Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Penang

For one person, living is cheaper in Penang: $852 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Penang
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Penang Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Penang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Penang

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $852 in Penang, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Penang $852

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,307 in Penang, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Penang $1,307

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,763 in Penang, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Penang $1,763

Almaty costs about 61% more than Penang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Penang is 37% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$3.72 MYR 15.18

253.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$19.53 MYR 79.7

129.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$4.53 MYR 18.47

96.47%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$2.92 MYR 11.89

11.30%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$0.78 MYR 3.17

80.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.40 MYR 1.63

120.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

$4.12 MYR 16.81

-18.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$4.54 MYR 18.51

-11.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$1.88 MYR 7.65

-10.11%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.08 MYR 4.41

-20.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$1.77 MYR 7.21

14.69%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$2.17 MYR 8.85

11.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

$13.69 MYR 55.9

-8.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$4.30 MYR 17.56

56.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$8.79 MYR 35.86

23.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$2.95 MYR 12.05

-38.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.71 MYR 6.96

31.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$2.75 MYR 11.21

5.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$1.41 MYR 5.76

95.04%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$1.07 MYR 4.36

-29.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$1.07 MYR 4.37

-48.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$1.09 MYR 4.43

48.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.57 MYR 2.33

84.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$4.61 MYR 18.80

-44.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

$19.15 MYR 78.1

-41.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$2.91 MYR 11.88

-58.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

$5.19 MYR 21.18

-52.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.47 MYR 1.92

-44.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

$12.23 MYR 49.87

80.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$1.68 MYR 6.86

-19.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.41 MYR 1.66

56.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

$7.14 MYR 29.12

56.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$0.93 MYR 3.80

-22.58%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$42.3K MYR 172.6K

-46.77%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$35.8K MYR 146.1K

-15.47%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$37.07 MYR 151

147.67%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$9.84 MYR 40.13

8.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$28.79 MYR 117

-37.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$38.22 MYR 156

84.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$4.97 MYR 20.28

455.33%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$4.82 MYR 19.67

40.66%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

$423 MYR 1,726

6.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$10.8K MYR 44.1K

11.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$58.9 MYR 240

52.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$35.27 MYR 144

33.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$83.9 MYR 342

69.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$71.0 MYR 290

87.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

$406 MYR 1,658

97.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

$229 MYR 934

118.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

$612 MYR 2,496

133.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

$408 MYR 1,663

121.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$2,223 MYR 9,070

12.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

$1,070 MYR 4,365

45.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

$907 MYR 3,702

-4.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

4.04

411.14%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Penang: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Penang

$229 26.9% 54.2% $271

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Penang

$257 30.2% 2.7% $6.8

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Penang

$113 13.2% 45% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Penang

$112 13.2% 39.5% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Penang

$76 8.9% 37.1% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Penang

$48 5.6% 42.9% $36

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Penang

$18 2.1% 35.4% $9.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $406 in Penang. 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 4% higher in Penang, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Almaty versus $20.00 in Penang. Groceries tell a different story – $250 in Almaty vs $257 in Penang – so Almaty wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇲🇾 Penang

🕒 Local time

10:19 10:19 AM

12:19 12:19 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

158,336

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Almaty Penang 4,790 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Penang

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 Penang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 61%, 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 $1,278 in Penang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Penang, 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 $20.00 in Penang. 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 $852 in Penang. That's a gap of about 61%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Penang, where all-in costs run around $852, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Penang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Penang – 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 Penang. 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.