K

53.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

7.2

186.81%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Panglao: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Panglao

$343 42% 31.4% $157

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Panglao

$183 22.3% 27.1% $68

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Panglao

$84 10.3% 59.1% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Panglao

$75 9.2% 59.6% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Panglao

$90 11% 25% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Panglao

$29 3.5% 65.7% $55

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Panglao

$14 1.7% 48.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $280 in Panglao. 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 $24.00 in Panglao. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $183 – making Panglao the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇵🇭 Panglao

🕒 Local time

05:20 5:20 AM

07:20 7:20 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

39,839

💱 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 = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Almaty Panglao 5,860 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Panglao

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 Panglao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 68%, 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 $1,226 in Panglao. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Panglao, 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 $24.00 in Panglao. 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 $817 in Panglao. That's a gap of about 68%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Panglao, where all-in costs run around $817, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Panglao it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Panglao – 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 Panglao. 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.