Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kulim and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Kulim: $891 a month against $1,362 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Kulim
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Kulim Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Kulim

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$891

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,362

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $891 per month in Kulim vs $1,362 in Almaty, rent included.

Kulim $891
Almaty $1,362

A couple spends around $1,374 per month in Kulim vs $2,151 in Almaty, rent included.

Kulim $1,374
Almaty $2,151

A family of three spends $1,857 per month in Kulim vs $2,940 in Almaty, rent included.

Kulim $1,857
Almaty $2,940

Kulim is about 35% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.72 MYR 15.17

$13.32 ₸6,066

-72.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.45 MYR 79.3

$44.80 ₸20.4K

-56.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.53 MYR 18.45

$8.94 ₸4,071

-49.33%

Cappuccino

$2.89 MYR 11.76

$3.37 ₸1,537

-14.24%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.19

$1.32 ₸602

-40.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 MYR 1.70

$0.87 ₸398

-51.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.90 MYR 15.90

$3.15 ₸1,434

23.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 MYR 18.76

$3.95 ₸1,801

16.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 MYR 7.97

$1.66 ₸756

18.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 MYR 5.00

$0.86 ₸393

43.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 MYR 5.29

$2.01 ₸913

-35.32%

Eggs

$2.23 MYR 9.07

$2.47 ₸1,127

-9.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.68 MYR 51.7

$12.58 ₸5,728

0.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.85 MYR 15.70

$6.57 ₸2,992

-41.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.72 MYR 43.69

$10.61 ₸4,832

1.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MYR 12.42

$1.79 ₸816

70.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MYR 7.68

$2.30 ₸1,046

-17.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MYR 10.37

$2.96 ₸1,349

-13.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.88

$2.86 ₸1,301

-49.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.83

$0.81 ₸367

46.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 MYR 5.54

$0.59 ₸268

130.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 MYR 4.41

$1.58 ₸721

-31.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 MYR 2.15

$0.99 ₸453

-46.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.47 MYR 18.22

$2.74 ₸1,248

63.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.05 MYR 85.8

$11.30 ₸5,147

86.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.07 MYR 12.49

$1.22 ₸558

151.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 MYR 15.90

$2.46 ₸1,122

58.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MYR 3.06

$0.26 ₸117

188.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 MYR 51.5

$21.98 ₸10.0K

-42.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 MYR 4.23

$1.35 ₸616

-22.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 MYR 2.28

$0.70 ₸320

-20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.26 MYR 33.64

$11.12 ₸5,065

-25.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.74 MYR 3.00

$0.72 ₸329

2.78%

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

$48.9K MYR 199.1K

$28.4K ₸12.9M

72.09%

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

$30.9K MYR 125.9K

$31.8K ₸14.5M

-2.79%

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

$45.19 MYR 184

$91.3 ₸41.6K

-50.50%

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

$8.70 MYR 35.44

$10.60 ₸4,827

-17.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.83 MYR 105

$17.89 ₸8,147

44.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.10 MYR 147

$65.3 ₸29.7K

-44.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.37 MYR 30.04

$27.76 ₸12.6K

-73.45%

Cinema Ticket

$4.46 MYR 18.16

$6.47 ₸2,945

-31.07%

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

$268 MYR 1,091

$473 ₸215.3K

-43.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,096 MYR 28.9K

$12.3K ₸5.6M

-42.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.2 MYR 253

$93.1 ₸42.4K

-33.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.78 MYR 125

$47.67 ₸21.7K

-35.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 MYR 314

$143 ₸65.0K

-45.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.8 MYR 289

$134 ₸61.3K

-47.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$419 MYR 1,707

$780 ₸355.5K

-46.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$265 MYR 1,079

$492 ₸224.1K

-46.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 MYR 3,110

$1,419 ₸646.5K

-46.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$497 MYR 2,026

$934 ₸425.5K

-46.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,141 MYR 8,723

$2,462 ₸1.1M

-13.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,272 MYR 5,184

$1,591 ₸724.9K

-20.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$873 ₸397.4K

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 Kulim: October 26, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kulim

$265 29.7%

Almaty

$492 36.1% 85.8% $227

Groceries & Markets

Kulim

$262 29.4%

Almaty

$250 18.4% 4.5% $12

Eating Out

Kulim

$112 12.5%

Almaty

$206 15.1% 85% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Kulim

$108 12.2%

Almaty

$188 13.8% 73.5% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kulim

$80 9%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 50.2% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Kulim

$45 5.1%

Almaty

$78 5.7% 73.7% $33

Getting Around

Kulim

$19 2.2%

Almaty

$28 2.1% 43.1% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $419 in Kulim versus $780 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 $19 in Kulim versus $45 in Almaty. Groceries tell a different story – $262 in Kulim vs $250 in Almaty – so Almaty wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kulim

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

20:08 8:08 PM

17:08 5:08 PM

3 h behind Kulim

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

319,056

1,475,400

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.2 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 455 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD). 1 EUR = 507 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kulim Almaty 4,810 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Kulim
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

Kulim vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 53%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,336 per month in Kulim and $2,043 in Almaty. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kulim, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $419 there versus $780 in Almaty.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Kulim and $45 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 $891 in Kulim and $1,362 in Almaty. That’s a gap of about 53%.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $891 in Kulim and $1,362 in Almaty. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Kulim – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.