Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Nido and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in El Nido: $739 a month against $1,363 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in El Nido
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El Nido Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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El Nido

🇵🇭 Philippines

$739

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,363

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $739 per month in El Nido vs $1,363 in Almaty, rent included.

El Nido $739
Almaty $1,363

A couple spends around $1,148 per month in El Nido vs $2,131 in Almaty, rent included.

El Nido $1,148
Almaty $2,131

A family of three spends $1,557 per month in El Nido vs $2,900 in Almaty, rent included.

El Nido $1,557
Almaty $2,900

El Nido is about 46% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

El Nido sits 45% below the global median, while Almaty is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.84 ₱305

$13.05 ₸5,899

-62.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.13 ₱1,771

$43.44 ₸19.6K

-35.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.70 ₱233

$8.76 ₸3,962

-57.76%

Cappuccino

$2.25 ₱142

$3.32 ₸1,501

-32.23%

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

$1.17 ₱73.8

$1.34 ₸607

-12.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₱20.45

$0.83 ₸374

-61.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.30 ₱81.8

$3.36 ₸1,518

-61.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₱125

$4.02 ₸1,818

-50.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ₱100

$1.65 ₸747

-3.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 ₱63.1

$0.93 ₸421

7.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ₱81.4

$2.05 ₸927

-37.07%

Eggs

$1.95 ₱123

$2.46 ₸1,113

-20.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.33 ₱336

$12.49 ₸5,646

-57.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.98 ₱250

$6.71 ₸3,035

-40.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.98 ₱439

$10.85 ₸4,905

-35.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ₱142

$1.78 ₸807

26.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ₱97.1

$2.25 ₸1,018

-31.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 ₱142

$2.87 ₸1,299

-21.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 ₱72.8

$2.71 ₸1,227

-57.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 ₱123

$0.80 ₸362

143.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 ₱127

$0.55 ₸249

265.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 ₱58.0

$1.62 ₸732

-43.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.65

$1.00 ₸453

-47.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₱211

$2.58 ₸1,167

29.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.24 ₱456

$11.15 ₸5,039

-35.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ₱62.9

$1.26 ₸572

-20.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ₱118

$2.48 ₸1,120

-24.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 ₱15.07

$0.28 ₸128

-14.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.28 ₱648

$22.05 ₸9,970

-53.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.85 ₱53.8

$1.34 ₸607

-36.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 ₱12.47

$0.64 ₸288

-68.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.72 ₱108

$11.04 ₸4,993

-84.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.3

$0.72 ₸326

81.94%

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

$19.2K ₱1.2M

$28.1K ₸12.7M

-31.84%

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

$21.6K ₱1.4M

$31.8K ₸14.4M

-32.10%

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

$121 ₱7,638

$90.5 ₸40.9K

34.01%

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

$14.38 ₱906

$10.63 ₸4,805

35.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.44 ₱1,539

$18.12 ₸8,190

34.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.90 ₱2,197

$69.0 ₸31.2K

-49.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.99 ₱251

$26.98 ₸12.2K

-85.21%

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 ₱329

$6.77 ₸3,062

-22.75%

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

$124 ₱7,818

$444 ₸200.6K

-72.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,869 ₱432.4K

$12.0K ₸5.4M

-42.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.86 ₱2,132

$91.9 ₸41.5K

-63.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.81 ₱1,185

$47.80 ₸21.6K

-60.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.9 ₱4,211

$139 ₸63.0K

-51.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.95 ₱3,145

$131 ₸59.4K

-61.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$269 ₱17.0K

$777 ₸351.2K

-65.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$177 ₱11.2K

$494 ₸223.4K

-64.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$535 ₱33.7K

$1,439 ₸650.4K

-62.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$358 ₱22.5K

$905 ₸409.2K

-60.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,607 ₱164.1K

$2,470 ₸1.1M

5.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$900 ₱56.7K

$1,517 ₸685.7K

-40.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$257 ₱16.2K

$857 ₸387.2K

-70.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

20.65

-67.12%

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

Last update for El Nido: October 19, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

El Nido

$177 24%

Almaty

$494 36.3% 179% $317

Groceries & Markets

El Nido

$174 23.6%

Almaty

$251 18.4% 43.9% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Nido

$160 21.7%

Almaty

$119 8.8% 25.5% $41

Eating Out

El Nido

$93 12.6%

Almaty

$204 15% 119% $111

Clothing & Footwear

El Nido

$76 10.3%

Almaty

$185 13.6% 142% $108

Sport & Entertainment

El Nido

$45 6.1%

Almaty

$83 6.1% 82% $37

Getting Around

El Nido

$13 1.8%

Almaty

$28 2% 112% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $269 in El Nido versus $777 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 234% 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 $28.00 in El Nido versus $43.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $174 vs $251 – making El Nido the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 El Nido

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

04:23 4:23 AM

02:23 2:23 AM

2 h behind El Nido

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,494

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 20, 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 20, 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

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Highest

Between locations

El Nido Almaty 5,410 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

El Nido
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

El Nido vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 84%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,109 per month in El Nido and $2,044 in Almaty. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in El Nido, 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 $28.00 in El Nido 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 $739 in El Nido and $1,363 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 84%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in El Nido, where all-in costs run around $739, than in Almaty at $1,363. In El Nido it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward El Nido – 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 El Nido. 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.