Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Island Garden City of Samal and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Island Garden City of Samal: $747 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Island Garden City of Samal
Learn more

Island Garden City of Samal Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
Learn more

Almaty Living Index

Jump to prices

Island Garden City of Samal

🇵🇭 Philippines

$747

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Island Garden City of Samal 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 Island Garden City of Samal and in Almaty actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $747 per month in Island Garden City of Samal vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Island Garden City of Samal $747
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,102 per month in Island Garden City of Samal vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Island Garden City of Samal $1,102
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,457 per month in Island Garden City of Samal vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Island Garden City of Samal $1,457
Almaty $2,913

Island Garden City of Samal is about 46% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Island Garden City of Samal sits 45% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.22 ₱76.6

$13.16 ₸5,949

-90.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.02 ₱1,072

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-62.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.07 ₱256

$8.90 ₸4,022

-54.27%

Cappuccino

$2.18 ₱137

$3.25 ₸1,469

-32.92%

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

$1.04 ₱65.7

$1.41 ₸639

-26.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 ₱40.33

$0.88 ₸399

-27.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.18 ₱74.5

$3.35 ₸1,513

-64.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ₱125

$4.04 ₸1,827

-50.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.03 ₱128

$1.69 ₸762

20.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 ₱71.5

$0.86 ₸390

32.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.88 ₱55.2

$2.03 ₸917

-56.65%

Eggs

$1.87 ₱118

$2.43 ₸1,100

-23.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.26 ₱394

$12.46 ₸5,632

-49.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.64 ₱292

$6.71 ₸3,033

-30.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.10 ₱573

$10.85 ₸4,905

-16.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 ₱172

$1.80 ₸813

51.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 ₱70.4

$2.25 ₸1,018

-50.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ₱150

$2.91 ₸1,314

-18.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 ₱71.7

$2.75 ₸1,243

-58.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 ₱125

$0.75 ₸337

164.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.41 ₱215

$0.55 ₸248

520.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 ₱76.0

$1.62 ₸732

-25.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₱45.46

$1.05 ₸474

-31.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.49 ₱156

$2.58 ₸1,167

-3.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.76 ₱489

$11.15 ₸5,042

-30.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.5

$1.21 ₸547

1.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ₱106

$2.44 ₸1,104

-31.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ₱18.09

$0.26 ₸117

11.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.62 ₱732

$22.03 ₸9,957

-47.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 ₱52.0

$1.35 ₸611

-38.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₱15.83

$0.64 ₸288

-60.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 ₱121

$11.16 ₸5,044

-82.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ₱78.0

$0.72 ₸324

72.22%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$22.5K ₸10.2M

-5.86%

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

$18.9K ₱1.2M

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-37.66%

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

$98.4 ₱6,196

$91.8 ₸41.5K

7.19%

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

$19.24 ₱1,211

$10.66 ₸4,820

80.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.01 ₱1,952

$17.86 ₸8,072

73.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.89 ₱1,882

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-57.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.57 ₱288

$27.60 ₸12.5K

-83.44%

Cinema Ticket

$4.87 ₱307

$6.78 ₸3,064

-28.17%

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

$107 ₱6,729

$449 ₸202.9K

-76.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,691 ₱484.2K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

-36.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.60 ₱2,115

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-62.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.67 ₱1,238

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-58.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.4 ₱4,433

$142 ₸64.1K

-50.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.4 ₱3,929

$133 ₸60.0K

-53.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$250 ₱15.7K

$805 ₸363.7K

-68.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$197 ₱12.4K

$500 ₸225.9K

-60.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$504 ₱31.7K

$1,429 ₸645.9K

-64.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$315 ₱19.8K

$904 ₸408.8K

-65.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,056 ₱129.4K

$2,503 ₸1.1M

-17.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,083 ₱68.2K

$1,559 ₸704.7K

-30.56%

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 Island Garden City of Samal: 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

Island Garden City of Samal

$199 26.6%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 25.9% $52

Accommodation & Living

Island Garden City of Samal

$197 26.3%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 154% $303

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Island Garden City of Samal

$149 19.9%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 19.1% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Island Garden City of Samal

$84 11.2%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 121% $101

Eating Out

Island Garden City of Samal

$65 8.7%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 217% $140

Sport & Entertainment

Island Garden City of Samal

$40 5.3%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 112% $44

Getting Around

Island Garden City of Samal

$15 2%

Almaty

$28 2% 85.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $250 in Island Garden City of Samal 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 $17.00 in Island Garden City of Samal versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $199 vs $250 – making Island Garden City of Samal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Island Garden City of Samal

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

23:53 11:53 PM

21:53 9:53 PM

2 h behind Island Garden City of Samal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

116,771

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 = 70.79 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

Island Garden City of Samal Almaty 6,210 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Island Garden City of Samal
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

Island Garden City of Samal 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 $1,121 per month in Island Garden City of Samal 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 Island Garden City of Samal, 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 $17.00 in Island Garden City of Samal 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 $747 in Island Garden City of Samal and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 84%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Island Garden City of Samal, where all-in costs run around $747, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Island Garden City of Samal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Island Garden City of Samal – 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 Island Garden City of Samal. 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.