Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johor Bahru and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Johor Bahru: $1,056 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Johor Bahru
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Johor Bahru Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Johor Bahru

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,056

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,056 per month in Johor Bahru vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Johor Bahru $1,056
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,551 per month in Johor Bahru vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Johor Bahru $1,551
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $2,046 per month in Johor Bahru vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Johor Bahru $2,046
Almaty $2,913

Johor Bahru is about 23% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Johor Bahru sits 22% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.56 MYR 14.53

$13.16 ₸5,949

-72.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.68 MYR 76.2

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-58.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.93 MYR 20.11

$8.90 ₸4,022

-44.61%

Cappuccino

$2.86 MYR 11.67

$3.25 ₸1,469

-12.00%

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

$0.84 MYR 3.45

$1.41 ₸639

-40.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.25

$0.88 ₸399

-37.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.54 MYR 18.52

$3.35 ₸1,513

35.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.20 MYR 25.31

$4.04 ₸1,827

53.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 MYR 6.79

$1.69 ₸762

-1.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 MYR 4.52

$0.86 ₸390

29.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 MYR 6.13

$2.03 ₸917

-26.11%

Eggs

$1.72 MYR 7.00

$2.43 ₸1,100

-29.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.86 MYR 72.9

$12.46 ₸5,632

43.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.56 MYR 18.58

$6.71 ₸3,033

-32.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.49 MYR 42.80

$10.85 ₸4,905

-3.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 MYR 13.28

$1.80 ₸813

81.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 MYR 6.94

$2.25 ₸1,018

-24.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.91 MYR 15.96

$2.91 ₸1,314

34.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.86

$2.75 ₸1,243

-38.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 6.00

$0.75 ₸337

96.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 MYR 6.74

$0.55 ₸248

200.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 MYR 5.37

$1.62 ₸732

-18.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.24

$1.05 ₸474

-47.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.17 MYR 17.01

$2.58 ₸1,167

61.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.98 MYR 57.1

$11.15 ₸5,042

25.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 MYR 11.59

$1.21 ₸547

134.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 MYR 12.68

$2.44 ₸1,104

27.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 MYR 2.90

$0.26 ₸117

173.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.11 MYR 49.42

$22.03 ₸9,957

-45.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.96 MYR 3.90

$1.35 ₸611

-28.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 MYR 2.85

$0.64 ₸288

9.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.50 MYR 38.75

$11.16 ₸5,044

-14.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 MYR 3.40

$0.72 ₸324

15.28%

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

$41.1K MYR 167.8K

$22.5K ₸10.2M

82.59%

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

$36.1K MYR 147.2K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

19.22%

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

$53.0 MYR 216

$91.8 ₸41.5K

-42.24%

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

$10.99 MYR 44.84

$10.66 ₸4,820

3.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.42 MYR 116

$17.86 ₸8,072

59.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.45 MYR 161

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-43.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.63 MYR 22.97

$27.60 ₸12.5K

-79.60%

Cinema Ticket

$4.92 MYR 20.08

$6.78 ₸3,064

-27.43%

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

$161 MYR 658

$449 ₸202.9K

-64.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,478 MYR 18.3K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

-63.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 MYR 221

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-39.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.54 MYR 67.5

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-64.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.5 MYR 332

$142 ₸64.1K

-42.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.3 MYR 397

$133 ₸60.0K

-26.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$517 MYR 2,109

$805 ₸363.7K

-35.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$397 MYR 1,620

$500 ₸225.9K

-20.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 MYR 3,673

$1,429 ₸645.9K

-36.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 MYR 2,548

$904 ₸408.8K

-30.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,019 MYR 8,238

$2,503 ₸1.1M

-19.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,167 MYR 4,759

$1,559 ₸704.7K

-25.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,060 MYR 4,325

$870 ₸393.3K

21.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

20.65

-80.34%

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

Last update for Johor Bahru: October 13, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johor Bahru

$397 37.6%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 25.8% $103

Groceries & Markets

Johor Bahru

$267 25.3%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 6.2% $17

Eating Out

Johor Bahru

$118 11.2%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 73.3% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Johor Bahru

$112 10.6%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 64.9% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johor Bahru

$92 8.8%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 30.2% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Johor Bahru

$49 4.7%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 70.1% $35

Getting Around

Johor Bahru

$19 1.8%

Almaty

$28 2% 42.3% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $517 in Johor Bahru 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.

Salaries run about 22% higher in Johor Bahru, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Johor Bahru versus $45.00 in Almaty. Groceries tell a different story – $267 in Johor Bahru vs $250 in Almaty – so Almaty wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Johor Bahru

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

12:46 12:46 PM

10:46 10:46 AM

2 h behind Johor Bahru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

858,118

1,475,400

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Johor Bahru Almaty 5,350 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Johor Bahru
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

Johor Bahru vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 30%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,584 per month in Johor Bahru 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 Johor Bahru, 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 $19.00 in Johor Bahru 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 $1,056 in Johor Bahru and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 30%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Johor Bahru, where all-in costs run around $1,056, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Johor Bahru it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Johor Bahru – 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 Johor Bahru. 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.