Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kazan and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Kazan: $1,192 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Kazan
🇷🇺 Russia
$1,192
/mo nomad
Almaty
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
$1,372
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,192 per month in Kazan vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

  • Kazan $1,192
  • Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,852 per month in Kazan vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

  • Kazan $1,852
  • Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $2,513 per month in Kazan vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

  • Kazan $2,513
  • Almaty $2,913

Kazan is about 13% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Kazan sits 12% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kazan
Almaty
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.28 ₽1,108
$13.16 ₸5,949
0.91%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.10 ₽3,263
$44.86 ₸20.3K
-12.84%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.02 ₽503
$8.90 ₸4,022
-32.36%
Cappuccino
$3.15 ₽263
$3.25 ₸1,469
-3.08%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.35 ₽113
$1.41 ₸639
-4.26%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₽46.36
$0.88 ₸399
-36.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.77 ₽148
$3.35 ₸1,513
-47.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.44 ₽204
$4.04 ₸1,827
-39.60%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kazan
Almaty
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.14 ₽94.8
$1.69 ₸762
-32.54%
White Bread (500g)
$0.69 ₽57.8
$0.86 ₸390
-19.77%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 ₽126
$2.03 ₸917
-25.62%
Eggs
$1.51 ₽126
$2.43 ₸1,100
-37.86%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.07 ₽924
$12.46 ₸5,632
-11.16%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.45 ₽372
$6.71 ₸3,033
-33.68%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.51 ₽877
$10.85 ₸4,905
-3.13%
Apples (1kg)
$1.86 ₽155
$1.80 ₸813
3.33%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 ₽144
$2.25 ₸1,018
-23.11%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.84 ₽153
$2.91 ₸1,314
-36.77%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.10 ₽259
$2.75 ₸1,243
12.73%
Potato (1kg)
$0.83 ₽69.4
$0.75 ₸337
10.67%
Onion (1kg)
$0.56 ₽46.85
$0.55 ₸248
1.82%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.39 ₽116
$1.62 ₸732
-14.20%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 ₽59.7
$1.05 ₸474
-31.43%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.00 ₽250
$2.58 ₸1,167
16.28%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.71 ₽644
$11.15 ₸5,042
-30.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.06 ₽88.3
$1.21 ₸547
-12.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.91 ₽160
$2.44 ₸1,104
-21.72%
🚌 Getting Around
Kazan
Almaty
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.53 ₽44.21
$0.26 ₸117
103.85%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.74 ₽1,564
$22.03 ₸9,957
-14.93%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.32 ₽194
$1.35 ₸611
71.85%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.56 ₽47.11
$0.64 ₸288
-12.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.30 ₽609
$11.16 ₸5,044
-34.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.86 ₽72.0
$0.72 ₸324
19.44%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.2K ₽3.0M
$22.5K ₸10.2M
60.72%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$42.3K ₽3.5M
$30.3K ₸13.7M
39.60%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kazan
Almaty
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$127 ₽10.6K
$91.8 ₸41.5K
38.35%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.40 ₽451
$10.66 ₸4,820
-49.34%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$7.21 ₽602
$17.86 ₸8,072
-59.63%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kazan
Almaty
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.58 ₽3,053
$70.3 ₸31.8K
-47.99%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$30.32 ₽2,531
$27.60 ₸12.5K
9.86%
Cinema Ticket
$6.59 ₽550
$6.78 ₸3,064
-2.80%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kazan
Almaty
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$283 ₽23.6K
$449 ₸202.9K
-36.86%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,559 ₽547.4K
$12.1K ₸5.5M
-45.82%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kazan
Almaty
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$93.1 ₽7,770
$89.9 ₸40.7K
3.50%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$90.6 ₽7,561
$47.02 ₸21.3K
92.66%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 ₽8,726
$142 ₸64.1K
-26.27%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$76.5 ₽6,386
$133 ₸60.0K
-42.37%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kazan
Almaty
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$683 ₽57.0K
$805 ₸363.7K
-15.13%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$426 ₽35.6K
$500 ₸225.9K
-14.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,107 ₽92.4K
$1,429 ₸645.9K
-22.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$777 ₽64.8K
$904 ₸408.8K
-14.10%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,273 ₽356.6K
$2,503 ₸1.1M
70.69%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,332 ₽194.6K
$1,559 ₸704.7K
49.56%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kazan
Almaty
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$956 ₽79.8K
$870 ₸393.3K
9.93%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
20.8
20.65
0.73%

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

Last update for Kazan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Kazan
$426
Almaty
$500 17.2% $73
Groceries & Markets
Kazan
$202
Almaty
$250 23.8% $48
Eating Out
Kazan
$184
Almaty
$205 11.7% $21
Clothing & Footwear
Kazan
$164
Almaty
$185 12.8% $21
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kazan
$140
Almaty
$120 13.8% $19
Sport & Entertainment
Kazan
$50
Almaty
$84 68.5% $34
Getting Around
Kazan
$26
Almaty
$28 6.2% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $683 in Kazan 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 10% higher in Kazan, 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 $39.00 in Kazan versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $202 vs $250 – making Kazan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇷🇺 Kazan
🇰🇿 Almaty
🕒 Local time
22:00 10:00 PM
01:00 1:00 AM
3 h ahead of Kazan
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,257,341
1,475,400
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kazan Almaty 2,420 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Kazan
  • 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
Kazan vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Almaty cheaper than Kazan?
Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,788 per month in Kazan and $2,058 in Almaty. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kazan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Kazan or in Almaty?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Kazan and $45.00 in Almaty. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Kazan and in Almaty?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,192 in Kazan and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 15%.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Kazan or in Almaty?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kazan, where all-in costs run around $1,192, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Kazan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Kazan or Almaty more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Kazan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Kazan or Almaty?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Kazan. 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.

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