Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Selangor

For one person, living is cheaper in Selangor: $1,020 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Selangor
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Selangor Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Selangor

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,020

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Selangor

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $1,020 in Selangor, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Selangor $1,020

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,469 in Selangor, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Selangor $1,469

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,918 in Selangor, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Selangor $1,918

Almaty costs about 35% more than Selangor, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Selangor is 24% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$4.33 MYR 17.67

203.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$19.20 MYR 78.3

133.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$4.04 MYR 16.46

120.30%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$2.26 MYR 9.23

43.81%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$0.78 MYR 3.18

80.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.47 MYR 1.93

87.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

$4.43 MYR 18.08

-24.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$4.96 MYR 20.24

-18.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$1.93 MYR 7.87

-12.44%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.05 MYR 4.30

-18.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$1.53 MYR 6.25

32.68%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$1.92 MYR 7.82

26.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

$14.26 MYR 58.2

-12.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$4.36 MYR 17.78

53.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$9.60 MYR 39.16

13.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$3.44 MYR 14.04

-47.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.84 MYR 7.52

22.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$2.34 MYR 9.55

24.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$1.59 MYR 6.49

72.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$1.34 MYR 5.45

-44.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$1.03 MYR 4.21

-46.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$1.11 MYR 4.52

45.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.54 MYR 2.19

94.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$4.50 MYR 18.35

-42.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

$19.53 MYR 79.7

-42.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$3.59 MYR 14.64

-66.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

$4.86 MYR 19.81

-49.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$1.19 MYR 4.87

-78.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

$12.26 MYR 50.0

79.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$1.24 MYR 5.06

8.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$1.25 MYR 5.10

-48.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

$4.34 MYR 17.72

157.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$0.73 MYR 2.99

-1.37%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$41.9K MYR 171.0K

-46.26%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$35.3K MYR 143.8K

-14.13%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$63.4 MYR 258

44.90%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$8.50 MYR 34.69

25.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$25.97 MYR 106

-31.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$41.09 MYR 168

71.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$6.87 MYR 28.04

301.75%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$5.05 MYR 20.59

34.26%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

$122 MYR 499

266.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$7,175 MYR 29.3K

68.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$70.8 MYR 289

26.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$41.40 MYR 169

13.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$77.1 MYR 315

83.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$83.0 MYR 339

59.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

$511 MYR 2,083

57.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

$346 MYR 1,413

44.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

$880 MYR 3,589

62.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

$481 MYR 1,963

87.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$1,578 MYR 6,438

58.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

$705 MYR 2,875

121.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

$1,019 MYR 4,157

-14.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

3.96

421.46%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Selangor: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Selangor

$346 34% 30.7% $153

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Selangor

$266 26.1% 6.4% $16

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Selangor

$111 10.9% 45.8% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Selangor

$123 12% 33.8% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Selangor

$98 9.6% 18.7% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Selangor

$51 5% 39% $33

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Selangor

$25 2.4% 11.2% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $511 in Selangor. 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 17% higher in Selangor, 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 $19.00 in Selangor. Groceries tell a different story – $250 in Almaty vs $266 in Selangor – so Almaty wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇲🇾 Selangor

🕒 Local time

05:26 5:26 AM

07:26 7:26 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

281,717

💱 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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Between locations

Almaty Selangor 5,040 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Selangor

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 Selangor: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 35%, 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 $1,529 in Selangor. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Selangor, 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 $19.00 in Selangor. 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 $1,020 in Selangor. That's a gap of about 35%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Selangor, where all-in costs run around $1,020, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Selangor it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Selangor – 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 Selangor. 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.