Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Ulu Tiram

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulu Tiram: $928 a month against $1,363 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Almaty
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
$1,363
/mo nomad
Ulu Tiram
🇲🇾 Malaysia
$928
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Ulu Tiram

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

A single person spends $1,363 per month in Almaty vs $928 in Ulu Tiram, rent included.

  • Almaty $1,363
  • Ulu Tiram $928

A couple spends around $2,131 per month in Almaty vs $1,372 in Ulu Tiram, rent included.

  • Almaty $2,131
  • Ulu Tiram $1,372

A family of three spends $2,900 per month in Almaty vs $1,816 in Ulu Tiram, rent included.

  • Almaty $2,900
  • Ulu Tiram $1,816

Almaty costs about 47% more than Ulu Tiram, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 1% above the global median, while Ulu Tiram is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Almaty
Ulu Tiram
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.05 ₸5,899
$3.78 MYR 15.42
245.24%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.44 ₸19.6K
$19.67 MYR 80.3
120.84%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.76 ₸3,962
$4.82 MYR 19.67
81.74%
Cappuccino
$3.32 ₸1,501
$2.97 MYR 12.11
11.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.34 ₸607
$0.82 MYR 3.35
63.41%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 ₸374
$0.45 MYR 1.84
84.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.36 ₸1,518
$4.30 MYR 17.56
-21.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.02 ₸1,818
$6.09 MYR 24.86
-33.99%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Almaty
Ulu Tiram
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.65 ₸747
$1.75 MYR 7.14
-5.71%
White Bread (500g)
$0.93 ₸421
$1.08 MYR 4.39
-13.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.05 ₸927
$1.43 MYR 5.83
43.36%
Eggs
$2.46 ₸1,113
$1.81 MYR 7.37
35.91%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.49 ₸5,646
$9.75 MYR 39.78
28.10%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.71 ₸3,035
$4.04 MYR 16.50
66.09%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.85 ₸4,905
$9.51 MYR 38.81
14.09%
Apples (1kg)
$1.78 ₸807
$3.27 MYR 13.32
-45.57%
Banana (1kg)
$2.25 ₸1,018
$1.66 MYR 6.79
35.54%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.87 ₸1,299
$2.76 MYR 11.27
3.99%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.71 ₸1,227
$1.60 MYR 6.54
69.37%
Potato (1kg)
$0.80 ₸362
$1.48 MYR 6.05
-45.95%
Onion (1kg)
$0.55 ₸249
$1.72 MYR 7.03
-68.02%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.62 ₸732
$1.33 MYR 5.42
21.80%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.00 ₸453
$0.51 MYR 2.10
96.08%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.58 ₸1,167
$4.28 MYR 17.47
-39.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.15 ₸5,039
$16.85 MYR 68.7
-33.83%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 ₸572
$2.93 MYR 11.96
-57.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 ₸1,120
$3.15 MYR 12.86
-21.27%
🚌 Getting Around
Almaty
Ulu Tiram
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.28 ₸128
$0.71 MYR 2.90
-60.56%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.05 ₸9,970
$12.37 MYR 50.5
78.25%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.34 ₸607
$1.02 MYR 4.15
31.37%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.64 ₸288
$0.38 MYR 1.56
68.42%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.04 ₸4,993
$8.92 MYR 36.38
23.77%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.72 ₸326
$0.80 MYR 3.27
-10.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.1K ₸12.7M
$42.5K MYR 173.5K
-33.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.8K ₸14.4M
$34.1K MYR 139.0K
-6.68%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Almaty
Ulu Tiram
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$90.5 ₸40.9K
$51.8 MYR 211
74.68%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.63 ₸4,805
$8.29 MYR 33.83
28.23%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.12 ₸8,190
$28.81 MYR 118
-37.11%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Almaty
Ulu Tiram
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$69.0 ₸31.2K
$39.50 MYR 161
74.68%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.98 ₸12.2K
$7.24 MYR 29.52
272.65%
Cinema Ticket
$6.77 ₸3,062
$4.94 MYR 20.15
37.04%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Almaty
Ulu Tiram
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$444 ₸200.6K
$163 MYR 666
171.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.0K ₸5.4M
$4,469 MYR 18.2K
167.76%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Almaty
Ulu Tiram
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$91.9 ₸41.5K
$54.7 MYR 223
68.01%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.80 ₸21.6K
$17.26 MYR 70.4
176.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$139 ₸63.0K
$77.4 MYR 316
80.08%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$131 ₸59.4K
$87.1 MYR 355
50.79%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Almaty
Ulu Tiram
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$777 ₸351.2K
$409 MYR 1,669
89.95%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$494 ₸223.4K
$307 MYR 1,253
60.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,439 ₸650.4K
$677 MYR 2,762
112.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$905 ₸409.2K
$479 MYR 1,955
88.91%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,470 ₸1.1M
$2,005 MYR 8,177
23.21%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,517 ₸685.7K
$1,100 MYR 4,489
37.86%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Almaty
Ulu Tiram
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$857 ₸387.2K
$843 MYR 3,439
1.62%
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 Ulu Tiram: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Almaty
$494
Ulu Tiram
$307 37.8% $187
Groceries & Markets
Almaty
$251
Ulu Tiram
$239 4.8% $12
Eating Out
Almaty
$204
Ulu Tiram
$119 41.6% $85
Clothing & Footwear
Almaty
$185
Ulu Tiram
$106 42.4% $78
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Almaty
$119
Ulu Tiram
$89 25.4% $30
Sport & Entertainment
Almaty
$83
Ulu Tiram
$49 40.2% $33
Getting Around
Almaty
$28
Ulu Tiram
$18 34.6% $9.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $777 in Almaty versus $409 in Ulu Tiram. 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 2% 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 Ulu Tiram. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $239 – making Ulu Tiram the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇰🇿 Almaty
🇲🇾 Ulu Tiram
🕒 Local time
06:20 6:20 AM
08:20 8:20 AM
2 h ahead of Almaty
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,475,400
75,350
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

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).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Almaty Ulu Tiram 5,340 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Almaty
  • Ulu Tiram

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 Ulu Tiram: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ulu Tiram cheaper than Almaty?
Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 47%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,044 per month in Almaty and $1,392 in Ulu Tiram. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Ulu Tiram, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Almaty or in Ulu Tiram?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Almaty and $20.00 in Ulu Tiram. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Almaty and in Ulu Tiram?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,363 in Almaty and $928 in Ulu Tiram. That's a gap of about 47%.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Almaty or in Ulu Tiram?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ulu Tiram, where all-in costs run around $928, than in Almaty at $1,363. In Ulu Tiram it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Almaty or Ulu Tiram more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Ulu Tiram – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Almaty or Ulu Tiram?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Ulu Tiram. 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.

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