Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Pavlodar

For one person, living is cheaper in Pavlodar: $734 a month against $1,362 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Pavlodar
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Pavlodar Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,362

/mo nomad

Pavlodar

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$734

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Pavlodar

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

A single person spends $1,362 per month in Almaty vs $734 in Pavlodar, rent included.

Almaty $1,362
Pavlodar $734

A couple spends around $2,151 per month in Almaty vs $1,147 in Pavlodar, rent included.

Almaty $2,151
Pavlodar $1,147

A family of three spends $2,940 per month in Almaty vs $1,561 in Pavlodar, rent included.

Almaty $2,940
Pavlodar $1,561

Almaty costs about 86% more than Pavlodar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.32 ₸6,040

$6.55 ₸2,970

103.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.80 ₸20.3K

$22.12 ₸10.0K

102.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 ₸4,054

$9.00 ₸4,084

-0.67%

Cappuccino

$3.37 ₸1,530

$1.74 ₸788

93.68%

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

$1.32 ₸599

$1.19 ₸540

10.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 ₸397

$0.48 ₸220

81.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 ₸1,428

$1.08 ₸490

191.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 ₸1,794

$1.37 ₸622

188.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₸752

$1.03 ₸469

61.17%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸392

$0.34 ₸152

152.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 ₸910

$1.36 ₸618

47.79%

Eggs

$2.47 ₸1,122

$1.56 ₸709

58.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.58 ₸5,704

$5.41 ₸2,456

132.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.57 ₸2,980

$4.63 ₸2,098

41.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.61 ₸4,812

$6.82 ₸3,093

55.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 ₸812

$1.42 ₸643

26.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₸1,041

$1.69 ₸765

36.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 ₸1,344

$1.72 ₸782

72.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 ₸1,295

$1.70 ₸773

68.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 ₸365

$0.91 ₸415

-10.99%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₸267

$0.72 ₸325

-18.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 ₸718

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₸451

$0.76 ₸346

30.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.74 ₸1,243

$2.51 ₸1,136

9.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.30 ₸5,125

$7.06 ₸3,204

60.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 ₸555

$1.30 ₸590

-6.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 ₸1,117

$2.20 ₸999

11.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.36 ₸162

-27.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.98 ₸9,971

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸613

$1.41 ₸640

-4.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 ₸318

$1.19 ₸539

-41.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.12 ₸5,044

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸328

$0.69 ₸311

4.35%

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

$28.4K ₸12.9M

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

$31.8K ₸14.4M

$26.3K ₸11.9M

21.13%

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

$91.3 ₸41.4K

$66.4 ₸30.1K

37.59%

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

$10.60 ₸4,807

$11.31 ₸5,130

-6.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.89 ₸8,113

$27.05 ₸12.3K

-33.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.3 ₸29.6K

$31.63 ₸14.3K

106.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.76 ₸12.6K

$11.01 ₸4,995

152.13%

Cinema Ticket

$6.47 ₸2,933

$4.46 ₸2,024

45.07%

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

$473 ₸214.4K

$133 ₸60.2K

255.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K ₸5.6M

$4,420 ₸2.0M

177.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.1 ₸42.2K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.67 ₸21.6K

$25.25 ₸11.5K

88.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 ₸64.7K

$75.3 ₸34.2K

89.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 ₸61.0K

$98.7 ₸44.8K

36.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₸354.0K

$274 ₸124.3K

184.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$492 ₸223.2K

$219 ₸99.5K

124.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₸643.8K

$556 ₸252.3K

155.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$934 ₸423.7K

$437 ₸198.2K

113.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,462 ₸1.1M

$1,081 ₸490.2K

127.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,591 ₸721.9K

$872 ₸395.6K

82.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$873 ₸395.8K

$707 ₸320.6K

23.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

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

Last update for Almaty: October 26, 2026

Last update for Pavlodar: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$492 36.1%

Pavlodar

$219 29.9% 55.4% $273

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.4%

Pavlodar

$156 * 21.3% 37.5% $94

Eating Out

Almaty

$206 15.1%

Pavlodar

$115 15.7% 44.2% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$188 13.8%

Pavlodar

$90 * 12.2% 52.3% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Pavlodar

$105 14.3% 12.6% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$78 5.7%

Pavlodar

$41 5.5% 48.2% $38

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2.1%

Pavlodar

$8.8 * 1.2% 68.5% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $780 in Almaty versus $274 in Pavlodar. 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 23% 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 in Almaty versus $22 in Pavlodar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $156 – making Pavlodar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇰🇿 Pavlodar

🕒 Local time

11:10 11:10 AM

Same time as Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

334,830

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Almaty Pavlodar 1,010 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Pavlodar

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 Pavlodar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 86%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,043 per month in Almaty and $1,101 in Pavlodar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pavlodar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $274 there versus $780 in Almaty.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,362 in Almaty and $734 in Pavlodar. That makes Pavlodar about 46% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $473 per month in Almaty and $133 in Pavlodar. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Pavlodar, where all-in costs run around $734, than in Almaty at $1,362. In Pavlodar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pavlodar – 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 Pavlodar. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Almaty makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.