Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Vigan

For one person, living is cheaper in Vigan: $718 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Vigan
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Vigan Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Vigan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$718

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Vigan

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $718 in Vigan, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Vigan $718

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,125 in Vigan, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Vigan $1,125

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,533 in Vigan, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Vigan $1,533

Almaty costs about 91% more than Vigan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Vigan is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$3.89 ₱245

238.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$16.49 ₱1,038

172.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$1.77 ₱112

402.82%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$1.84 ₱116

76.63%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$0.55 ₱34.93

156.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.33 ₱20.81

166.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

$0.98 ₱62.0

241.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$1.55 ₱97.8

160.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$1.67 ₱105

1.20%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.13 ₱71.0

-23.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$0.95 ₱60.0

113.68%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$2.01 ₱126

20.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

$5.13 ₱323

142.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$3.44 ₱216

95.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$7.91 ₱498

37.17%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$2.30 ₱145

-21.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.54 ₱96.9

46.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$2.35 ₱148

23.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$1.03 ₱64.8

166.99%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$1.74 ₱109

-56.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$1.72 ₱108

-68.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$0.61 ₱38.63

165.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.53 ₱33.07

98.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$2.93 ₱184

-11.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

$8.74 ₱550

27.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$0.98 ₱61.5

23.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

$2.06 ₱129

18.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.24 ₱15.21

8.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

$10.80 ₱680

103.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$0.82 ₱51.5

64.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.23 ₱14.46

178.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

$1.92 ₱121

481.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$1.27 ₱79.7

-43.31%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$21.5K ₱1.4M

4.73%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$19.6K ₱1.2M

54.26%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$139 ₱8,723

-33.74%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$17.81 ₱1,121

-40.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$23.55 ₱1,483

-24.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$33.22 ₱2,091

111.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$5.06 ₱319

445.45%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$5.10 ₱321

32.94%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

$131 ₱8,268

241.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$10.6K ₱668.5K

14.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$28.39 ₱1,787

216.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$19.84 ₱1,249

137.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$72.3 ₱4,555

96.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$56.0 ₱3,526

137.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

$228 ₱14.4K

252.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

$156 ₱9,812

220.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

$525 ₱33.0K

172.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

$405 ₱25.5K

123.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$2,466 ₱155.2K

1.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

$1,003 ₱63.1K

55.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

6.75

205.93%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Vigan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Vigan

$156 21.7% 68.8% $344

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Vigan

$175 24.4% 30% $75

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Vigan

$70 9.8% 65.8% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Vigan

$79 11.1% 57.1% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Vigan

$180 25.1% 49.5% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Vigan

$43 6.1% 48.2% $40

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Vigan

$14 1.9% 50.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $228 in Vigan. 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 $45.00 in Almaty versus $16.00 in Vigan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $175 – making Vigan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇵🇭 Vigan

🕒 Local time

10:51 10:51 AM

12:51 12:51 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

53,879

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, 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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Almaty Vigan 4,970 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Vigan

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 Vigan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 91%, 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 $1,077 in Vigan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Vigan, 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 $16.00 in Vigan. 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 $718 in Vigan. That's a gap of about 91%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Vigan, where all-in costs run around $718, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Vigan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Vigan – 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 Vigan. 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.