Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Petropavl

For one person, living is cheaper in Petropavl: $820 a month against $1,362 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Petropavl
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Petropavl Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,362

/mo nomad

Petropavl

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$820

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Petropavl

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

A single person spends $1,362 per month in Almaty vs $820 in Petropavl, rent included.

Almaty $1,362
Petropavl $820

A couple spends around $2,151 per month in Almaty vs $1,499 in Petropavl, rent included.

Almaty $2,151
Petropavl $1,499

A family of three spends $2,940 per month in Almaty vs $2,178 in Petropavl, rent included.

Almaty $2,940
Petropavl $2,178

Almaty costs about 66% more than Petropavl, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.32 ₸6,040

$14.55 ₸6,600

-8.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.80 ₸20.3K

$30.74 ₸13.9K

45.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 ₸4,054

$9.25 ₸4,197

-3.35%

Cappuccino

$3.37 ₸1,530

$2.79 ₸1,263

20.79%

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

$1.32 ₸599

$1.45 ₸655

-8.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 ₸397

$0.73 ₸331

19.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 ₸1,428

$1.58 ₸718

99.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 ₸1,794

$2.72 ₸1,234

45.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₸752

$1.15 ₸522

44.35%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸392

$0.70 ₸316

22.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 ₸910

$2.12 ₸960

-5.19%

Eggs

$2.47 ₸1,122

$2.10 ₸954

17.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.58 ₸5,704

$10.72 ₸4,860

17.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.57 ₸2,980

$6.23 ₸2,825

5.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.61 ₸4,812

$9.91 ₸4,493

7.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 ₸812

$1.54 ₸698

16.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₸1,041

$2.27 ₸1,031

1.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 ₸1,344

$1.80 ₸818

64.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 ₸1,295

$1.31 ₸596

118.32%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 ₸365

$0.70 ₸317

15.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₸267

$0.69 ₸312

-14.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 ₸718

$2.60 ₸1,180

-39.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₸451

$1.17 ₸531

-15.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.74 ₸1,243

$2.35 ₸1,067

16.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.30 ₸5,125

$7.80 ₸3,540

44.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 ₸555

$1.13 ₸514

7.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 ₸1,117

$2.17 ₸982

13.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.25 ₸114

4.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.98 ₸9,971

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸613

$0.64 ₸292

110.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 ₸318

$0.99 ₸449

-29.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.12 ₸5,044

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸328

$0.66 ₸299

9.09%

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

$28.4K ₸12.9M

$21.9K ₸9.9M

29.92%

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

$31.8K ₸14.4M

$26.2K ₸11.9M

21.47%

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

$91.3 ₸41.4K

$56.7 ₸25.7K

61.12%

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

$10.60 ₸4,807

$17.77 ₸8,059

-40.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.89 ₸8,113

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.3 ₸29.6K

$28.73 ₸13.0K

127.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.76 ₸12.6K

Cinema Ticket

$6.47 ₸2,933

$5.11 ₸2,318

26.61%

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

$473 ₸214.4K

$89.5 ₸40.6K

428.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K ₸5.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.1 ₸42.2K

$45.05 ₸20.4K

106.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.67 ₸21.6K

$33.23 ₸15.1K

43.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 ₸64.7K

$65.8 ₸29.8K

116.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 ₸61.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₸354.0K

$344 ₸156.0K

126.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$492 ₸223.2K

$218 ₸99.0K

125.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₸643.8K

$996 ₸452.0K

42.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$934 ₸423.7K

$789 ₸357.7K

18.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,462 ₸1.1M

$888 ₸403.0K

177.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,591 ₸721.9K

$1,010 ₸457.9K

57.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$873 ₸395.8K

$297 ₸134.8K

193.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

3.25%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 26, 2026

Last update for Petropavl: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$492 36.1%

Petropavl

$218 26.6% 55.7% $274

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.4%

Petropavl

$217 26.5% 13.2% $33

Eating Out

Almaty

$206 15.1%

Petropavl

$200 24.4% 3.2% $6.6

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$188 13.8%

Petropavl

$65 * 7.9% 65.5% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Petropavl

$74 * 9.1% 37.9% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$78 5.7%

Petropavl

$39 4.8% 50.2% $39

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2.1%

Petropavl

$6.6 * 0.8% 76.4% $21

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 $344 in Petropavl. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Almaty are about 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Almaty versus $31 in Petropavl. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $217 – making Petropavl the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇰🇿 Petropavl

🕒 Local time

06:58 6:58 AM

Same time as Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

222,703

💱 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

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Almaty Petropavl 1,410 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Almaty
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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 Petropavl: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 66%, 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 $1,229 in Petropavl. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Petropavl, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $344 there versus $780 in Almaty.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,362 in Almaty and $820 in Petropavl. That makes Petropavl about 40% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $473 per month in Almaty and $89 in Petropavl. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,362 in Almaty and $820 in Petropavl. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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