Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Qapshaghay

For one person, living is cheaper in Qapshaghay: $1,077 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Qapshaghay
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Qapshaghay Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Qapshaghay

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,077

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Qapshaghay

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $1,077 in Qapshaghay, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Qapshaghay $1,077

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,621 in Qapshaghay, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Qapshaghay $1,621

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $2,166 in Qapshaghay, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Qapshaghay $2,166

Almaty costs about 27% more than Qapshaghay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Qapshaghay is 20% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$10.99 ₸4,967

19.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$22.25 ₸10.1K

101.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$6.64 ₸3,002

34.04%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$1.83 ₸827

77.60%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$1.03 ₸464

36.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.65 ₸292

35.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

$1.29 ₸583

159.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$1.31 ₸594

208.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$1.68 ₸760

0.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$0.45 ₸203

91.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$2.11 ₸952

-3.79%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$2.47 ₸1,118

-1.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

$12.27 ₸5,546

1.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$6.54 ₸2,955

2.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$10.87 ₸4,913

-0.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$1.79 ₸811

0.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$2.29 ₸1,033

-1.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$2.89 ₸1,305

0.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$2.85 ₸1,289

-3.51%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$0.75 ₸339

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$0.58 ₸263

-5.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$1.62 ₸731

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.99 ₸449

6.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$1.59 ₸720

62.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

$11.22 ₸5,070

-0.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$1.26 ₸570

-3.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

$2.41 ₸1,088

1.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.19 ₸85.5

36.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

$16.82 ₸7,606

30.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$0.81 ₸365

66.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.64 ₸290

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

$3.96 ₸1,789

181.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$0.57 ₸260

26.32%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$21.9K ₸9.9M

2.97%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$29.7K ₸13.4M

2.07%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$90.4 ₸40.9K

1.56%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$18.21 ₸8,233

-1.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$41.82 ₸18.9K

68.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$6.49 ₸2,935

4.47%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

$145 ₸65.7K

208.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$4,498 ₸2.0M

169.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$90.7 ₸41.0K

-0.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$46.03 ₸20.8K

2.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$141 ₸63.8K

0.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$134 ₸60.5K

-0.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

$441 ₸199.5K

82.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

$305 ₸137.7K

63.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

$718 ₸324.4K

99.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

$495 ₸223.8K

82.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$1,191 ₸538.3K

110.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

$769 ₸347.4K

102.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

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 10, 2026

Last update for Qapshaghay: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Qapshaghay

$305 28.3% 39% $195

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Qapshaghay

$246 22.8% 1.9% $4.8

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Qapshaghay

$146 13.5% 29% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Qapshaghay

$185 17.2% 0.1% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Qapshaghay

$119 11.1% 0.9% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Qapshaghay

$55 5.1% 34.7% $29

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Qapshaghay

$22 2% 21.7% $6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $441 in Qapshaghay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Almaty versus $22.00 in Qapshaghay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $246 – making Qapshaghay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇰🇿 Qapshaghay

🕒 Local time

15:16 3:16 PM

Same time as Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

42,167

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Qapshaghay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 27%, 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 $1,615 in Qapshaghay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Qapshaghay, 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 $22.00 in Qapshaghay. 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 $1,077 in Qapshaghay. That's a gap of about 27%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Qapshaghay, where all-in costs run around $1,077, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Qapshaghay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Qapshaghay – 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 Qapshaghay. 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.