Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marikina and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Marikina: $704 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Marikina
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Marikina Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Marikina

🇵🇭 Philippines

$704

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $704 per month in Marikina vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Marikina $704
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,094 per month in Marikina vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Marikina $1,094
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,484 per month in Marikina vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Marikina $1,484
Almaty $2,913

Marikina is about 49% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Marikina sits 48% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.07 ₱257

$13.16 ₸5,949

-69.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.37 ₱2,038

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-27.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.17 ₱199

$8.90 ₸4,022

-64.38%

Cappuccino

$2.29 ₱144

$3.25 ₸1,469

-29.54%

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

$0.55 ₱34.81

$1.41 ₸639

-60.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱20.92

$0.88 ₸399

-62.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₱63.7

$3.35 ₸1,513

-69.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₱149

$4.04 ₸1,827

-41.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ₱117

$1.69 ₸762

9.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$0.86 ₸390

43.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 ₱66.5

$2.03 ₸917

-47.78%

Eggs

$2.08 ₱131

$2.43 ₸1,100

-14.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.39 ₱466

$12.46 ₸5,632

-40.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.20 ₱264

$6.71 ₸3,033

-37.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.78 ₱427

$10.85 ₸4,905

-37.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 ₱155

$1.80 ₸813

36.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 ₱128

$2.25 ₸1,018

-9.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱146

$2.91 ₸1,314

-19.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.30 ₱145

$2.75 ₸1,243

-16.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 ₱150

$0.75 ₸337

217.33%

Onion (1kg)

$3.48 ₱219

$0.55 ₸248

532.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₱69.5

$1.62 ₸732

-32.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ₱44.21

$1.05 ₸474

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.93 ₱184

$2.58 ₸1,167

13.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.73 ₱550

$11.15 ₸5,042

-21.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₱62.0

$1.21 ₸547

-19.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ₱129

$2.44 ₸1,104

-15.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 ₱31.34

$0.26 ₸117

92.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₱46.04

$1.35 ₸611

-45.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.64 ₸288

-64.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 ₱122

$11.16 ₸5,044

-82.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ₱78.3

$0.72 ₸324

72.22%

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

$21.7K ₱1.4M

$22.5K ₸10.2M

-3.74%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-35.81%

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

$139 ₱8,744

$91.8 ₸41.5K

51.27%

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

$16.19 ₱1,019

$10.66 ₸4,820

51.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.10 ₱1,769

$17.86 ₸8,072

57.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.73 ₱2,312

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-47.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

Cinema Ticket

$7.11 ₱448

$6.78 ₸3,064

4.87%

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

$131 ₱8,250

$449 ₸202.9K

-70.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,456 ₱469.4K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

-38.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 ₱3,774

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-33.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.37 ₱1,786

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-39.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ₱4,745

$142 ₸64.1K

-46.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.7 ₱3,442

$133 ₸60.0K

-58.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$180 ₱11.3K

$805 ₸363.7K

-77.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$79.2 ₱4,986

$500 ₸225.9K

-84.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$322 ₱20.3K

$1,429 ₸645.9K

-77.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$145 ₱9,110

$904 ₸408.8K

-84.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,134 ₱71.4K

$2,503 ₸1.1M

-54.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 ₱30.3K

$1,559 ₸704.7K

-69.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$387 ₱24.3K

$870 ₸393.3K

-55.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

20.65

-67.31%

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

Last update for Marikina: 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

Marikina

$206 29.2%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 21.8% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marikina

$183 26%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 34.3% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Marikina

$98 14%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 88.5% $87

Eating Out

Marikina

$83 11.8%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 147% $122

Accommodation & Living

Marikina

$79 11.3%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 531% $421

Sport & Entertainment

Marikina

$51 7.2%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 64.6% $33

Getting Around

Marikina

$3.9 * 0.6%

Almaty

$28 2% 611% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $180 in Marikina 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 125% 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 $32.00 in Marikina versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $206 vs $250 – making Marikina the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Marikina

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

02:13 2:13 AM

00:13 12:13 AM

2 h behind Marikina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

456,059

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

Marikina Almaty 5,250 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Marikina
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

Marikina vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 95%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,056 per month in Marikina 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 Marikina, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $704 in Marikina and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 95%.

Kindergarten costs $131 per month in Marikina and $449 in Almaty. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Marikina, where all-in costs run around $704, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Marikina it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Marikina – 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 Marikina. 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.