Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Zamboanga

For one person, living is cheaper in Zamboanga: $748 a month against $1,363 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Almaty
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
$1,363
/mo nomad
Zamboanga
🇵🇭 Philippines
$748
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Zamboanga

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

A single person spends $1,363 per month in Almaty vs $748 in Zamboanga, rent included.

  • Almaty $1,363
  • Zamboanga $748

A couple spends around $2,131 per month in Almaty vs $1,123 in Zamboanga, rent included.

  • Almaty $2,131
  • Zamboanga $1,123

A family of three spends $2,900 per month in Almaty vs $1,497 in Zamboanga, rent included.

  • Almaty $2,900
  • Zamboanga $1,497

Almaty costs about 82% more than Zamboanga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 1% above the global median, while Zamboanga is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Almaty
Zamboanga
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.05 ₸5,899
$1.33 ₱83.5
881.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.44 ₸19.6K
$16.41 ₱1,033
164.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.76 ₸3,962
$3.50 ₱220
150.29%
Cappuccino
$3.32 ₸1,501
$2.09 ₱132
58.85%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.34 ₸607
$0.86 ₱54.0
55.81%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 ₸374
$0.40 ₱24.88
107.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.36 ₸1,518
$1.44 ₱90.8
133.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.02 ₸1,818
$2.05 ₱129
96.10%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Almaty
Zamboanga
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.65 ₸747
$1.75 ₱110
-5.71%
White Bread (500g)
$0.93 ₸421
$1.41 ₱89.0
-34.04%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.05 ₸927
$1.16 ₱73.0
76.72%
Eggs
$2.46 ₸1,113
$1.46 ₱91.7
68.49%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.49 ₸5,646
$10.01 ₱630
24.78%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.71 ₸3,035
$4.05 ₱255
65.68%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.85 ₸4,905
$3.33 ₱209
225.83%
Apples (1kg)
$1.78 ₸807
$3.17 ₱200
-43.85%
Banana (1kg)
$2.25 ₸1,018
$1.18 ₱74.1
90.68%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.87 ₸1,299
$3.82 ₱241
-24.87%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.71 ₸1,227
$1.16 ₱73.1
133.62%
Potato (1kg)
$0.80 ₸362
$1.26 ₱79.6
-36.51%
Onion (1kg)
$0.55 ₸249
$2.56 ₱161
-78.52%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.62 ₸732
$0.86 ₱54.4
88.37%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.00 ₸453
$0.51 ₱32.39
96.08%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.58 ₸1,167
$2.74 ₱172
-5.84%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.15 ₸5,039
$4.23 ₱266
163.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 ₸572
$1.30 ₱82.1
-3.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 ₸1,120
$1.97 ₱124
25.89%
🚌 Getting Around
Almaty
Zamboanga
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.28 ₸128
$0.22 ₱13.88
27.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.05 ₸9,970
$11.19 ₱704
97.05%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.34 ₸607
$0.82 ₱51.9
63.41%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.64 ₸288
$0.23 ₱14.50
178.26%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.04 ₸4,993
$1.88 ₱118
487.23%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.72 ₸326
$1.02 ₱64.4
-29.41%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.1K ₸12.7M
$21.7K ₱1.4M
29.46%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.8K ₸14.4M
$19.4K ₱1.2M
63.66%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Almaty
Zamboanga
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$90.5 ₸40.9K
$124 ₱7,826
-27.18%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.63 ₸4,805
$15.48 ₱975
-31.33%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.12 ₸8,190
$47.25 ₱2,975
-61.65%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Almaty
Zamboanga
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$69.0 ₸31.2K
$35.74 ₱2,250
93.06%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.98 ₸12.2K
$4.67 ₱294
477.73%
Cinema Ticket
$6.77 ₸3,062
$5.07 ₱319
33.53%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Almaty
Zamboanga
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$444 ₸200.6K
$133 ₱8,372
233.70%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.0K ₸5.4M
$8,082 ₱508.9K
48.05%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Almaty
Zamboanga
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$91.9 ₸41.5K
$32.93 ₱2,073
178.99%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.80 ₸21.6K
$19.29 ₱1,215
147.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$139 ₸63.0K
$70.8 ₱4,457
96.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$131 ₸59.4K
$55.7 ₱3,505
136.03%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Almaty
Zamboanga
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$777 ₸351.2K
$266 ₱16.8K
191.65%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$494 ₸223.4K
$175 ₱11.0K
182.78%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,439 ₸650.4K
$332 ₱20.9K
333.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$905 ₸409.2K
$360 ₱22.6K
151.63%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,470 ₸1.1M
$2,366 ₱149.0K
4.40%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,517 ₸685.7K
$998 ₱62.9K
51.94%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Almaty
Zamboanga
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$857 ₸387.2K
$193 ₱12.2K
343.09%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
20.65
6.79
204.12%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 18, 2026

Last update for Zamboanga: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Almaty
$494
Zamboanga
$175 64.6% $319
Groceries & Markets
Almaty
$251
Zamboanga
$184 26.6% $67
Eating Out
Almaty
$204
Zamboanga
$62 69.4% $142
Clothing & Footwear
Almaty
$185
Zamboanga
$80 56.5% $104
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Almaty
$119
Zamboanga
$187 56.8% $68
Sport & Entertainment
Almaty
$83
Zamboanga
$46 44.4% $37
Getting Around
Almaty
$28
Zamboanga
$14 49.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $777 in Almaty versus $266 in Zamboanga. 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 343% 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 $16.00 in Zamboanga. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $184 – making Zamboanga the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇰🇿 Almaty
🇵🇭 Zamboanga
🕒 Local time
19:20 7:20 PM
21:20 9:20 PM
2 h ahead of Almaty
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,475,400
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Almaty Zamboanga 5,970 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Almaty
  • Zamboanga

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 Zamboanga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Zamboanga cheaper than Almaty?
Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 82%, 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 $1,123 in Zamboanga. 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 Zamboanga, 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 Zamboanga?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Almaty and $16.00 in Zamboanga. 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 Zamboanga?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,363 in Almaty and $748 in Zamboanga. That's a gap of about 82%.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Almaty or in Zamboanga?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Zamboanga, where all-in costs run around $748, than in Almaty at $1,363. In Zamboanga it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Almaty or Zamboanga more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Zamboanga – 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 Zamboanga. 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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