Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bulacan and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulacan: $638 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Bulacan
🇵🇭 Philippines
$638
/mo nomad
Almaty
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
$1,372
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $638 per month in Bulacan vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

  • Bulacan $638
  • Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $927 per month in Bulacan vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

  • Bulacan $927
  • Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,215 per month in Bulacan vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

  • Bulacan $1,215
  • Almaty $2,913

Bulacan is about 53% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bulacan sits 53% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bulacan
Almaty
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.00 ₱126
$13.16 ₸5,949
-84.80%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$15.88 ₱1,000
$44.86 ₸20.3K
-64.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$2.71 ₱171
$8.90 ₸4,022
-69.55%
Cappuccino
$1.79 ₱112
$3.25 ₸1,469
-44.92%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.44 ₱27.72
$1.41 ₸639
-68.79%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.26 ₱16.39
$0.88 ₸399
-70.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.93 ₱58.4
$3.35 ₸1,513
-72.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.60 ₱101
$4.04 ₸1,827
-60.40%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bulacan
Almaty
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.61 ₱102
$1.69 ₸762
-4.73%
White Bread (500g)
$1.16 ₱73.1
$0.86 ₸390
34.88%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.95 ₱60.1
$2.03 ₸917
-53.20%
Eggs
$1.79 ₱113
$2.43 ₸1,100
-26.34%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$2.80 ₱176
$12.46 ₸5,632
-77.53%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.45 ₱217
$6.71 ₸3,033
-48.58%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.03 ₱380
$10.85 ₸4,905
-44.42%
Apples (1kg)
$2.06 ₱130
$1.80 ₸813
14.44%
Banana (1kg)
$1.56 ₱98.2
$2.25 ₸1,018
-30.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.99 ₱125
$2.91 ₸1,314
-31.62%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.04 ₱65.4
$2.75 ₸1,243
-62.18%
Potato (1kg)
$1.61 ₱101
$0.75 ₸337
114.67%
Onion (1kg)
$1.73 ₱109
$0.55 ₸248
214.55%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.62 ₱39.14
$1.62 ₸732
-61.73%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ₱31.07
$1.05 ₸474
-53.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.04 ₱191
$2.58 ₸1,167
17.83%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.53 ₱222
$11.15 ₸5,042
-68.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.89 ₱56.3
$1.21 ₸547
-26.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.56 ₱98.1
$2.44 ₸1,104
-36.07%
🚌 Getting Around
Bulacan
Almaty
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.19 ₱11.81
$0.26 ₸117
-26.92%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$6.68 ₱421
$22.03 ₸9,957
-69.68%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.69 ₱43.19
$1.35 ₸611
-48.89%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.15 ₱9.67
$0.64 ₸288
-76.56%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.87 ₱118
$11.16 ₸5,044
-83.24%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.06 ₱66.7
$0.72 ₸324
47.22%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.7K ₱1.4M
$22.5K ₸10.2M
-3.75%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.4K ₱1.0M
$30.3K ₸13.7M
-45.88%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bulacan
Almaty
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$112 ₱7,031
$91.8 ₸41.5K
21.63%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.26 ₱1,087
$10.66 ₸4,820
61.91%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.39 ₱1,472
$17.86 ₸8,072
30.96%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bulacan
Almaty
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.17 ₱2,340
$70.3 ₸31.8K
-47.15%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$0.78 ₱49.15
$27.60 ₸12.5K
-97.17%
Cinema Ticket
$5.09 ₱320
$6.78 ₸3,064
-24.93%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bulacan
Almaty
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$96.7 ₱6,088
$449 ₸202.9K
-78.46%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$941 ₱59.3K
$12.1K ₸5.5M
-92.23%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bulacan
Almaty
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$28.48 ₱1,793
$89.9 ₸40.7K
-68.33%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.39 ₱1,221
$47.02 ₸21.3K
-58.76%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.5 ₱4,756
$142 ₸64.1K
-46.73%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$55.5 ₱3,493
$133 ₸60.0K
-58.21%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bulacan
Almaty
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$237 ₱14.9K
$805 ₸363.7K
-70.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$146 ₱9,223
$500 ₸225.9K
-70.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$385 ₱24.2K
$1,429 ₸645.9K
-73.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$215 ₱13.5K
$904 ₸408.8K
-76.26%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,879 ₱118.3K
$2,503 ₸1.1M
-24.94%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,458 ₱91.8K
$1,559 ₸704.7K
-6.49%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bulacan
Almaty
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$290 ₱18.2K
$870 ₸393.3K
-66.72%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.75
20.65
-67.31%

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

Last update for Bulacan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bulacan
$152
Almaty
$120 21% $32
Groceries & Markets
Bulacan
$147
Almaty
$250 70.7% $104
Accommodation & Living
Bulacan
$146
Almaty
$500 241% $353
Clothing & Footwear
Bulacan
$81
Almaty
$185 130% $105
Eating Out
Bulacan
$56
Almaty
$205 264% $149
Sport & Entertainment
Bulacan
$47
Almaty
$84 77.1% $37
Getting Around
Bulacan
$8.9
Almaty
$28 211% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $237 in Bulacan 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 200% 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 $16.00 in Bulacan versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $147 vs $250 – making Bulacan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Bulacan
🇰🇿 Almaty
🕒 Local time
00:36 12:36 AM
22:36 10:36 PM
2 h behind Bulacan
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,700,000
1,475,400
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bulacan Almaty 5,220 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Bulacan
  • 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
Bulacan vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Almaty cheaper than Bulacan?
Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 115%, 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 $958 per month in Bulacan and $2,058 in Almaty. 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 Bulacan, 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 Bulacan or in Almaty?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $16.00 in Bulacan and $45.00 in Almaty. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Bulacan and in Almaty?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $638 in Bulacan and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 115%.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Bulacan or in Almaty?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bulacan, where all-in costs run around $638, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Bulacan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Bulacan or Almaty more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Bulacan – 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 Bulacan. 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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