Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lapu-Lapu and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Lapu-Lapu: $845 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Lapu-Lapu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$845
/mo nomad
Almaty
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
$1,372
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $845 per month in Lapu-Lapu vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

  • Lapu-Lapu $845
  • Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,195 per month in Lapu-Lapu vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

  • Lapu-Lapu $1,195
  • Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,545 per month in Lapu-Lapu vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

  • Lapu-Lapu $1,545
  • Almaty $2,913

Lapu-Lapu is about 38% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lapu-Lapu sits 37% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lapu-Lapu
Almaty
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.95 ₱186
$13.16 ₸5,949
-77.58%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$15.86 ₱999
$44.86 ₸20.3K
-64.65%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.90 ₱246
$8.90 ₸4,022
-56.18%
Cappuccino
$2.54 ₱160
$3.25 ₸1,469
-21.85%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.58 ₱36.55
$1.41 ₸639
-58.87%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.38 ₱23.94
$0.88 ₸399
-56.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.29 ₱81.0
$3.35 ₸1,513
-61.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.25 ₱142
$4.04 ₸1,827
-44.31%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lapu-Lapu
Almaty
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.76 ₱111
$1.69 ₸762
4.14%
White Bread (500g)
$1.42 ₱89.3
$0.86 ₸390
65.12%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.94 ₱59.5
$2.03 ₸917
-53.69%
Eggs
$2.04 ₱129
$2.43 ₸1,100
-16.05%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.68 ₱358
$12.46 ₸5,632
-54.41%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.45 ₱280
$6.71 ₸3,033
-33.68%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.71 ₱486
$10.85 ₸4,905
-28.94%
Apples (1kg)
$3.36 ₱212
$1.80 ₸813
86.67%
Banana (1kg)
$1.45 ₱91.5
$2.25 ₸1,018
-35.56%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.37 ₱149
$2.91 ₸1,314
-18.56%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.54 ₱97.2
$2.75 ₸1,243
-44.00%
Potato (1kg)
$2.39 ₱151
$0.75 ₸337
218.67%
Onion (1kg)
$1.98 ₱125
$0.55 ₸248
260.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 ₱75.3
$1.62 ₸732
-26.54%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.68 ₱42.82
$1.05 ₸474
-35.24%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.62 ₱102
$2.58 ₸1,167
-37.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.07 ₱256
$11.15 ₸5,042
-63.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.05 ₱65.9
$1.21 ₸547
-13.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.51 ₱95.2
$2.44 ₸1,104
-38.11%
🚌 Getting Around
Lapu-Lapu
Almaty
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 ₱15.81
$0.26 ₸117
-3.85%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$22.03 ₸9,957
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.74 ₱46.79
$1.35 ₸611
-45.19%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.23 ₱14.51
$0.64 ₸288
-64.06%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.90 ₱246
$11.16 ₸5,044
-65.05%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.33 ₱83.5
$0.72 ₸324
84.72%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.5K ₱1.4M
$22.5K ₸10.2M
-4.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.6K ₱1.2M
$30.3K ₸13.7M
-35.41%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lapu-Lapu
Almaty
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 ₱7,563
$91.8 ₸41.5K
30.78%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.99 ₱881
$10.66 ₸4,820
31.24%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.04 ₱1,766
$17.86 ₸8,072
57.00%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lapu-Lapu
Almaty
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$12.62 ₱795
$70.3 ₸31.8K
-82.06%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$27.60 ₸12.5K
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.60 ₱353
$6.78 ₸3,064
-17.40%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lapu-Lapu
Almaty
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$103 ₱6,512
$449 ₸202.9K
-76.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,848 ₱494.3K
$12.1K ₸5.5M
-35.17%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lapu-Lapu
Almaty
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$47.78 ₱3,010
$89.9 ₸40.7K
-46.88%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.45 ₱1,603
$47.02 ₸21.3K
-45.87%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$23.86 ₱1,503
$142 ₸64.1K
-83.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$58.5 ₱3,685
$133 ₸60.0K
-55.94%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lapu-Lapu
Almaty
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$437 ₱27.5K
$805 ₸363.7K
-45.65%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$317 ₱19.9K
$500 ₸225.9K
-36.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,214 ₱76.4K
$1,429 ₸645.9K
-15.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$473 ₱29.8K
$904 ₸408.8K
-47.72%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,503 ₸1.1M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,559 ₸704.7K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lapu-Lapu
Almaty
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$229 ₱14.4K
$870 ₸393.3K
-73.70%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.2
20.65
-65.13%

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

Last update for Lapu-Lapu: 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
Lapu-Lapu
$317
Almaty
$500 57.9% $183
Groceries & Markets
Lapu-Lapu
$189
Almaty
$250 32.2% $61
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lapu-Lapu
$162
Almaty
$120 25.8% $42
Eating Out
Lapu-Lapu
$81
Almaty
$205 155% $124
Clothing & Footwear
Lapu-Lapu
$70
Almaty
$185 165% $115
Sport & Entertainment
Lapu-Lapu
$24
Almaty
$84 252% $60
Getting Around
Lapu-Lapu
$2.9 *
Almaty
$28 852% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $437 in Lapu-Lapu 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 280% 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 $16.00 in Lapu-Lapu versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $189 vs $250 – making Lapu-Lapu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Lapu-Lapu
🇰🇿 Almaty
🕒 Local time
23:04 11:04 PM
21:04 9:04 PM
2 h behind Lapu-Lapu
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
497,604
1,475,400
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.82 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lapu-Lapu Almaty 5,820 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lapu-Lapu
  • 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
Lapu-Lapu vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Almaty cheaper than Lapu-Lapu?
Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 62%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,268 per month in Lapu-Lapu 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 Lapu-Lapu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Lapu-Lapu and in Almaty?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $845 in Lapu-Lapu and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 62%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $103 per month in Lapu-Lapu and $449 in Almaty. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Lapu-Lapu or in Almaty?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lapu-Lapu, where all-in costs run around $845, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Lapu-Lapu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Lapu-Lapu or Almaty more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Lapu-Lapu – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Lapu-Lapu 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 Lapu-Lapu. 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.

Lapu-Lapu vs other spots: cost of living compared

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