Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Irkutsk and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Irkutsk: $1,013 a month against $1,387 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Irkutsk
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Irkutsk Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Irkutsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,013

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,387

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,013 per month in Irkutsk vs $1,387 in Almaty, rent included.

Irkutsk $1,013
Almaty $1,387

A couple spends around $1,501 per month in Irkutsk vs $2,135 in Almaty, rent included.

Irkutsk $1,501
Almaty $2,135

A family of three spends $1,988 per month in Irkutsk vs $2,883 in Almaty, rent included.

Irkutsk $1,988
Almaty $2,883

Irkutsk is about 27% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Irkutsk sits 24% below the global median, while Almaty is 3% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.18 ₽611

$13.31 ₸6,034

-46.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.58 ₽2,772

$43.37 ₸19.7K

-24.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.81 ₽494

$8.80 ₸3,988

-33.98%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ₽258

$3.30 ₸1,497

-8.18%

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

$1.60 ₽136

$1.37 ₸620

16.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 ₽55.1

$0.90 ₸409

-27.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.69 ₽229

$3.13 ₸1,419

-14.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₽344

$4.10 ₸1,860

-1.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 ₽102

$1.66 ₸754

-27.71%

White Bread (500g)

$0.64 ₽54.5

$0.90 ₸406

-28.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 ₽189

$2.06 ₸933

7.77%

Eggs

$1.59 ₽135

$2.37 ₸1,074

-32.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.69 ₽995

$12.64 ₸5,730

-7.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.04 ₽514

$6.62 ₸3,000

-8.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.24 ₽956

$10.87 ₸4,928

3.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ₽161

$1.86 ₸845

1.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 ₽169

$2.37 ₸1,075

-16.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 ₽149

$2.99 ₸1,358

-41.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.47 ₽295

$2.83 ₸1,282

22.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 ₽61.4

$0.77 ₸347

-6.49%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ₽58.6

$0.58 ₸264

18.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.79 ₽152

$1.59 ₸723

12.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 ₽55.6

$0.99 ₸449

-34.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.70 ₽230

$2.54 ₸1,153

6.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.17 ₽610

$11.04 ₸5,005

-35.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ₽86.7

$1.21 ₸550

-15.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ₽162

$2.41 ₸1,093

-21.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ₽48.62

$0.25 ₸113

128.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.79 ₽1,344

$21.84 ₸9,901

-27.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ₽102

$1.28 ₸581

-7.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.18 ₽14.94

$0.64 ₸291

-71.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.91 ₽758

$10.74 ₸4,870

-17.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.79 ₽66.8

$0.69 ₸314

14.49%

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

$29.0K ₽2.5M

$22.3K ₸10.1M

30.22%

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

$36.8K ₽3.1M

$29.3K ₸13.3M

25.46%

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

$118 ₽10.0K

$87.8 ₸39.8K

34.01%

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

$5.84 ₽497

$10.83 ₸4,909

-46.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.41 ₽971

$17.40 ₸7,887

-34.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.35 ₽2,923

$69.7 ₸31.6K

-50.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.13 ₽1,798

$26.58 ₸12.1K

-20.50%

Cinema Ticket

$6.64 ₽565

$6.68 ₸3,031

-0.60%

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

$294 ₽25.0K

$446 ₸202.2K

-34.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,121 ₽265.6K

$11.9K ₸5.4M

-73.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.7 ₽4,992

$93.7 ₸42.5K

-37.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.42 ₽1,993

$46.91 ₸21.3K

-50.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₽8,516

$143 ₸64.7K

-29.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 ₽9,642

$133 ₸60.5K

-15.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$438 ₽37.2K

$773 ₸350.6K

-43.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₽26.3K

$497 ₸225.5K

-37.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$750 ₽63.8K

$1,390 ₸630.4K

-46.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$432 ₽36.8K

$880 ₸398.9K

-50.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,712 ₽230.8K

$2,546 ₸1.2M

6.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,807 ₽153.7K

$1,506 ₸683.0K

19.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$752 ₽64.0K

$834 ₸377.9K

-9.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

24.57

20.65

18.98%

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

Last update for Irkutsk: October 5, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Irkutsk

$309 30.7%

Almaty

$497 36.4% 60.8% $188

Groceries & Markets

Irkutsk

$220 21.9%

Almaty

$251 18.4% 14.1% $31

Eating Out

Irkutsk

$142 14.1%

Almaty

$205 15% 44.8% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Irkutsk

$135 13.4%

Almaty

$116 8.5% 14% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Irkutsk

$133 13.2%

Almaty

$188 13.7% 41% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Irkutsk

$48 4.7%

Almaty

$83 6.1% 74.3% $35

Getting Around

Irkutsk

$20 2%

Almaty

$27 2% 35.6% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $438 in Irkutsk versus $773 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 11% 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 $33.00 in Irkutsk versus $43.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $220 vs $251 – making Irkutsk the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Irkutsk

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

13:45 1:45 PM

11:45 11:45 AM

2 h behind Irkutsk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

617,515

1,475,400

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.09 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.44 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 453 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 509 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to RUB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Irkutsk Almaty 2,260 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Irkutsk
Almaty

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Irkutsk vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,520 per month in Irkutsk and $2,080 in Almaty. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Irkutsk, 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 $33.00 in Irkutsk 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 $1,013 in Irkutsk and $1,387 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 37%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Irkutsk, where all-in costs run around $1,013, than in Almaty at $1,387. In Irkutsk it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Irkutsk – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Irkutsk. 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.