Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Terengganu and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuala Terengganu: $924 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Terengganu
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Kuala Terengganu Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Kuala Terengganu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$924

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $924 per month in Kuala Terengganu vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Kuala Terengganu $924
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,372 per month in Kuala Terengganu vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Kuala Terengganu $1,372
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,821 per month in Kuala Terengganu vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Kuala Terengganu $1,821
Almaty $2,913

Kuala Terengganu is about 33% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kuala Terengganu sits 32% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.49 MYR 10.15

$13.16 ₸5,949

-81.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.06 MYR 94.1

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-48.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.72 MYR 19.25

$8.90 ₸4,022

-46.97%

Cappuccino

$2.72 MYR 11.08

$3.25 ₸1,469

-16.31%

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

$0.47 MYR 1.90

$1.41 ₸639

-66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 MYR 1.14

$0.88 ₸399

-68.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.56 MYR 14.52

$3.35 ₸1,513

6.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 MYR 17.05

$4.04 ₸1,827

3.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MYR 6.94

$1.69 ₸762

0.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 MYR 4.15

$0.86 ₸390

18.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 MYR 5.22

$2.03 ₸917

-36.95%

Eggs

$2.13 MYR 8.68

$2.43 ₸1,100

-12.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.66 MYR 63.9

$12.46 ₸5,632

25.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.35 MYR 17.73

$6.71 ₸3,033

-35.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.41 MYR 34.29

$10.85 ₸4,905

-22.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 MYR 13.73

$1.80 ₸813

86.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 MYR 6.59

$2.25 ₸1,018

-28.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 MYR 8.59

$2.91 ₸1,314

-27.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 MYR 6.13

$2.75 ₸1,243

-45.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 6.01

$0.75 ₸337

96.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 MYR 4.45

$0.55 ₸248

98.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 MYR 4.09

$1.62 ₸732

-38.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 MYR 2.17

$1.05 ₸474

-49.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.46 MYR 18.18

$2.58 ₸1,167

72.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.84 MYR 72.8

$11.15 ₸5,042

60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 MYR 11.91

$1.21 ₸547

141.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.82 MYR 19.66

$2.44 ₸1,104

97.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 MYR 2.75

$0.26 ₸117

157.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.62 MYR 43.31

$22.03 ₸9,957

-51.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 MYR 5.20

$1.35 ₸611

-5.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 MYR 1.89

$0.64 ₸288

-28.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.55 MYR 26.73

$11.16 ₸5,044

-41.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 MYR 3.65

$0.72 ₸324

25.00%

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

$43.8K MYR 178.8K

$22.5K ₸10.2M

94.62%

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

$32.1K MYR 131.0K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

6.07%

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

$45.25 MYR 185

$91.8 ₸41.5K

-50.71%

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

$8.79 MYR 35.87

$10.66 ₸4,820

-17.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.10 MYR 102

$17.86 ₸8,072

40.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.04 MYR 180

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-37.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.97 MYR 32.49

$27.60 ₸12.5K

-71.12%

Cinema Ticket

$4.81 MYR 19.61

$6.78 ₸3,064

-29.06%

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

$172 MYR 701

$449 ₸202.9K

-61.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,936 MYR 28.3K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

-42.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 MYR 235

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-36.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.37 MYR 148

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-22.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.5 MYR 353

$142 ₸64.1K

-39.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.0 MYR 278

$133 ₸60.0K

-48.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$361 MYR 1,472

$805 ₸363.7K

-55.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$312 MYR 1,275

$500 ₸225.9K

-37.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$722 MYR 2,946

$1,429 ₸645.9K

-49.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 MYR 1,923

$904 ₸408.8K

-47.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,073 MYR 8,456

$2,503 ₸1.1M

-17.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,145 MYR 4,669

$1,559 ₸704.7K

-26.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

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 Kuala Terengganu: October 10, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuala Terengganu

$312 33.8%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 59.9% $187

Groceries & Markets

Kuala Terengganu

$254 27.5%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 1.5% $3.8

Clothing & Footwear

Kuala Terengganu

$112 12.1%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 65.7% $73

Eating Out

Kuala Terengganu

$96 10.4%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 114% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuala Terengganu

$79 8.6%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 52% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Kuala Terengganu

$54 5.8%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 56.3% $30

Getting Around

Kuala Terengganu

$17 1.8%

Almaty

$28 2% 63.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $361 in Kuala Terengganu 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 $23.00 in Kuala Terengganu versus $45.00 in Almaty. Groceries tell a different story – $254 in Kuala Terengganu vs $250 in Almaty – so Almaty wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuala Terengganu

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

15:16 3:16 PM

13:16 1:16 PM

2 h behind Kuala Terengganu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

375,424

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

Kuala Terengganu Almaty 4,940 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Kuala Terengganu
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

Kuala Terengganu vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,386 per month in Kuala Terengganu 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 Kuala Terengganu, 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 $23.00 in Kuala Terengganu 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 $924 in Kuala Terengganu and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 49%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kuala Terengganu, where all-in costs run around $924, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Kuala Terengganu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kuala Terengganu – 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 Kuala Terengganu. 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.