Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Usolye-Sibirskoye

For one person, living is cheaper in Usolye-Sibirskoye: $986 a month against $1,387 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Almaty
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
$1,387
/mo nomad
Usolye-Sibirskoye
🇷🇺 Russia
$986
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Usolye-Sibirskoye

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 Usolye-Sibirskoye actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,387 per month in Almaty vs $986 in Usolye-Sibirskoye, rent included.

  • Almaty $1,387
  • Usolye-Sibirskoye $986

A couple spends around $2,135 per month in Almaty vs $1,552 in Usolye-Sibirskoye, rent included.

  • Almaty $2,135
  • Usolye-Sibirskoye $1,552

A family of three spends $2,883 per month in Almaty vs $2,119 in Usolye-Sibirskoye, rent included.

  • Almaty $2,883
  • Usolye-Sibirskoye $2,119

Almaty costs about 41% more than Usolye-Sibirskoye, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 3% above the global median, while Usolye-Sibirskoye is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Almaty
Usolye-Sibirskoye
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.31 ₸6,034
$7.23 ₽615
84.09%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 ₸19.7K
$32.27 ₽2,746
34.40%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.80 ₸3,988
$5.87 ₽500
49.91%
Cappuccino
$3.30 ₸1,497
$2.97 ₽252
11.11%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.37 ₸620
$1.57 ₽133
-12.74%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 ₸409
$0.71 ₽60.7
26.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.13 ₸1,419
$2.71 ₽231
15.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.10 ₸1,860
$4.16 ₽354
-1.44%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Almaty
Usolye-Sibirskoye
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ₸754
$1.25 ₽106
32.80%
White Bread (500g)
$0.90 ₸406
$0.61 ₽51.9
47.54%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.06 ₸933
$1.40 ₽119
47.14%
Eggs
$2.37 ₸1,074
$1.58 ₽134
50.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.64 ₸5,730
$11.57 ₽985
9.25%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.62 ₸3,000
$5.99 ₽510
10.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.87 ₸4,928
$11.18 ₽951
-2.77%
Apples (1kg)
$1.86 ₸845
$1.82 ₽155
2.20%
Banana (1kg)
$2.37 ₸1,075
$1.91 ₽162
24.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.99 ₸1,358
$1.74 ₽148
71.84%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.83 ₸1,282
$3.60 ₽307
-21.39%
Potato (1kg)
$0.77 ₸347
$0.71 ₽60.4
8.45%
Onion (1kg)
$0.58 ₸264
$0.65 ₽55.3
-10.77%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.59 ₸723
$1.80 ₽153
-11.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.99 ₸449
$0.61 ₽52.1
62.30%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.54 ₸1,153
$2.71 ₽230
-6.27%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.04 ₸5,005
$7.21 ₽613
53.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.21 ₸550
$0.95 ₽81.2
27.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.41 ₸1,093
$2.00 ₽170
20.50%
🚌 Getting Around
Almaty
Usolye-Sibirskoye
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 ₸113
$0.52 ₽44.00
-51.92%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$21.84 ₸9,901
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.28 ₸581
$1.20 ₽102
6.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.64 ₸291
$0.18 ₽15.70
255.56%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.74 ₸4,870
$8.79 ₽748
22.18%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.69 ₸314
$0.84 ₽71.1
-17.86%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.3K ₸10.1M
$29.0K ₽2.5M
-23.06%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.3K ₸13.3M
$35.7K ₽3.0M
-17.80%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Almaty
Usolye-Sibirskoye
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$87.8 ₸39.8K
$117 ₽9,935
-24.84%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.83 ₸4,909
$5.73 ₽487
89.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.40 ₸7,887
$11.32 ₽963
53.71%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Almaty
Usolye-Sibirskoye
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$69.7 ₸31.6K
$37.28 ₽3,172
86.94%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.58 ₸12.1K
$25.39 ₽2,160
4.69%
Cinema Ticket
$6.68 ₸3,031
$6.54 ₽557
2.14%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Almaty
Usolye-Sibirskoye
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$446 ₸202.2K
$295 ₽25.1K
50.94%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K ₸5.4M
$3,205 ₽272.7K
270.91%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Almaty
Usolye-Sibirskoye
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$93.7 ₸42.5K
$58.5 ₽4,977
60.16%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.91 ₸21.3K
$23.82 ₽2,027
96.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$143 ₸64.7K
$99.2 ₽8,442
43.87%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$133 ₸60.5K
$117 ₽9,942
14.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Almaty
Usolye-Sibirskoye
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$773 ₸350.6K
$471 ₽40.1K
64.15%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$497 ₸225.5K
$309 ₽26.3K
61.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,390 ₸630.4K
$847 ₽72.1K
64.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$880 ₸398.9K
$573 ₽48.8K
53.42%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,546 ₸1.2M
$2,468 ₽210.0K
3.17%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,506 ₸683.0K
$1,259 ₽107.1K
19.68%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Almaty
Usolye-Sibirskoye
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$834 ₸377.9K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
20.65
24.57
-15.95%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 5, 2026

Last update for Usolye-Sibirskoye: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Almaty
$497
Usolye-Sibirskoye
$309 37.9% $189
Groceries & Markets
Almaty
$251
Usolye-Sibirskoye
$215 14.3% $36
Eating Out
Almaty
$205
Usolye-Sibirskoye
$142 30.8% $63
Clothing & Footwear
Almaty
$188
Usolye-Sibirskoye
$134 28.4% $53
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Almaty
$116
Usolye-Sibirskoye
$134 15.4% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Almaty
$83
Usolye-Sibirskoye
$50 39.4% $33
Getting Around
Almaty
$27
Usolye-Sibirskoye
$4.2 * 84.7% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $773 in Almaty versus $471 in Usolye-Sibirskoye. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Almaty versus $32.00 in Usolye-Sibirskoye. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $215 – making Usolye-Sibirskoye the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇰🇿 Almaty
🇷🇺 Usolye-Sibirskoye
🕒 Local time
12:49 12:49 PM
14:49 2:49 PM
2 h ahead of Almaty
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,475,400
73,507
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 453 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 509 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.09 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.44 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Almaty Usolye-Sibirskoye 2,230 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Almaty
  • Usolye-Sibirskoye

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 Usolye-Sibirskoye: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Usolye-Sibirskoye cheaper than Almaty?
Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 41%, 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 $2,080 per month in Almaty and $1,478 in Usolye-Sibirskoye. 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 Usolye-Sibirskoye, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Almaty and in Usolye-Sibirskoye?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,387 in Almaty and $986 in Usolye-Sibirskoye. That's a gap of about 41%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $446 per month in Almaty and $295 in Usolye-Sibirskoye. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Almaty or in Usolye-Sibirskoye?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Usolye-Sibirskoye, where all-in costs run around $986, than in Almaty at $1,387. In Usolye-Sibirskoye it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Almaty or Usolye-Sibirskoye more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Usolye-Sibirskoye – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Usolye-Sibirskoye. 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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