Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palawan and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Palawan: $792 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Palawan
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Palawan Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
Learn more

Almaty Living Index

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Palawan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$792

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $792 per month in Palawan vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Palawan $792
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,230 per month in Palawan vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Palawan $1,230
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,668 per month in Palawan vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Palawan $1,668
Almaty $2,913

Palawan is about 42% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Palawan sits 41% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.62 ₱228

$13.16 ₸5,949

-72.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.14 ₱1,205

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-57.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.37 ₱212

$8.90 ₸4,022

-62.13%

Cappuccino

$2.63 ₱165

$3.25 ₸1,469

-19.08%

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

$0.83 ₱52.5

$1.41 ₸639

-41.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ₱24.65

$0.88 ₸399

-55.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.29 ₱81.4

$3.35 ₸1,513

-61.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 ₱136

$4.04 ₸1,827

-46.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ₱120

$1.69 ₸762

12.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 ₱79.4

$0.86 ₸390

46.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$2.03 ₸917

-50.25%

Eggs

$1.98 ₱125

$2.43 ₸1,100

-18.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.83 ₱493

$12.46 ₸5,632

-37.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.21 ₱265

$6.71 ₸3,033

-37.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.78 ₱490

$10.85 ₸4,905

-28.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.00 ₱189

$1.80 ₸813

66.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 ₱98.2

$2.25 ₸1,018

-30.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 ₱171

$2.91 ₸1,314

-6.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 ₱102

$2.75 ₸1,243

-41.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 ₱146

$0.75 ₸337

208.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 ₱163

$0.55 ₸248

370.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ₱66.9

$1.62 ₸732

-34.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₱44.86

$1.05 ₸474

-32.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.78 ₱175

$2.58 ₸1,167

7.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.85 ₱431

$11.15 ₸5,042

-38.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 ₱75.4

$1.21 ₸547

-0.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ₱128

$2.44 ₸1,104

-16.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₱17.81

$0.26 ₸117

7.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.29 ₱711

$22.03 ₸9,957

-48.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 ₱52.4

$1.35 ₸611

-38.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.20

$0.64 ₸288

-62.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₱136

$11.16 ₸5,044

-80.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ₱69.2

$0.72 ₸324

52.78%

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

$26.5K ₱1.7M

$22.5K ₸10.2M

17.67%

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

$20.1K ₱1.3M

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-33.73%

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

$114 ₱7,183

$91.8 ₸41.5K

24.27%

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

$32.54 ₱2,049

$10.66 ₸4,820

205.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.55 ₱1,734

$17.86 ₸8,072

54.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.48 ₱2,171

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-50.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.36 ₱275

$27.60 ₸12.5K

-84.20%

Cinema Ticket

$5.80 ₱365

$6.78 ₸3,064

-14.45%

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

$150 ₱9,463

$449 ₸202.9K

-66.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,228 ₱266.2K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

-65.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.09 ₱2,839

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-49.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.54 ₱1,671

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-43.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.9 ₱4,713

$142 ₸64.1K

-47.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.6 ₱3,377

$133 ₸60.0K

-59.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$264 ₱16.6K

$805 ₸363.7K

-67.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$177 ₱11.1K

$500 ₸225.9K

-64.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₱37.1K

$1,429 ₸645.9K

-58.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 ₱24.5K

$904 ₸408.8K

-56.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,359 ₱148.5K

$2,503 ₸1.1M

-5.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$994 ₱62.6K

$1,559 ₸704.7K

-36.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

20.65

-67.70%

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

Last update for Palawan: 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

Palawan

$204 25.7%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 23% $47

Accommodation & Living

Palawan

$177 22.4%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 183% $323

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palawan

$174 22%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 30.9% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Palawan

$90 11.4%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 106% $95

Eating Out

Palawan

$86 10.9%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 137% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Palawan

$46 5.8%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 82.1% $38

Getting Around

Palawan

$14 1.8%

Almaty

$28 2% 90.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $264 in Palawan 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Palawan versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $204 vs $250 – making Palawan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Palawan

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

23:00 11:00 PM

21:00 9:00 PM

2 h behind Palawan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

939,594

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

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Between locations

Palawan Almaty 5,480 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Palawan
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

Palawan vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 73%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,187 per month in Palawan 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 Palawan, 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 Palawan 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 $792 in Palawan and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 73%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Palawan, where all-in costs run around $792, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Palawan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Palawan – 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 Palawan. 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.