Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Santiago City

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago City: $854 a month against $1,363 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
Learn more

Almaty Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Santiago City
Learn more

Santiago City Living Index

Jump to prices

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,363

/mo nomad

Santiago City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Santiago City

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

A single person spends $1,363 per month in Almaty vs $854 in Santiago City, rent included.

Almaty $1,363
Santiago City $854

A couple spends around $2,131 per month in Almaty vs $1,345 in Santiago City, rent included.

Almaty $2,131
Santiago City $1,345

A family of three spends $2,900 per month in Almaty vs $1,836 in Santiago City, rent included.

Almaty $2,900
Santiago City $1,836

Almaty costs about 60% more than Santiago City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Almaty sits 1% above the global median, while Santiago City is 37% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.05 ₸5,899

$6.51 ₱410

100.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.44 ₸19.6K

$39.27 ₱2,472

10.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ₸3,962

$4.89 ₱308

79.14%

Cappuccino

$3.32 ₸1,501

$2.66 ₱168

24.81%

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

$1.34 ₸607

$1.10 ₱69.4

21.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₸374

$0.54 ₱33.94

53.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 ₸1,518

$2.34 ₱147

43.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 ₸1,818

$3.17 ₱200

26.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ₸747

$1.92 ₱121

-14.06%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 ₸421

$1.28 ₱80.6

-27.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 ₸927

$1.01 ₱63.7

102.97%

Eggs

$2.46 ₸1,113

$1.42 ₱89.2

73.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.49 ₸5,646

$7.36 ₱463

69.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,035

$4.95 ₱311

35.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$6.77 ₱426

60.27%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 ₸807

$2.43 ₱153

-26.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.96 ₱123

14.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 ₸1,299

$3.20 ₱202

-10.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 ₸1,227

$2.31 ₱145

17.32%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 ₸362

$3.65 ₱230

-78.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸249

$3.52 ₱221

-84.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$1.12 ₱70.4

44.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ₸453

$0.58 ₱36.26

72.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$2.60 ₱163

-0.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,039

$7.99 ₱503

39.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₸572

$1.32 ₱83.0

-4.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₸1,120

$2.05 ₱129

20.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₸128

$0.24 ₱15.03

16.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.05 ₸9,970

$11.36 ₱715

94.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 ₸607

$0.62 ₱39.29

116.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.23 ₱14.53

178.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.04 ₸4,993

$1.93 ₱121

472.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸326

$1.26 ₱79.4

-42.86%

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

$28.1K ₸12.7M

$21.6K ₱1.4M

30.52%

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

$31.8K ₸14.4M

$19.9K ₱1.3M

59.55%

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

$90.5 ₸40.9K

$155 ₱9,755

-41.57%

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

$10.63 ₸4,805

$16.27 ₱1,025

-34.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.12 ₸8,190

$31.63 ₱1,991

-42.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 ₸31.2K

$32.06 ₱2,019

115.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.98 ₸12.2K

$4.73 ₱298

470.40%

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 ₸3,062

$7.27 ₱458

-6.88%

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

$444 ₸200.6K

$135 ₱8,518

228.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K ₸5.4M

$7,571 ₱476.7K

58.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.9 ₸41.5K

$33.62 ₱2,116

173.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.80 ₸21.6K

$19.43 ₱1,223

146.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 ₸63.0K

$79.8 ₱5,025

74.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₸59.4K

$55.2 ₱3,478

137.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$777 ₸351.2K

$266 ₱16.7K

192.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$494 ₸223.4K

$170 ₱10.7K

191.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 ₸650.4K

$521 ₱32.8K

176.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$905 ₸409.2K

$360 ₱22.7K

151.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,470 ₸1.1M

$2,370 ₱149.2K

4.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,517 ₸685.7K

$994 ₱62.6K

52.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$857 ₸387.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

7.5

175.33%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 18, 2026

Last update for Santiago City: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$494 36.3%

Santiago City

$170 19.9% 65.7% $324

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$251 18.4%

Santiago City

$213 25% 14.9% $37

Eating Out

Almaty

$204 15%

Santiago City

$123 14.4% 39.6% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.6%

Santiago City

$85 9.9% 54.2% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$119 8.8%

Santiago City

$203 23.7% 70.1% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$83 6.1%

Santiago City

$47 5.5% 43.5% $36

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Santiago City

$14 1.7% 49.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $777 in Almaty versus $266 in Santiago City. 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 $43.00 in Almaty versus $39.00 in Santiago City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $213 – making Santiago City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇵🇭 Santiago City

🕒 Local time

06:33 6:33 AM

08:33 8:33 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

108,414

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Almaty Santiago City 5,120 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Santiago City

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 Santiago City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 60%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,044 per month in Almaty and $1,281 in Santiago City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santiago City, 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 $43.00 in Almaty and $39.00 in Santiago City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,363 in Almaty and $854 in Santiago City. That's a gap of about 60%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Santiago City, where all-in costs run around $854, than in Almaty at $1,363. In Santiago City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santiago City – 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 Santiago City. 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.