Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Butuan and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Butuan: $578 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Butuan
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Butuan Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Butuan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$578

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $578 per month in Butuan vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Butuan $578
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $913 per month in Butuan vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Butuan $913
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,248 per month in Butuan vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Butuan $1,248
Almaty $2,913

Butuan is about 58% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Butuan sits 57% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.67 ₱294

$13.16 ₸5,949

-64.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.83 ₱1,690

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-40.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.41 ₱152

$8.90 ₸4,022

-72.92%

Cappuccino

$2.09 ₱132

$3.25 ₸1,469

-35.69%

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

$0.33 ₱21.02

$1.41 ₸639

-76.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ₱14.47

$0.88 ₸399

-73.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.57 ₱98.9

$3.35 ₸1,513

-53.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 ₱155

$4.04 ₸1,827

-39.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱123

$1.69 ₸762

15.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₱68.9

$0.86 ₸390

26.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 ₱55.0

$2.03 ₸917

-57.14%

Eggs

$1.86 ₱117

$2.43 ₸1,100

-23.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.21 ₱391

$12.46 ₸5,632

-50.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.84 ₱305

$6.71 ₸3,033

-27.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.32 ₱587

$10.85 ₸4,905

-14.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 ₱169

$1.80 ₸813

48.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 ₱69.7

$2.25 ₸1,018

-50.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 ₱152

$2.91 ₸1,314

-16.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.20 ₱75.8

$2.75 ₸1,243

-56.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 ₱127

$0.75 ₸337

169.33%

Onion (1kg)

$3.51 ₱221

$0.55 ₸248

538.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₱79.0

$1.62 ₸732

-22.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.42

$1.05 ₸474

-36.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.39 ₱151

$2.58 ₸1,167

-7.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.13 ₱512

$11.15 ₸5,042

-27.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 ₱78.7

$1.21 ₸547

3.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₱106

$2.44 ₸1,104

-30.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.78 ₱49.33

$1.35 ₸611

-42.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₱15.84

$0.64 ₸288

-60.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 ₱123

$11.16 ₸5,044

-82.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ₱66.1

$0.72 ₸324

45.83%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$22.5K ₸10.2M

-5.72%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-37.14%

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

$107 ₱6,748

$91.8 ₸41.5K

16.69%

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

$18.89 ₱1,190

$10.66 ₸4,820

77.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.87 ₱1,945

$17.86 ₸8,072

72.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.85 ₱1,503

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-66.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

Cinema Ticket

$4.37 ₱275

$6.78 ₸3,064

-35.55%

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

$108 ₱6,794

$449 ₸202.9K

-75.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,696 ₱484.8K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

-36.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ₱3,887

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-31.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.28 ₱1,970

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-33.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.8 ₱4,525

$142 ₸64.1K

-49.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.2 ₱3,918

$133 ₸60.0K

-53.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.31

20.65

-59.76%

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

Last update for Butuan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Butuan

$200 34.6%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 25.2% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Butuan

$157 27.1%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 23.3% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Butuan

$102 17.7%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 81.3% $83

Eating Out

Butuan

$85 14.6%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 142% $120

Sport & Entertainment

Butuan

$33 5.6%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 158% $51

Getting Around

Butuan

$2 * 0.4%

Almaty

$28 2% 1253% $26

Accommodation & Living

Butuan

- * 0%

Almaty

$500 36.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27.00 in Butuan versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $200 vs $250 – making Butuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Butuan

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

04:06 4:06 AM

02:06 2:06 AM

2 h behind Butuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

337,063

1,475,400

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.82 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).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Butuan Almaty 6,050 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Butuan
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

Butuan vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 137%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $867 per month in Butuan and $2,058 in Almaty. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $578 in Butuan and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 137%.

Kindergarten costs $108 per month in Butuan and $449 in Almaty. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Butuan, where all-in costs run around $578, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Butuan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Butuan – 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 Butuan. 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.