Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between General Santos and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in General Santos: $628 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in General Santos
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General Santos Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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General Santos

🇵🇭 Philippines

$628

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $628 per month in General Santos vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

General Santos $628
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,009 per month in General Santos vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

General Santos $1,009
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,391 per month in General Santos vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

General Santos $1,391
Almaty $2,913

General Santos is about 54% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.38 ₱213

$13.16 ₸5,949

-74.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.40 ₱1,725

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-38.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.72 ₱172

$8.90 ₸4,022

-69.44%

Cappuccino

$2.56 ₱161

$3.25 ₸1,469

-21.23%

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

$0.28 ₱17.41

$1.41 ₸639

-80.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ₱15.83

$0.88 ₸399

-71.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 ₱99.3

$3.35 ₸1,513

-52.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 ₱147

$4.04 ₸1,827

-42.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₱126

$1.69 ₸762

18.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 ₱68.2

$0.86 ₸390

25.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 ₱54.7

$2.03 ₸917

-57.14%

Eggs

$1.86 ₱117

$2.43 ₸1,100

-23.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.38 ₱402

$12.46 ₸5,632

-48.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.77 ₱300

$6.71 ₸3,033

-28.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.25 ₱582

$10.85 ₸4,905

-14.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 ₱172

$1.80 ₸813

52.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 ₱67.2

$2.25 ₸1,018

-52.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 ₱154

$2.91 ₸1,314

-15.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 ₱74.6

$2.75 ₸1,243

-56.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 ₱125

$0.75 ₸337

164.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.28 ₱207

$0.55 ₸248

496.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 ₱78.2

$1.62 ₸732

-23.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.60

$1.05 ₸474

-35.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.46 ₱155

$2.58 ₸1,167

-4.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.76 ₱488

$11.15 ₸5,042

-30.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 ₱78.5

$1.21 ₸547

3.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ₱106

$2.44 ₸1,104

-31.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 ₱24.37

$0.26 ₸117

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.15 ₱513

$22.03 ₸9,957

-63.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.78 ₱49.25

$1.35 ₸611

-42.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₱15.79

$0.64 ₸288

-60.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 ₱51.4

$11.16 ₸5,044

-92.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 ₱70.7

$0.72 ₸324

55.56%

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

$20.9K ₱1.3M

$22.5K ₸10.2M

-7.33%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-36.84%

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

$76.6 ₱4,825

$91.8 ₸41.5K

-16.52%

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

$6.53 ₱411

$10.66 ₸4,820

-38.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.67 ₱1,994

$17.86 ₸8,072

77.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

Cinema Ticket

$4.91 ₱309

$6.78 ₸3,064

-27.58%

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

$109 ₱6,840

$449 ₸202.9K

-75.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,532 ₱474.2K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

-37.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ₱3,767

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-33.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.67 ₱1,931

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-34.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.3 ₱4,428

$142 ₸64.1K

-50.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.7 ₱3,823

$133 ₸60.0K

-54.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$174 ₱11.0K

$805 ₸363.7K

-78.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$112 ₱7,068

$500 ₸225.9K

-77.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$359 ₱22.6K

$1,429 ₸645.9K

-74.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$238 ₱15.0K

$904 ₸408.8K

-73.66%

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 General Santos: October 11, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

General Santos

$199 31.7%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 25.8% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

General Santos

$115 18.3%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 4.8% $5.5

Accommodation & Living

General Santos

$112 17.9%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 345% $387

Clothing & Footwear

General Santos

$100 15.9%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 85.7% $85

Eating Out

General Santos

$81 12.8%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 154% $124

Getting Around

General Santos

$12 1.9%

Almaty

$28 2% 135% $16

Sport & Entertainment

General Santos

$9.8 * 1.6%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 754% $74

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $174 in General Santos 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27.00 in General Santos versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $199 vs $250 – making General Santos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 General Santos

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

07:24 7:24 AM

05:24 5:24 AM

2 h behind General Santos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

697,315

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

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Highest

Between locations

General Santos Almaty 6,260 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

General Santos
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

General Santos vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 118%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $942 per month in General Santos 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 General Santos, 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 $27.00 in General Santos 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 $628 in General Santos and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 118%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in General Santos, where all-in costs run around $628, than in Almaty at $1,372. In General Santos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward General Santos – 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 General Santos. 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.