Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calamba and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Calamba: $518 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Calamba
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Calamba Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Calamba

🇵🇭 Philippines

$518

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $518 per month in Calamba vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Calamba $518
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $764 per month in Calamba vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Calamba $764
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,010 per month in Calamba vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Calamba $1,010
Almaty $2,913

Calamba is about 62% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Calamba sits 62% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.92 ₱247

$13.16 ₸5,949

-70.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.02 ₱757

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-73.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.82 ₱178

$8.90 ₸4,022

-68.31%

Cappuccino

$1.79 ₱113

$3.25 ₸1,469

-44.92%

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

$0.56 ₱35.44

$1.41 ₸639

-60.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.06

$0.88 ₸399

-62.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ₱59.5

$3.35 ₸1,513

-71.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ₱97.7

$4.04 ₸1,827

-61.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ₱101

$1.69 ₸762

-5.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₱70.1

$0.86 ₸390

29.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ₱61.0

$2.03 ₸917

-52.22%

Eggs

$2.00 ₱126

$2.43 ₸1,100

-17.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.20 ₱327

$12.46 ₸5,632

-58.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ₱214

$6.71 ₸3,033

-49.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.80 ₱491

$10.85 ₸4,905

-28.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 ₱145

$1.80 ₸813

28.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.9

$2.25 ₸1,018

-31.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 ₱151

$2.91 ₸1,314

-17.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.06 ₱66.9

$2.75 ₸1,243

-61.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 ₱109

$0.75 ₸337

130.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 ₱112

$0.55 ₸248

223.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ₱38.68

$1.62 ₸732

-62.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.10

$1.05 ₸474

-53.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.92 ₱184

$2.58 ₸1,167

13.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.87 ₱558

$11.15 ₸5,042

-20.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₱60.3

$1.21 ₸547

-20.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 ₱132

$2.44 ₸1,104

-13.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 ₱51.9

$1.35 ₸611

-39.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₱15.75

$0.64 ₸288

-60.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 ₱119

$11.16 ₸5,044

-83.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 ₱58.7

$0.72 ₸324

29.17%

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

$21.1K ₱1.3M

$22.5K ₸10.2M

-6.16%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-37.20%

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

$139 ₱8,759

$91.8 ₸41.5K

51.53%

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

$17.36 ₱1,093

$10.66 ₸4,820

62.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.85 ₱1,502

$17.86 ₸8,072

33.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

Cinema Ticket

$5.04 ₱317

$6.78 ₸3,064

-25.66%

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

$130 ₱8,193

$449 ₸202.9K

-71.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₱668.9K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

-12.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.54 ₱1,797

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-68.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.73 ₱1,242

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-58.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.0 ₱4,468

$142 ₸64.1K

-49.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.3 ₱3,482

$133 ₸60.0K

-58.35%

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)

$260 ₱16.4K

$870 ₸393.3K

-70.14%

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 Calamba: October 12, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calamba

$180 34.8%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 33.3% $60

Groceries & Markets

Calamba

$175 33.7%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 43.4% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Calamba

$79 15.2%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 136% $107

Eating Out

Calamba

$73 14%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 182% $132

Sport & Entertainment

Calamba

$10 * 1.9%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 732% $74

Getting Around

Calamba

$2.1 * 0.4%

Almaty

$28 2% 1227% $26

Accommodation & Living

Calamba

- * 0%

Almaty

$500 36.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 235% 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 $12.00 in Calamba versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $175 vs $250 – making Calamba the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Calamba

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

06:41 6:41 AM

04:41 4:41 AM

2 h behind Calamba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

539,671

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 = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 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

Calamba Almaty 5,290 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Calamba
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

Calamba vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 165%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $777 per month in Calamba 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 $518 in Calamba and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 165%.

Kindergarten costs $130 per month in Calamba 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 Calamba, where all-in costs run around $518, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Calamba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Calamba – 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 Calamba. 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.