Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Almaty: $1,387 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $32,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,387

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $1,387 in Almaty, rent included.

London $4,086
Almaty $1,387

A couple spends around $5,816 per month in London vs $2,135 in Almaty, rent included.

London $5,816
Almaty $2,135

A family of three spends $7,546 per month in London vs $2,883 in Almaty, rent included.

London $7,546
Almaty $2,883

London costs about 195% more than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Almaty sit above the global median – London by 205%, Almaty by 3%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.62 £20.12

$13.31 ₸5,991

100.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.3

$43.37 ₸19.5K

148.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 £7.86

$8.80 ₸3,959

18.07%

Cappuccino

$5.79 £4.38

$3.30 ₸1,486

75.45%

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

$3.01 £2.27

$1.37 ₸616

119.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.63

$0.90 ₸406

138.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.35 £7.07

$3.13 ₸1,409

198.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 £5.93

$4.10 ₸1,847

91.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.66 ₸749

7.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 £1.56

$0.90 ₸403

128.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 £1.74

$2.06 ₸927

12.14%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.82

$2.37 ₸1,067

113.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 £9.50

$12.64 ₸5,689

-0.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.66 £8.05

$6.62 ₸2,978

61.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 £12.95

$10.87 ₸4,893

57.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$1.86 ₸839

62.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.07

$2.37 ₸1,067

-40.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.31

$2.99 ₸1,348

2.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.56

$2.83 ₸1,273

19.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$0.77 ₸345

116.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.31

$0.58 ₸262

198.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.07

$1.59 ₸718

-11.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.35

$0.99 ₸446

80.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.22 £17.55

$2.54 ₸1,145

814.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 £9.82

$11.04 ₸4,969

17.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.41

$1.21 ₸546

162.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 £3.34

$2.41 ₸1,085

82.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 £2.93

$0.25 ₸113

1448.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$250 £189

$21.84 ₸9,831

1044.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 £4.31

$1.28 ₸577

346.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 £2.51

$0.64 ₸289

420.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.9 £43.77

$10.74 ₸4,836

439.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.54

$0.69 ₸312

195.65%

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

$37.5K £28.4K

$22.3K ₸10.0M

68.57%

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

$40.9K £30.9K

$29.3K ₸13.2M

39.40%

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

$376 £284

$87.8 ₸39.5K

328.54%

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

$17.88 £13.51

$10.83 ₸4,874

65.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.01 £30.25

$17.40 ₸7,831

129.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 £46.23

$69.7 ₸31.4K

-12.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 £15.93

$26.58 ₸12.0K

-20.73%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.57

$6.68 ₸3,009

168.71%

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

$2,865 £2,166

$446 ₸200.8K

542.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.7K

$11.9K ₸5.4M

197.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.7

$93.7 ₸42.2K

23.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 £40.88

$46.91 ₸21.1K

15.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 £95.7

$143 ₸64.3K

-11.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 £120

$133 ₸60.1K

19.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,853 £2,157

$773 ₸348.1K

268.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 £1,740

$497 ₸223.9K

362.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,201 £3,932

$1,390 ₸625.9K

274.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,723 £2,814

$880 ₸396.0K

323.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.0K £14.4K

$2,546 ₸1.1M

646.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,881 £5,957

$1,506 ₸678.2K

423.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,818 £3,642

$834 ₸375.2K

477.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.65

20.65

-77.48%

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

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.5%

Almaty

$497 36.4% 78.4% $1.8K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$434 10.7%

Almaty

$116 8.5% 73.3% $318

Eating Out

London

$397 9.7%

Almaty

$205 15% 48.2% $191

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.6%

Almaty

$251 18.4% 28.1% $98

Getting Around

London

$288 7.1%

Almaty

$27 2% 90.5% $261

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5%

Almaty

$188 13.7% 8.6% $18

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Almaty

$83 6.1% 14.4% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,853 in London versus $773 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 478% higher in London, 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 $108 in London versus $43.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $251 – making Almaty the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

06:36 6:36 AM

11:36 11:36 AM

5 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

1,475,400

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 450 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

London Almaty 5,600 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

London
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

London vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – London is pricier by about 195%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,129 per month in London and $2,080 in Almaty. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Almaty, 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 $108 in London and $43.00 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 $4,086 in London and $1,387 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 195%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Almaty, where all-in costs run around $1,387, than in London at $4,086. In Almaty it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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