Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Sibu

For one person, living is cheaper in Sibu: $866 a month against $1,363 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Sibu
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Sibu Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,363

/mo nomad

Sibu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$866

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Sibu

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

A single person spends $1,363 per month in Almaty vs $866 in Sibu, rent included.

Almaty $1,363
Sibu $866

A couple spends around $2,131 per month in Almaty vs $1,293 in Sibu, rent included.

Almaty $2,131
Sibu $1,293

A family of three spends $2,900 per month in Almaty vs $1,720 in Sibu, rent included.

Almaty $2,900
Sibu $1,720

Almaty costs about 57% more than Sibu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 1% above the global median, while Sibu is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.05 ₸5,899

$2.16 MYR 8.82

504.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.44 ₸19.6K

$19.47 MYR 79.4

123.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ₸3,962

$4.21 MYR 17.18

108.08%

Cappuccino

$3.32 ₸1,501

$2.38 MYR 9.70

39.50%

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

$1.34 ₸607

$0.67 MYR 2.74

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₸374

$0.23 MYR 0.93

260.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 ₸1,518

$2.92 MYR 11.92

15.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 ₸1,818

$4.40 MYR 17.96

-8.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ₸747

$1.80 MYR 7.33

-8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 ₸421

$0.89 MYR 3.65

4.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 ₸927

$1.67 MYR 6.80

22.75%

Eggs

$2.46 ₸1,113

$2.24 MYR 9.16

9.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.49 ₸5,646

$11.65 MYR 47.53

7.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,035

$3.84 MYR 15.66

74.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$9.69 MYR 39.55

11.97%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 ₸807

$3.72 MYR 15.16

-52.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.53 MYR 6.26

47.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 ₸1,299

$2.34 MYR 9.55

22.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 ₸1,227

$1.38 MYR 5.62

96.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 ₸362

$1.12 MYR 4.58

-28.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸249

$1.30 MYR 5.29

-57.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$1.17 MYR 4.76

38.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ₸453

$0.54 MYR 2.22

85.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$4.53 MYR 18.48

-43.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,039

$18.28 MYR 74.6

-39.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₸572

$2.85 MYR 11.64

-55.79%

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

$0.83 MYR 3.40

-66.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.05 ₸9,970

$13.85 MYR 56.5

59.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 ₸607

$1.40 MYR 5.70

-4.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.54 MYR 2.18

18.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.04 ₸4,993

$8.01 MYR 32.68

37.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸326

$0.80 MYR 3.28

-10.00%

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

$28.1K ₸12.7M

$49.1K MYR 200.3K

-42.69%

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

$31.8K ₸14.4M

$35.6K MYR 145.4K

-10.77%

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

$90.5 ₸40.9K

$49.59 MYR 202

82.54%

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

$10.63 ₸4,805

$7.14 MYR 29.14

48.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.12 ₸8,190

$26.47 MYR 108

-31.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 ₸31.2K

$26.94 MYR 110

156.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.98 ₸12.2K

$6.44 MYR 26.26

318.94%

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 ₸3,062

$3.74 MYR 15.24

81.02%

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

$444 ₸200.6K

$181 MYR 739

144.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K ₸5.4M

$6,906 MYR 28.2K

73.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.9 ₸41.5K

$55.4 MYR 226

65.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.80 ₸21.6K

$30.48 MYR 124

56.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 ₸63.0K

$89.2 MYR 364

56.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₸59.4K

$75.2 MYR 307

74.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$777 ₸351.2K

$340 MYR 1,386

128.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$494 ₸223.4K

$282 MYR 1,150

75.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 ₸650.4K

$597 MYR 2,437

140.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$905 ₸409.2K

$451 MYR 1,841

100.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,470 ₸1.1M

$1,782 MYR 7,272

38.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,517 ₸685.7K

$966 MYR 3,941

57.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$857 ₸387.2K

$496 MYR 2,021

72.86%

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 Sibu: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$494 36.3%

Sibu

$282 32.6% 42.9% $212

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$251 18.4%

Sibu

$247 28.5% 1.5% $3.8

Eating Out

Almaty

$204 15%

Sibu

$85 9.9% 58.1% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.6%

Sibu

$113 13% 39% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$119 8.8%

Sibu

$83 9.6% 30.2% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$83 6.1%

Sibu

$34 4% 58.3% $48

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Sibu

$21 2.5% 23.3% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $777 in Almaty versus $340 in Sibu. 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 73% 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 $19.00 in Sibu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $247 – making Sibu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇲🇾 Sibu

🕒 Local time

01:11 1:11 AM

03:11 3:11 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

198,239

💱 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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Between locations

Almaty Sibu 5,710 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Sibu

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 Sibu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 57%, 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 $1,299 in Sibu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sibu, 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 $19.00 in Sibu. 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 $866 in Sibu. That's a gap of about 57%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sibu, where all-in costs run around $866, than in Almaty at $1,363. In Sibu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sibu – 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 Sibu. 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.