Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malacca and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Malacca: $612 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Malacca
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Malacca Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Malacca

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$612

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $612 per month in Malacca vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Malacca $612
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $977 per month in Malacca vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Malacca $977
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,343 per month in Malacca vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Malacca $1,343
Almaty $2,913

Malacca is about 55% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Malacca sits 55% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.27 MYR 13.36

$13.16 ₸5,949

-75.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.71 MYR 76.3

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-58.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.80 MYR 19.60

$8.90 ₸4,022

-46.07%

Cappuccino

$2.83 MYR 11.56

$3.25 ₸1,469

-12.92%

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

$0.77 MYR 3.15

$1.41 ₸639

-45.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 MYR 2.21

$0.88 ₸399

-38.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.93 MYR 7.87

$3.35 ₸1,513

-42.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 MYR 12.10

$4.04 ₸1,827

-26.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MYR 7.03

$1.69 ₸762

1.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 MYR 4.52

$0.86 ₸390

29.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MYR 5.78

$2.03 ₸917

-30.05%

Eggs

$1.72 MYR 7.02

$2.43 ₸1,100

-29.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.49 MYR 75.4

$12.46 ₸5,632

48.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.59 MYR 18.73

$6.71 ₸3,033

-31.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.83 MYR 44.18

$10.85 ₸4,905

-0.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 MYR 13.29

$1.80 ₸813

81.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 MYR 7.18

$2.25 ₸1,018

-21.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 MYR 9.72

$2.91 ₸1,314

-18.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 MYR 6.69

$2.75 ₸1,243

-40.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 5.99

$0.75 ₸337

96.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 MYR 7.09

$0.55 ₸248

216.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 MYR 5.61

$1.62 ₸732

-15.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.23

$1.05 ₸474

-47.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.19 MYR 17.11

$2.58 ₸1,167

62.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.92 MYR 56.8

$11.15 ₸5,042

24.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 MYR 8.84

$1.21 ₸547

79.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 MYR 12.67

$2.44 ₸1,104

27.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 MYR 1.92

$0.26 ₸117

80.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.40 MYR 50.6

$22.03 ₸9,957

-43.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 MYR 4.09

$1.35 ₸611

-25.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 MYR 2.85

$0.64 ₸288

9.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.03 MYR 49.08

$11.16 ₸5,044

7.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.51 MYR 2.10

$0.72 ₸324

-29.17%

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

$41.7K MYR 170.3K

$22.5K ₸10.2M

85.34%

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

$34.9K MYR 142.4K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

15.28%

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

$51.7 MYR 211

$91.8 ₸41.5K

-43.69%

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

$11.20 MYR 45.69

$10.66 ₸4,820

5.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.12 MYR 115

$17.86 ₸8,072

57.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.13 MYR 90.3

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-68.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.76 MYR 47.97

$27.60 ₸12.5K

-57.39%

Cinema Ticket

$5.02 MYR 20.49

$6.78 ₸3,064

-25.96%

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

$163 MYR 665

$449 ₸202.9K

-63.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,501 MYR 18.4K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

-62.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 MYR 223

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-39.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.80 MYR 68.5

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-64.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.3 MYR 336

$142 ₸64.1K

-41.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.7 MYR 399

$133 ₸60.0K

-26.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$192 MYR 784

$805 ₸363.7K

-76.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,191 MYR 4,861

$2,503 ₸1.1M

-52.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$804 MYR 3,280

$1,559 ₸704.7K

-48.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$411 MYR 1,677

$870 ₸393.3K

-52.75%

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 Malacca: October 11, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Malacca

$261 42.7%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 4.2% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Malacca

$113 18.5%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 63.6% $72

Eating Out

Malacca

$95 15.6%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 115% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malacca

$91 14.9%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 32.2% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Malacca

$32 5.3%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 161% $52

Getting Around

Malacca

$19 3.1%

Almaty

$28 2% 47% $8.8

Accommodation & Living

Malacca

- * 0%

Almaty

$500 36.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $192 in Malacca 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 112% 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 $19.00 in Malacca versus $45.00 in Almaty. Groceries tell a different story – $261 in Malacca vs $250 in Almaty – so Almaty wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Malacca

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

06:30 6:30 AM

04:30 4:30 AM

2 h behind Malacca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

579,000

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 18, 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 18, 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

Malacca Almaty 5,200 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Malacca
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

Malacca vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 124%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $918 per month in Malacca 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 Malacca, 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 $19.00 in Malacca 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 $612 in Malacca and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 124%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Malacca, where all-in costs run around $612, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Malacca it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Malacca – 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 Malacca. 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.