Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kostanay and Shah Alam

For one person, living costs are similar in Kostanay and in Shah Alam: $962 and $937 a month, rent and utilities included.

46

Cost of Living Index in Kostanay
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Kostanay Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Shah Alam
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Shah Alam Living Index

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Kostanay

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$962

/mo nomad

Shah Alam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$937

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kostanay and in Shah Alam

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Kostanay and in Shah Alam actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $962 per month in Kostanay vs $937 in Shah Alam, rent included.

Kostanay $962
Shah Alam $937

A couple spends around $1,452 per month in Kostanay vs $1,432 in Shah Alam, rent included.

Kostanay $1,452
Shah Alam $1,432

A family of three spends $1,943 per month in Kostanay vs $1,927 in Shah Alam, rent included.

Kostanay $1,943
Shah Alam $1,927

Kostanay costs about 3% more than Shah Alam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kostanay and Shah Alam are more affordable than the global median – Kostanay 29% lower, Shah Alam 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.60 ₸2,532

$3.69 MYR 15.07

51.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.73 ₸13.0K

$19.56 MYR 79.8

46.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.05 ₸3,186

$4.05 MYR 16.52

74.07%

Cappuccino

$2.18 ₸988

$2.98 MYR 12.17

-26.85%

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

$1.12 ₸506

$0.72 MYR 2.95

55.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 ₸389

$0.38 MYR 1.57

126.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 ₸656

$3.40 MYR 13.86

-57.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 ₸1,181

$4.34 MYR 17.69

-39.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 ₸550

$1.87 MYR 7.63

-34.76%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 ₸235

$1.09 MYR 4.43

-52.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ₸474

$1.48 MYR 6.05

-29.05%

Eggs

$2.27 ₸1,026

$2.24 MYR 9.12

1.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.21 ₸4,614

$13.92 MYR 56.8

-26.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.72 ₸2,585

$4.37 MYR 17.81

30.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.33 ₸3,767

$9.48 MYR 38.67

-12.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.61 ₸730

$3.45 MYR 14.08

-53.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 ₸1,071

$1.64 MYR 6.71

44.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 ₸831

$2.75 MYR 11.20

-33.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.32 ₸1,047

$1.82 MYR 7.40

27.47%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 ₸264

$1.21 MYR 4.93

-52.07%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 ₸308

$2.02 MYR 8.26

-66.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 ₸548

$1.44 MYR 5.86

-15.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.58 MYR 2.35

51.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.51 ₸1,135

$4.37 MYR 17.82

-42.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.47 ₸3,827

$18.51 MYR 75.5

-54.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 ₸495

$2.67 MYR 10.90

-58.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ₸1,071

$4.45 MYR 18.15

-46.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ₸142

$0.75 MYR 3.07

-58.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.00 MYR 65.3

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.95 ₸430

$1.24 MYR 5.05

-23.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 ₸516

$0.37 MYR 1.53

208.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.09 ₸2,755

$7.23 MYR 29.51

-15.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.58 ₸263

$0.80 MYR 3.26

-27.50%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$46.1K MYR 188.3K

-34.37%

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

$30.5K ₸13.8M

$36.2K MYR 147.7K

-15.69%

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

$76.8 ₸34.7K

$37.60 MYR 153

104.31%

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

$10.97 ₸4,961

$10.01 MYR 40.84

9.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.99 ₸7,229

$28.97 MYR 118

-44.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.26 ₸21.8K

$40.53 MYR 165

19.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.11 ₸9,091

$5.02 MYR 20.48

300.60%

Cinema Ticket

$4.40 ₸1,989

$6.41 MYR 26.17

-31.36%

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

$209 ₸94.5K

$196 MYR 800

6.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,498 ₸2.9M

$4,644 MYR 18.9K

39.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.3 ₸43.5K

$58.4 MYR 238

65.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.8 ₸24.3K

$39.89 MYR 163

34.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 ₸48.6K

$67.8 MYR 276

58.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.7 ₸42.3K

$68.5 MYR 279

36.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$402 ₸181.7K

$339 MYR 1,384

18.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$321 ₸144.9K

$308 MYR 1,258

3.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$598 ₸270.1K

$569 MYR 2,322

4.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$494 ₸223.4K

$553 MYR 2,255

-10.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,218 ₸550.5K

$1,519 MYR 6,197

-19.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$925 ₸418.0K

$1,170 MYR 4,772

-20.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 ₸297.0K

$1,244 MYR 5,076

-47.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.5

4.04

357.92%

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

Last update for Kostanay: October 20, 2026

Last update for Shah Alam: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kostanay

$321 33.4%

Shah Alam

$308 32.9% 3.8% $12

Groceries & Markets

Kostanay

$202 21%

Shah Alam

$263 28.1% 30.5% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Kostanay

$158 16.4%

Shah Alam

$106 11.3% 33.2% $53

Eating Out

Kostanay

$113 11.7%

Shah Alam

$108 11.5% 4.4% $5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kostanay

$104 10.8%

Shah Alam

$77 8.2% 26.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Kostanay

$57 5.9%

Shah Alam

$53 5.7% 6.5% $3.7

Getting Around

Kostanay

$7.9 * 0.8%

Shah Alam

$22 2.4% 180% $14

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $402 in Kostanay versus $339 in Shah Alam. 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 89% higher in Shah Alam, 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 $29.00 in Kostanay versus $20.00 in Shah Alam. Groceries tell a different story – $202 in Kostanay vs $263 in Shah Alam – so Kostanay wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Kostanay

🇲🇾 Shah Alam

🕒 Local time

20:24 8:24 PM

22:24 10:24 PM

2 h ahead of Kostanay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

264,446

812,327

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kostanay Shah Alam 6,560 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Kostanay
Shah Alam

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

Kostanay vs Shah Alam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kostanay costs about 3% more than Shah Alam, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,443 per month in Kostanay and $1,405 in Shah Alam. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shah Alam, 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 $29.00 in Kostanay and $20.00 in Shah Alam. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 30% cheaper in Kostanay – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $962 in Kostanay and $937 in Shah Alam, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Shah Alam – 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 Shah Alam. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kostanay makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.