Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Seria

For one person, living is cheaper in Seria: $567 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Seria
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Seria Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Seria

🇧🇳 Brunei

$567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Seria

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $567 in Seria, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Seria $567

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $904 in Seria, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Seria $904

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,242 in Seria, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Seria $1,242

Almaty costs about 142% more than Seria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Seria is 58% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$3.13 BND 4.00

320.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$27.07 BND 34.64

65.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$5.36 BND 6.86

66.04%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.59 BND 2.04

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 BND 2.96

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$3.88 BND 4.97

-16.24%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$0.91 BND 1.16

54.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.54 BND 0.69

62.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$1.81 BND 2.32

-6.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.43 BND 1.83

-39.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$1.21 BND 1.55

67.77%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$1.38 BND 1.76

76.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

$6.17 BND 7.90

101.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$4.41 BND 5.64

52.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$10.89 BND 13.93

-0.37%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$3.20 BND 4.09

-43.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$2.23 BND 2.85

0.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$2.98 BND 3.82

-2.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$2.55 BND 3.27

7.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$1.68 BND 2.15

-55.36%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$2.08 BND 2.66

-73.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$3.74 BND 4.79

-56.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.76 BND 0.98

38.16%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$23.42 BND 29.96

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 BND 4.12

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 BND 1.38

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$15.42 BND 19.73

-83.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$4.02 BND 5.14

-66.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$3.25 BND 4.15

-80.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

$11.77 BND 15.06

-5.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$0.30 BND 0.38

140.00%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$43.5K BND 55.7K

-48.28%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$36.2K BND 46.3K

-16.40%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$61.8 BND 79.0

48.66%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$15.66 BND 20.03

-31.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$64.1 BND 82.0

-72.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$27.52 BND 35.20

155.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$5.36 BND 6.86

26.49%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

$216 BND 276

108.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$9,750 BND 12.5K

24.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$31.04 BND 39.71

189.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$27.71 BND 35.45

69.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$50.3 BND 64.4

181.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$46.16 BND 59.1

187.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

$716 BND 917

21.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

3.88

432.22%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Seria: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Seria

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Seria

$203 35.9% 18.7% $47

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Seria

$94 16.5% 54.4% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Seria

$70 12.3% 62.3% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Seria

$142 25% 17.6% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Seria

$38 6.8% 54.4% $46

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Seria

$20 * 3.6% 26.6% $7.4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 21% 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 $45.00 in Almaty versus $27.00 in Seria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $203 – making Seria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇧🇳 Seria

🕒 Local time

09:16 9:16 AM

11:16 11:16 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

30,097

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Brunei Dollar BND $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

1 BND = 0.782 USD

1 BND = 0.695 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BND, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.782 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 BND (1 BND = 0.695 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Almaty Seria 5,650 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Seria

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 Seria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 142%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,058 per month in Almaty and $850 in Seria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,372 in Almaty and $567 in Seria. That's a gap of about 142%.

Kindergarten costs $449 per month in Almaty and $216 in Seria. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Seria, where all-in costs run around $567, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Seria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Seria – 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 Seria. 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.