Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bintulu and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Bintulu: $849 a month against $1,387 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Bintulu
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Bintulu Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Bintulu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$849

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,387

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $849 per month in Bintulu vs $1,387 in Almaty, rent included.

Bintulu $849
Almaty $1,387

A couple spends around $1,312 per month in Bintulu vs $2,135 in Almaty, rent included.

Bintulu $1,312
Almaty $2,135

A family of three spends $1,775 per month in Bintulu vs $2,883 in Almaty, rent included.

Bintulu $1,775
Almaty $2,883

Bintulu is about 39% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bintulu sits 37% below the global median, while Almaty is 3% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.95 MYR 16.13

$13.31 ₸6,034

-70.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.43 MYR 75.3

$43.37 ₸19.7K

-57.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.79 MYR 23.63

$8.80 ₸3,988

-34.20%

Cappuccino

$2.99 MYR 12.20

$3.30 ₸1,497

-9.39%

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

$0.63 MYR 2.59

$1.37 ₸620

-54.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MYR 1.54

$0.90 ₸409

-57.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 MYR 12.17

$3.13 ₸1,419

-4.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 MYR 21.12

$4.10 ₸1,860

26.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 MYR 8.77

$1.66 ₸754

29.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 MYR 5.59

$0.90 ₸406

52.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 MYR 5.41

$2.06 ₸933

-35.92%

Eggs

$2.16 MYR 8.83

$2.37 ₸1,074

-8.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.81 MYR 68.6

$12.64 ₸5,730

32.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 MYR 14.19

$6.62 ₸3,000

-47.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.90 MYR 24.11

$10.87 ₸4,928

-45.72%

Apples (1kg)

$1.76 MYR 7.19

$1.86 ₸845

-5.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 MYR 4.18

$2.37 ₸1,075

-56.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 MYR 7.17

$2.99 ₸1,358

-41.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 MYR 4.60

$2.83 ₸1,282

-60.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.51 MYR 2.08

$0.77 ₸347

-33.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.85

$0.58 ₸264

105.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 MYR 2.84

$1.59 ₸723

-56.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 MYR 1.71

$0.99 ₸449

-57.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 MYR 17.08

$2.54 ₸1,153

64.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.74 MYR 80.6

$11.04 ₸5,005

78.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.01 MYR 12.29

$1.21 ₸550

148.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 MYR 8.17

$2.41 ₸1,093

-17.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.20 MYR 4.91

$0.25 ₸113

380.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.62 MYR 67.9

$21.84 ₸9,901

-23.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 MYR 4.18

$1.28 ₸581

-20.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 MYR 3.39

$0.64 ₸291

29.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 MYR 10.21

$10.74 ₸4,870

-76.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.63 MYR 2.57

$0.69 ₸314

-8.70%

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

$44.5K MYR 181.7K

$22.3K ₸10.1M

99.76%

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

$38.5K MYR 157.0K

$29.3K ₸13.3M

31.11%

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

$59.2 MYR 242

$87.8 ₸39.8K

-32.52%

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

$31.51 MYR 129

$10.83 ₸4,909

190.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.98 MYR 122

$17.40 ₸7,887

72.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.4 MYR 271

$69.7 ₸31.6K

-4.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.43 MYR 50.8

$26.58 ₸12.1K

-53.24%

Cinema Ticket

$4.33 MYR 17.67

$6.68 ₸3,031

-35.18%

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

$124 MYR 508

$446 ₸202.2K

-72.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,230 MYR 29.5K

$11.9K ₸5.4M

-39.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 MYR 262

$93.7 ₸42.5K

-31.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.02 MYR 147

$46.91 ₸21.3K

-23.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.5 MYR 329

$143 ₸64.7K

-43.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 MYR 371

$133 ₸60.5K

-31.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 MYR 898

$773 ₸350.6K

-71.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$157 MYR 642

$497 ₸225.5K

-68.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$485 MYR 1,979

$1,390 ₸630.4K

-65.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 MYR 1,361

$880 ₸398.9K

-62.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,730 MYR 7,062

$2,546 ₸1.2M

-32.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,137 MYR 4,644

$1,506 ₸683.0K

-24.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$598 MYR 2,441

$834 ₸377.9K

-28.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

20.65

-78.21%

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

Last update for Bintulu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bintulu

$232 27.4%

Almaty

$251 18.4% 8.1% $19

Accommodation & Living

Bintulu

$157 18.5%

Almaty

$497 36.4% 216% $340

Clothing & Footwear

Bintulu

$122 14.4%

Almaty

$188 13.7% 53.4% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bintulu

$121 14.2%

Almaty

$116 8.5% 3.9% $4.7

Eating Out

Bintulu

$114 13.5%

Almaty

$205 15% 79.9% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Bintulu

$75 8.9%

Almaty

$83 6.1% 10.6% $8

Getting Around

Bintulu

$27 3.1%

Almaty

$27 2% 2.7% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $220 in Bintulu 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 39% 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 $18.00 in Bintulu versus $43.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $232 vs $251 – making Bintulu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Bintulu

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

19:21 7:21 PM

17:21 5:21 PM

2 h behind Bintulu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

240,172

1,475,400

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 453 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bintulu Almaty 5,700 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Bintulu
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

Bintulu vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 63%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,273 per month in Bintulu 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 Bintulu, 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 $18.00 in Bintulu 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 $849 in Bintulu and $1,387 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 63%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bintulu, where all-in costs run around $849, than in Almaty at $1,387. In Bintulu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bintulu – 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 Bintulu. 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.