Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Balikpapan and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Balikpapan: $668 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Balikpapan
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Balikpapan Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
Learn more

Almaty Living Index

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Balikpapan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$668

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Balikpapan and in Almaty

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Balikpapan and in Almaty actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $668 per month in Balikpapan vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Balikpapan $668
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,048 per month in Balikpapan vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Balikpapan $1,048
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,428 per month in Balikpapan vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Balikpapan $1,428
Almaty $2,913

Balikpapan is about 51% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Balikpapan sits 51% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.39 Rp 25.0K

$13.16 ₸5,949

-89.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.95 Rp 197.1K

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-75.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.05 Rp 55.0K

$8.90 ₸4,022

-65.73%

Cappuccino

$1.36 Rp 24.5K

$3.25 ₸1,469

-58.15%

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

$0.37 Rp 6,712

$1.41 ₸639

-73.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 Rp 6,871

$0.88 ₸399

-56.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 Rp 40.4K

$3.35 ₸1,513

-32.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

$4.04 ₸1,827

-17.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Rp 20.3K

$1.69 ₸762

-33.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 Rp 19.2K

$0.86 ₸390

24.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 Rp 20.8K

$2.03 ₸917

-42.86%

Eggs

$2.54 Rp 45.8K

$2.43 ₸1,100

4.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.38 Rp 132.8K

$12.46 ₸5,632

-40.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.92 Rp 52.6K

$6.71 ₸3,033

-56.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.04 Rp 144.7K

$10.85 ₸4,905

-25.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 Rp 40.5K

$1.80 ₸813

25.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 Rp 23.4K

$2.25 ₸1,018

-42.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 Rp 31.7K

$2.91 ₸1,314

-39.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

$2.75 ₸1,243

-53.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 Rp 22.7K

$0.75 ₸337

68.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 Rp 34.2K

$0.55 ₸248

245.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 Rp 14.0K

$1.62 ₸732

-51.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 Rp 13.0K

$1.05 ₸474

-31.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.89 Rp 34.0K

$2.58 ₸1,167

-26.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.83 Rp 374.9K

$11.15 ₸5,042

86.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 Rp 33.7K

$1.21 ₸547

54.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 Rp 54.3K

$2.44 ₸1,104

23.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 Rp 5,219

$0.26 ₸117

11.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.15 Rp 20.7K

$1.35 ₸611

-14.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 Rp 6,777

$0.64 ₸288

-40.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.59 Rp 46.7K

$11.16 ₸5,044

-76.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.77 Rp 13.8K

$0.72 ₸324

6.94%

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

$23.4K Rp 420.6M

$22.5K ₸10.2M

3.75%

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

$31.0K Rp 558.8M

$30.3K ₸13.7M

2.55%

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

$67.5 Rp 1.2M

$91.8 ₸41.5K

-26.50%

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

$4.36 Rp 78.4K

$10.66 ₸4,820

-59.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.86 Rp 537.4K

$17.86 ₸8,072

67.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.74 Rp 427.4K

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-66.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.46 Rp 152.2K

$27.60 ₸12.5K

-69.35%

Cinema Ticket

$2.84 Rp 51.1K

$6.78 ₸3,064

-58.11%

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

$93.1 Rp 1.7M

$449 ₸202.9K

-79.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,570 Rp 154.3M

$12.1K ₸5.5M

-29.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.14 Rp 686.6K

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-57.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.66 Rp 335.9K

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-60.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$141 Rp 2.5M

$142 ₸64.1K

-0.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.9 Rp 1.3M

$133 ₸60.0K

-46.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$203 Rp 3.7M

$805 ₸363.7K

-74.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 Rp 2.7M

$500 ₸225.9K

-70.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$537 Rp 9.7M

$1,429 ₸645.9K

-62.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 Rp 6.5M

$904 ₸408.8K

-60.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,258 Rp 22.6M

$2,503 ₸1.1M

-49.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$818 Rp 14.7M

$1,559 ₸704.7K

-47.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$238 Rp 4.3M

$870 ₸393.3K

-72.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.46

20.65

-54.19%

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

Last update for Balikpapan: October 13, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Balikpapan

$206 30.9%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 21.2% $44

Accommodation & Living

Balikpapan

$148 22.1%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 238% $352

Clothing & Footwear

Balikpapan

$121 18.1%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 53.4% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Balikpapan

$102 15.2%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 18.3% $19

Eating Out

Balikpapan

$57 8.6%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 257% $147

Sport & Entertainment

Balikpapan

$29 4.4%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 185% $54

Getting Around

Balikpapan

$4.2 * 0.6%

Almaty

$28 2% 559% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $203 in Balikpapan versus $805 in Almaty. 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 266% 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 $11.00 in Balikpapan versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $206 vs $250 – making Balikpapan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Balikpapan

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

12:58 12:58 PM

10:58 10:58 AM

2 h behind Balikpapan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

701,066

1,475,400

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

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).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Balikpapan Almaty 6,340 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Balikpapan
Almaty

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

Balikpapan vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 105%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,002 per month in Balikpapan and $2,058 in Almaty. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Balikpapan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $668 in Balikpapan and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 105%.

Kindergarten costs $93.1 per month in Balikpapan and $449 in Almaty. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Balikpapan, where all-in costs run around $668, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Balikpapan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Balikpapan – 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 Balikpapan. 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.