Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Rawang

For one person, living is cheaper in Rawang: $741 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Rawang
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Rawang Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Rawang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$741

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Rawang

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $741 in Rawang, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Rawang $741

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,183 in Rawang, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Rawang $1,183

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,624 in Rawang, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Rawang $1,624

Almaty costs about 85% more than Rawang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Rawang is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$3.75 MYR 15.31

250.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$19.68 MYR 80.3

127.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$5.04 MYR 20.55

76.59%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$2.99 MYR 12.20

8.70%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$0.83 MYR 3.38

69.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.39 MYR 1.61

125.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

$4.25 MYR 17.33

-21.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$4.39 MYR 17.89

-7.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$1.95 MYR 7.96

-13.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.04 MYR 4.26

-17.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$1.76 MYR 7.19

15.34%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$2.23 MYR 9.08

8.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

$14.15 MYR 57.7

-11.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$4.48 MYR 18.29

49.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$9.85 MYR 40.19

10.15%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$3.06 MYR 12.49

-41.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.84 MYR 7.49

22.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$2.63 MYR 10.73

10.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$1.44 MYR 5.89

90.97%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$1.32 MYR 5.37

-43.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$1.33 MYR 5.43

-58.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$1.18 MYR 4.80

37.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.57 MYR 2.34

84.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$4.54 MYR 18.53

-43.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

$19.13 MYR 78.1

-41.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$2.96 MYR 12.09

-59.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

$5.09 MYR 20.75

-52.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.77 MYR 3.12

-66.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

$12.31 MYR 50.2

78.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$1.66 MYR 6.77

-18.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.37 MYR 1.52

72.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

$6.88 MYR 28.05

62.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$0.89 MYR 3.64

-19.10%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$42.4K MYR 173.0K

-46.89%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$34.7K MYR 141.4K

-12.66%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$36.56 MYR 149

151.12%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$9.78 MYR 39.90

9.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$29.31 MYR 120

-39.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$39.87 MYR 163

76.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$7.13 MYR 29.08

287.10%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$4.90 MYR 19.99

38.37%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

$301 MYR 1,227

49.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$10.9K MYR 44.6K

10.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$59.8 MYR 244

50.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$35.75 MYR 146

31.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$82.6 MYR 337

71.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$70.9 MYR 289

87.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

$140 MYR 569

476.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

$103 MYR 421

383.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

$577 MYR 2,354

147.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

$232 MYR 945

290.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$2,051 MYR 8,368

22.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

$1,090 MYR 4,445

43.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

$1,035 MYR 4,223

-15.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

4.18

394.02%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Rawang: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Rawang

$103 13.9% 79.3% $396

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Rawang

$266 35.9% 6.2% $15

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Rawang

$116 15.6% 43.4% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Rawang

$112 15.1% 39.5% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Rawang

$76 10.2% 37.1% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Rawang

$50 6.7% 40.8% $34

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Rawang

$19 2.6% 31.6% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $140 in Rawang. 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 19% higher in Rawang, 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 Rawang. Groceries tell a different story – $250 in Almaty vs $266 in Rawang – so Almaty wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇲🇾 Rawang

🕒 Local time

09:21 9:21 AM

11:21 11:21 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

50,000

💱 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 Rawang 5,060 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Rawang

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 Rawang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 85%, 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 $1,112 in Rawang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rawang, 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 Rawang. 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 $741 in Rawang. That's a gap of about 85%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Rawang, where all-in costs run around $741, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Rawang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Rawang – 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 Rawang. 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.