Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Almaty: $1,387 a month against $2,545 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
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Berlin Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,545

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,387

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Berlin 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 Berlin and in Almaty actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,545 per month in Berlin vs $1,387 in Almaty, rent included.

Berlin $2,545
Almaty $1,387

A couple spends around $3,901 per month in Berlin vs $2,135 in Almaty, rent included.

Berlin $3,901
Almaty $2,135

A family of three spends $5,257 per month in Berlin vs $2,883 in Almaty, rent included.

Berlin $5,257
Almaty $2,883

Berlin costs about 84% more than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Berlin and Almaty sit above the global median – Berlin by 90%, Almaty by 3%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.81 €14.99

$13.31 ₸5,991

26.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.6 €71.0

$43.37 ₸19.5K

83.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 €11.93

$8.80 ₸3,959

52.05%

Cappuccino

$4.27 €3.81

$3.30 ₸1,486

29.39%

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

$3.40 €3.03

$1.37 ₸616

148.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.78

$0.90 ₸406

246.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 €4.88

$3.13 ₸1,409

75.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 €4.06

$4.10 ₸1,847

11.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.66 ₸749

-23.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.45 €2.18

$0.90 ₸403

172.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.30 €2.94

$2.06 ₸927

60.19%

Eggs

$4.45 €3.97

$2.37 ₸1,067

87.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.10 €15.25

$12.64 ₸5,689

35.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.19 €10.87

$6.62 ₸2,978

84.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.30 €16.32

$10.87 ₸4,893

68.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 €3.19

$1.86 ₸839

92.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.37 ₸1,067

-16.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 €2.91

$2.99 ₸1,348

9.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.81 €3.40

$2.83 ₸1,273

34.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$0.77 ₸345

176.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$0.58 ₸262

281.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.59 ₸718

-6.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 €0.90

$0.99 ₸446

2.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.49 €9.36

$2.54 ₸1,145

312.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.76 €6.03

$11.04 ₸4,969

-38.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.21 ₸546

10.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.41 ₸1,085

-12.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.37 €3.90

$0.25 ₸113

1648.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.0 €63.3

$21.84 ₸9,831

224.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 €4.72

$1.28 ₸577

313.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.05 €2.72

$0.64 ₸289

376.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.30 €32.36

$10.74 ₸4,836

237.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.69 ₸312

230.43%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$22.3K ₸10.0M

49.22%

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

$39.1K €34.8K

$29.3K ₸13.2M

33.12%

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

$379 €338

$87.8 ₸39.5K

332.24%

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

$19.31 €17.22

$10.83 ₸4,874

78.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.41 €43.17

$17.40 ₸7,831

178.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.31 €35.94

$69.7 ₸31.4K

-42.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.51 €31.66

$26.58 ₸12.0K

33.60%

Cinema Ticket

$15.53 €13.85

$6.68 ₸3,009

132.49%

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

$144 €128

$446 ₸200.8K

-67.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.0K

$11.9K ₸5.4M

32.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.6 €84.4

$93.7 ₸42.2K

1.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.33 €41.31

$46.91 ₸21.1K

-1.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.1

$143 ₸64.3K

-27.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 €126

$133 ₸60.1K

5.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,488 €1,327

$773 ₸348.1K

92.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 €979

$497 ₸223.9K

120.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,665 €2,376

$1,390 ₸625.9K

91.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 €1,855

$880 ₸396.0K

136.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,578 €7,648

$2,546 ₸1.1M

236.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,438 €4,849

$1,506 ₸678.2K

260.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,487 €3,109

$834 ₸375.2K

318.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

20.65

-81.60%

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

Last update for Berlin: October 3, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 43.3%

Almaty

$497 36.4% 54.7% $601

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$447 17.6%

Almaty

$116 8.5% 74.1% $331

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$351 13.8%

Almaty

$251 18.4% 28.3% $99

Eating Out

Berlin

$289 11.4%

Almaty

$205 15% 28.8% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$174 6.8%

Almaty

$188 13.7% 8.1% $14

Getting Around

Berlin

$109 4.3%

Almaty

$27 2% 74.9% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$71 2.8%

Almaty

$83 6.1% 16.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,488 in Berlin versus $773 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 318% higher in Berlin, 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 $80.0 in Berlin versus $43.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $251 – making Almaty the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

03:54 3:54 AM

07:54 7:54 AM

4 h ahead of Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 Capital

1,475,400

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 450 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Berlin Almaty 4,690 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Berlin
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

Berlin vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 84%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,818 per month in Berlin and $2,080 in Almaty. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Almaty, 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 $80.0 in Berlin and $43.00 in Almaty. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,545 in Berlin and $1,387 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 84%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Almaty, where all-in costs run around $1,387, than in Berlin at $2,545. In Almaty it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Almaty – 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 Almaty. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Berlin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.