Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Pasay

For one person, living is cheaper in Pasay: $907 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Almaty
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
$1,372
/mo nomad
Pasay
🇵🇭 Philippines
$907
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Pasay

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $907 in Pasay, rent included.

  • Almaty $1,372
  • Pasay $907

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,237 in Pasay, rent included.

  • Almaty $2,142
  • Pasay $1,237

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,567 in Pasay, rent included.

  • Almaty $2,913
  • Pasay $1,567

Almaty costs about 51% more than Pasay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Pasay is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Almaty
Pasay
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.16 ₸5,949
$4.40 ₱277
199.09%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.86 ₸20.3K
$18.94 ₱1,193
136.85%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.90 ₸4,022
$2.84 ₱179
213.38%
Cappuccino
$3.25 ₸1,469
$2.26 ₱142
43.81%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 ₸639
$0.59 ₱37.36
138.98%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.88 ₸399
$0.30 ₱19.20
193.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.35 ₸1,513
$1.16 ₱73.2
188.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.04 ₸1,827
$1.58 ₱99.3
155.70%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Almaty
Pasay
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.69 ₸762
$1.71 ₱108
-1.17%
White Bread (500g)
$0.86 ₸390
$1.13 ₱71.4
-23.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.03 ₸917
$0.97 ₱61.4
109.28%
Eggs
$2.43 ₸1,100
$1.96 ₱123
23.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.46 ₸5,632
$5.15 ₱324
141.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.71 ₸3,033
$4.13 ₱260
62.47%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.85 ₸4,905
$7.18 ₱452
51.11%
Apples (1kg)
$1.80 ₸813
$2.24 ₱141
-19.64%
Banana (1kg)
$2.25 ₸1,018
$1.53 ₱96.4
47.06%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.91 ₸1,314
$2.31 ₱146
25.97%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.75 ₸1,243
$1.16 ₱73.2
137.07%
Potato (1kg)
$0.75 ₸337
$2.37 ₱149
-68.35%
Onion (1kg)
$0.55 ₸248
$3.34 ₱211
-83.53%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.62 ₸732
$1.25 ₱78.7
29.60%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.05 ₸474
$0.87 ₱55.0
20.69%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.58 ₸1,167
$2.88 ₱181
-10.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.15 ₸5,042
$7.68 ₱483
45.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.21 ₸547
$0.98 ₱61.7
23.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.44 ₸1,104
$1.77 ₱111
37.85%
🚌 Getting Around
Almaty
Pasay
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.26 ₸117
$0.17 ₱10.43
52.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.03 ₸9,957
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.35 ₸611
$0.77 ₱48.72
75.32%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.64 ₸288
$0.21 ₱13.20
204.76%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.16 ₸5,044
$1.87 ₱118
496.79%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.72 ₸324
$1.24 ₱78.1
-41.94%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.5K ₸10.2M
$21.5K ₱1.4M
4.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.3K ₸13.7M
$19.2K ₱1.2M
57.33%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Almaty
Pasay
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$91.8 ₸41.5K
$139 ₱8,741
-33.87%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.66 ₸4,820
$14.54 ₱916
-26.69%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.86 ₸8,072
$24.75 ₱1,558
-27.84%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Almaty
Pasay
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$70.3 ₸31.8K
$47.70 ₱3,003
47.44%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.60 ₸12.5K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.78 ₸3,064
$5.26 ₱331
28.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Almaty
Pasay
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$449 ₸202.9K
$71.9 ₱4,524
524.55%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.1K ₸5.5M
$2,541 ₱160.0K
376.36%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Almaty
Pasay
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$89.9 ₸40.7K
$35.39 ₱2,228
154.14%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.02 ₸21.3K
$19.32 ₱1,217
143.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$142 ₸64.1K
$71.6 ₱4,505
98.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$133 ₸60.0K
$63.6 ₱4,004
108.77%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Almaty
Pasay
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$805 ₸363.7K
$429 ₱27.0K
87.40%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$500 ₸225.9K
$312 ₱19.7K
59.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,429 ₸645.9K
$827 ₱52.1K
72.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$904 ₸408.8K
$364 ₱22.9K
148.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,503 ₸1.1M
$1,891 ₱119.0K
32.40%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,559 ₸704.7K
$575 ₱36.2K
171.35%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Almaty
Pasay
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$870 ₸393.3K
$510 ₱32.1K
70.62%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
20.65
7
195.00%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Pasay: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Almaty
$500
Pasay
$313 37.5% $187
Groceries & Markets
Almaty
$250
Pasay
$186 25.6% $64
Eating Out
Almaty
$205
Pasay
$83 59.3% $122
Clothing & Footwear
Almaty
$185
Pasay
$85 53.9% $100
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Almaty
$120
Pasay
$178 48% $58
Sport & Entertainment
Almaty
$84
Pasay
$58 30.6% $26
Getting Around
Almaty
$28
Pasay
$2.5 * 91% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $429 in Pasay. 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 71% 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 $45.00 in Almaty versus $19.00 in Pasay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $186 – making Pasay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇰🇿 Almaty
🇵🇭 Pasay
🕒 Local time
00:39 12:39 AM
02:39 2:39 AM
2 h ahead of Almaty
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,475,400
416,522
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Almaty Pasay 5,250 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Almaty
  • Pasay

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 Pasay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Pasay cheaper than Almaty?
Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 51%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,058 per month in Almaty and $1,360 in Pasay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Pasay, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Almaty and in Pasay?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,372 in Almaty and $907 in Pasay. That's a gap of about 51%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $449 per month in Almaty and $71.9 in Pasay. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Almaty or in Pasay?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Pasay, where all-in costs run around $907, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Pasay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Almaty or Pasay more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Pasay – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Almaty or Pasay?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Pasay. 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.

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