Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Putrajaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Putrajaya: $818 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Putrajaya
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Putrajaya Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Putrajaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$818

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Putrajaya

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $818 in Putrajaya, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Putrajaya $818

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,232 in Putrajaya, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Putrajaya $1,232

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,646 in Putrajaya, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Putrajaya $1,646

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$3.78 MYR 15.41

248.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$18.39 MYR 75.0

143.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$4.58 MYR 18.67

94.32%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$2.86 MYR 11.68

13.64%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$0.80 MYR 3.28

76.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.39 MYR 1.59

125.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

$3.66 MYR 14.92

-8.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$4.54 MYR 18.52

-11.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$1.67 MYR 6.83

1.20%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.10 MYR 4.49

-21.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$1.47 MYR 6.00

38.10%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$1.67 MYR 6.82

45.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

$7.84 MYR 32.00

58.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$4.68 MYR 19.09

43.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$9.57 MYR 39.05

13.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$2.41 MYR 9.82

-25.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.51 MYR 6.15

49.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$2.26 MYR 9.23

28.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$1.63 MYR 6.65

68.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$1.32 MYR 5.37

-43.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$1.50 MYR 6.11

-63.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$1.33 MYR 5.43

21.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.54 MYR 2.22

94.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$4.29 MYR 17.50

-39.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

$13.26 MYR 54.1

-15.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$2.97 MYR 12.10

-59.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

$3.12 MYR 12.74

-21.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.69 MYR 2.84

-62.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

$12.45 MYR 50.8

76.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$0.96 MYR 3.92

40.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.48 MYR 1.96

33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

$9.93 MYR 40.51

12.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$0.74 MYR 3.01

-2.70%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$42.5K MYR 173.3K

-46.97%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$34.5K MYR 140.7K

-12.22%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$53.4 MYR 218

72.03%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$11.10 MYR 45.29

-3.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$22.49 MYR 91.7

-20.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$35.53 MYR 145

97.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$9.63 MYR 39.28

186.60%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$4.87 MYR 19.88

39.22%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

$506 MYR 2,063

-11.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$4,463 MYR 18.2K

171.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$55.2 MYR 225

62.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$16.63 MYR 67.9

182.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$79.9 MYR 326

77.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$86.9 MYR 355

52.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

$348 MYR 1,420

131.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

$228 MYR 932

118.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

$644 MYR 2,628

121.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

$372 MYR 1,516

143.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$2,622 MYR 10.7K

-4.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

$1,765 MYR 7,202

-11.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

$1,043 MYR 4,255

-16.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

4.06

408.62%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Putrajaya: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Putrajaya

$228 27.9% 54.3% $271

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Putrajaya

$221 27% 11.9% $30

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Putrajaya

$110 13.5% 46.1% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Putrajaya

$107 13.1% 42% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Putrajaya

$87 10.6% 27.7% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Putrajaya

$45 5.5% 46% $39

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Putrajaya

$19 2.3% 32.6% $9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $348 in Putrajaya. 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 20% higher in Putrajaya, 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 $18.00 in Putrajaya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $221 – making Putrajaya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇲🇾 Putrajaya

🕒 Local time

14:00 2:00 PM

16:00 4:00 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

109,202

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Almaty Putrajaya 5,110 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Putrajaya

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 Putrajaya: 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 $1,227 in Putrajaya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Putrajaya, 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 $18.00 in Putrajaya. 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 $818 in Putrajaya. That's a gap of about 68%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Putrajaya, where all-in costs run around $818, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Putrajaya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Putrajaya – 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 Putrajaya. 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.