Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Laoag City and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Laoag City: $743 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Laoag City
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Laoag City Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Laoag City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$743

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $743 per month in Laoag City vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Laoag City $743
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,112 per month in Laoag City vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Laoag City $1,112
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,480 per month in Laoag City vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Laoag City $1,480
Almaty $2,913

Laoag City is about 46% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Laoag City sits 45% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.41 ₱215

$13.16 ₸5,949

-74.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.52 ₱1,040

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-63.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.94 ₱185

$8.90 ₸4,022

-66.97%

Cappuccino

$2.54 ₱160

$3.25 ₸1,469

-21.85%

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

$0.67 ₱42.11

$1.41 ₸639

-52.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱20.52

$0.88 ₸399

-62.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.00 ₱63.3

$3.35 ₸1,513

-70.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₱117

$4.04 ₸1,827

-54.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 ₱102

$1.69 ₸762

-3.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 ₱73.8

$0.86 ₸390

36.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ₱58.1

$2.03 ₸917

-54.68%

Eggs

$1.95 ₱123

$2.43 ₸1,100

-19.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.25 ₱331

$12.46 ₸5,632

-57.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.30 ₱271

$6.71 ₸3,033

-35.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.24 ₱456

$10.85 ₸4,905

-33.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 ₱152

$1.80 ₸813

34.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 ₱103

$2.25 ₸1,018

-27.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.44 ₱154

$2.91 ₸1,314

-16.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 ₱74.6

$2.75 ₸1,243

-56.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 ₱122

$0.75 ₸337

158.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 ₱119

$0.55 ₸248

241.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ₱63.3

$1.62 ₸732

-37.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₱33.73

$1.05 ₸474

-48.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.89 ₱182

$2.58 ₸1,167

12.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.37 ₱464

$11.15 ₸5,042

-33.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ₱59.5

$1.21 ₸547

-22.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ₱122

$2.44 ₸1,104

-20.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₱16.39

$0.26 ₸117

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.99 ₱755

$22.03 ₸9,957

-45.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₱45.76

$1.35 ₸611

-45.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.14

$0.64 ₸288

-62.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.19 ₱138

$11.16 ₸5,044

-80.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 ₱64.6

$0.72 ₸324

43.06%

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

$21.6K ₱1.4M

$22.5K ₸10.2M

-3.90%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-37.14%

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

$136 ₱8,542

$91.8 ₸41.5K

47.77%

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

$14.48 ₱912

$10.66 ₸4,820

35.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.79 ₱1,561

$17.86 ₸8,072

38.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.51 ₱2,047

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-53.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.10 ₱321

$27.60 ₸12.5K

-81.52%

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 ₱316

$6.78 ₸3,064

-25.81%

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

$133 ₱8,385

$449 ₸202.9K

-70.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,190 ₱515.6K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

-32.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.49 ₱2,108

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-62.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.72 ₱1,242

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-58.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.2 ₱4,481

$142 ₸64.1K

-49.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.3 ₱3,483

$133 ₸60.0K

-58.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$270 ₱17.0K

$805 ₸363.7K

-66.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$171 ₱10.8K

$500 ₸225.9K

-65.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$513 ₱32.3K

$1,429 ₸645.9K

-64.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$330 ₱20.7K

$904 ₸408.8K

-63.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,434 ₱153.3K

$2,503 ₸1.1M

-2.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,087 ₱68.4K

$1,559 ₸704.7K

-30.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$162 ₱10.2K

$870 ₸393.3K

-81.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

20.65

-67.12%

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

Last update for Laoag City: October 12, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Laoag City

$179 24.2%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 39.5% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Laoag City

$175 23.5%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 31.2% $55

Accommodation & Living

Laoag City

$171 23%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 192% $328

Clothing & Footwear

Laoag City

$81 10.9%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 129% $104

Eating Out

Laoag City

$79 10.7%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 158% $126

Sport & Entertainment

Laoag City

$43 5.7%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 97.1% $41

Getting Around

Laoag City

$15 2%

Almaty

$28 2% 84.4% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $270 in Laoag City 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 438% higher in Almaty, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $17.00 in Laoag City versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $179 vs $250 – making Laoag City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Laoag City

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

00:43 12:43 AM

22:43 10:43 PM

2 h behind Laoag City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

112,117

1,475,400

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Laoag City Almaty 4,930 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Laoag City
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

Laoag City vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 85%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,115 per month in Laoag City 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 Laoag City, 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 $17.00 in Laoag City 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 $743 in Laoag City and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 85%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Laoag City, where all-in costs run around $743, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Laoag City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Laoag City. 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.