Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bloemfontein and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Bloemfontein: $1,069 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Bloemfontein
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Bloemfontein Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Bloemfontein

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,069

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,069 per month in Bloemfontein vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Bloemfontein $1,069
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,687 per month in Bloemfontein vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Bloemfontein $1,687
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $2,305 per month in Bloemfontein vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Bloemfontein $2,305
Almaty $2,913

Bloemfontein is about 22% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Bloemfontein sits 21% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.91 R 196

$13.16 ₸5,949

-9.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.16 R 678

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-8.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 R 122

$8.90 ₸4,022

-16.74%

Cappuccino

$2.08 R 34.20

$3.25 ₸1,469

-36.00%

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

$1.40 R 23.11

$1.41 ₸639

-0.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 R 17.93

$0.88 ₸399

23.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 R 41.78

$3.35 ₸1,513

-24.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 R 45.06

$4.04 ₸1,827

-32.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 R 17.27

$1.69 ₸762

-37.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 R 17.59

$0.86 ₸390

24.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 R 35.12

$2.03 ₸917

4.93%

Eggs

$2.16 R 35.63

$2.43 ₸1,100

-11.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.53 R 124

$12.46 ₸5,632

-39.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 R 83.5

$6.71 ₸3,033

-24.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.91 R 130

$10.85 ₸4,905

-27.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 R 31.11

$1.80 ₸813

5.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.84

$2.25 ₸1,018

-30.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.45

$2.91 ₸1,314

-38.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.63

$2.75 ₸1,243

-43.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.39

$0.75 ₸337

113.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 R 30.51

$0.55 ₸248

236.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 R 18.45

$1.62 ₸732

-30.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 R 15.91

$1.05 ₸474

-7.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.54 R 41.89

$2.58 ₸1,167

-1.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.91 R 80.9

$11.15 ₸5,042

-55.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 R 29.81

$1.21 ₸547

49.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.90

$2.44 ₸1,104

-43.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 R 15.35

$0.26 ₸117

257.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.1 R 1,253

$22.03 ₸9,957

245.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 R 17.56

$1.35 ₸611

-20.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 R 23.12

$0.72 ₸324

94.44%

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

$36.4K R 599.9K

$22.5K ₸10.2M

61.69%

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

$28.5K R 469.8K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-5.79%

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

$77.8 R 1,281

$91.8 ₸41.5K

-15.29%

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

$32.29 R 532

$10.66 ₸4,820

202.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.69 R 522

$17.86 ₸8,072

77.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.34 R 533

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-54.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

Cinema Ticket

$4.72 R 77.8

$6.78 ₸3,064

-30.38%

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

$200 R 3,296

$449 ₸202.9K

-55.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.9 R 1,003

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-32.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.06 R 709

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-8.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 R 2,220

$142 ₸64.1K

-4.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 R 1,826

$133 ₸60.0K

-16.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$312 R 5,139

$805 ₸363.7K

-61.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$286 R 4,717

$500 ₸225.9K

-42.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$513 R 8,459

$1,429 ₸645.9K

-64.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$543 R 8,954

$904 ₸408.8K

-39.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$487 R 8,031

$2,503 ₸1.1M

-80.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$620 R 10.2K

$1,559 ₸704.7K

-60.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,287 R 21.2K

$870 ₸393.3K

47.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.13

20.65

-41.26%

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

Last update for Bloemfontein: October 11, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bloemfontein

$286 26.8%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 74.5% $213

Groceries & Markets

Bloemfontein

$190 17.8%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 31.7% $60

Eating Out

Bloemfontein

$171 16%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 20.2% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Bloemfontein

$157 14.7%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 17.7% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bloemfontein

$142 13.3%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 15.1% $21

Getting Around

Bloemfontein

$81 * 7.6%

Almaty

$28 2% 65.9% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Bloemfontein

$42 3.9%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 101% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $312 in Bloemfontein 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 48% higher in Bloemfontein, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Bloemfontein versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $250 – making Bloemfontein the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Bloemfontein

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

20:05 8:05 PM

00:05 12:05 AM

4 h ahead of Bloemfontein

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

370,000 Capital

1,475,400

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bloemfontein Almaty 9,560 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Bloemfontein
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

Bloemfontein vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,603 per month in Bloemfontein 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 Bloemfontein, 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 $41.00 in Bloemfontein and $45.00 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 $1,069 in Bloemfontein and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 28%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bloemfontein, where all-in costs run around $1,069, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Bloemfontein it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bloemfontein – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Bloemfontein. 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.