Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Sarawak

For one person, living is cheaper in Sarawak: $933 a month against $1,363 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Sarawak
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Sarawak Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,363

/mo nomad

Sarawak

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$933

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Sarawak

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

A single person spends $1,363 per month in Almaty vs $933 in Sarawak, rent included.

Almaty $1,363
Sarawak $933

A couple spends around $2,131 per month in Almaty vs $1,391 in Sarawak, rent included.

Almaty $2,131
Sarawak $1,391

A family of three spends $2,900 per month in Almaty vs $1,849 in Sarawak, rent included.

Almaty $2,900
Sarawak $1,849

Almaty costs about 46% more than Sarawak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 1% above the global median, while Sarawak is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.05 ₸5,899

$3.65 MYR 14.88

257.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.44 ₸19.6K

$19.77 MYR 80.6

119.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ₸3,962

$4.75 MYR 19.38

84.42%

Cappuccino

$3.32 ₸1,501

$2.88 MYR 11.74

15.28%

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

$1.34 ₸607

$0.81 MYR 3.29

65.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₸374

$0.39 MYR 1.61

112.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 ₸1,518

$3.60 MYR 14.68

-6.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 ₸1,818

$4.61 MYR 18.81

-12.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ₸747

$1.86 MYR 7.58

-11.29%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 ₸421

$1.04 MYR 4.24

-10.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 ₸927

$1.48 MYR 6.04

38.51%

Eggs

$2.46 ₸1,113

$2.04 MYR 8.32

20.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.49 ₸5,646

$13.84 MYR 56.5

-9.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,035

$4.30 MYR 17.54

56.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$9.43 MYR 38.47

15.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 ₸807

$3.14 MYR 12.83

-43.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.71 MYR 6.97

31.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 ₸1,299

$2.51 MYR 10.22

14.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 ₸1,227

$1.61 MYR 6.55

68.32%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 ₸362

$1.27 MYR 5.18

-37.01%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸249

$1.15 MYR 4.68

-52.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$1.17 MYR 4.79

38.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ₸453

$0.53 MYR 2.18

88.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$4.54 MYR 18.52

-43.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,039

$19.12 MYR 78.0

-41.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₸572

$2.94 MYR 12.01

-57.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₸1,120

$4.51 MYR 18.38

-45.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₸128

$0.71 MYR 2.89

-60.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.05 ₸9,970

$12.15 MYR 49.57

81.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 ₸607

$1.25 MYR 5.10

7.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.51 MYR 2.07

25.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.04 ₸4,993

$7.21 MYR 29.41

53.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸326

$0.82 MYR 3.34

-12.20%

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

$28.1K ₸12.7M

$42.2K MYR 172.1K

-33.29%

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

$31.8K ₸14.4M

$34.8K MYR 141.8K

-8.51%

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

$90.5 ₸40.9K

$48.56 MYR 198

86.41%

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

$10.63 ₸4,805

$9.65 MYR 39.38

10.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.12 ₸8,190

$27.71 MYR 113

-34.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 ₸31.2K

$40.76 MYR 166

69.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.98 ₸12.2K

$7.10 MYR 28.98

280.00%

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 ₸3,062

$4.92 MYR 20.05

37.60%

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

$444 ₸200.6K

$190 MYR 775

133.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K ₸5.4M

$7,067 MYR 28.8K

69.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.9 ₸41.5K

$56.8 MYR 232

61.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.80 ₸21.6K

$34.52 MYR 141

38.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 ₸63.0K

$79.8 MYR 325

74.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₸59.4K

$75.9 MYR 310

73.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$777 ₸351.2K

$410 MYR 1,674

89.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$494 ₸223.4K

$299 MYR 1,219

65.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 ₸650.4K

$672 MYR 2,742

114.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$905 ₸409.2K

$477 MYR 1,946

89.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,470 ₸1.1M

$2,042 MYR 8,329

20.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,517 ₸685.7K

$1,074 MYR 4,381

41.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$857 ₸387.2K

$339 MYR 1,381

153.04%

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 18, 2026

Last update for Sarawak: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$494 36.3%

Sarawak

$299 32% 39.5% $195

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$251 18.4%

Sarawak

$258 27.6% 2.8% $7

Eating Out

Almaty

$204 15%

Sarawak

$110 11.8% 46.1% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.6%

Sarawak

$111 11.9% 39.8% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$119 8.8%

Sarawak

$86 9.2% 28% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$83 6.1%

Sarawak

$51 5.4% 38.7% $32

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Sarawak

$19 2% 32.3% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $777 in Almaty versus $410 in Sarawak. 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 153% higher in Almaty, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Almaty versus $20.00 in Sarawak. Groceries tell a different story – $251 in Almaty vs $258 in Sarawak – so Almaty wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇲🇾 Sarawak

🕒 Local time

22:16 10:16 PM

00:16 12:16 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Sarawak 5,680 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Sarawak

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 Sarawak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,044 per month in Almaty and $1,399 in Sarawak. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sarawak, 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 $20.00 in Sarawak. 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 $933 in Sarawak. That's a gap of about 46%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sarawak, where all-in costs run around $933, than in Almaty at $1,363. In Sarawak it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sarawak – 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 Sarawak. 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.