Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samarinda and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Samarinda: $647 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Samarinda
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Samarinda Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Samarinda

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$647

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $647 per month in Samarinda vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Samarinda $647
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,021 per month in Samarinda vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Samarinda $1,021
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,395 per month in Samarinda vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Samarinda $1,395
Almaty $2,913

Samarinda is about 53% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Samarinda sits 52% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.70 Rp 30.6K

$13.16 ₸5,949

-87.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.69 Rp 246.4K

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-69.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.35 Rp 60.2K

$8.90 ₸4,022

-62.36%

Cappuccino

$1.53 Rp 27.5K

$3.25 ₸1,469

-52.92%

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

$0.44 Rp 7,903

$1.41 ₸639

-68.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 Rp 4,499

$0.88 ₸399

-71.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 Rp 40.9K

$3.35 ₸1,513

-32.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 Rp 62.1K

$4.04 ₸1,827

-14.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 Rp 19.2K

$1.69 ₸762

-36.69%

White Bread (500g)

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

$0.86 ₸390

-3.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.71 Rp 12.8K

$2.03 ₸917

-65.02%

Eggs

$1.40 Rp 25.3K

$2.43 ₸1,100

-42.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.21 Rp 129.9K

$12.46 ₸5,632

-42.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.61 Rp 65.0K

$6.71 ₸3,033

-46.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.04 Rp 180.7K

$10.85 ₸4,905

-7.47%

Apples (1kg)

$5.14 Rp 92.4K

$1.80 ₸813

185.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

$2.25 ₸1,018

-50.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.09 Rp 19.5K

$2.91 ₸1,314

-62.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 Rp 26.5K

$2.75 ₸1,243

-46.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 Rp 23.8K

$0.75 ₸337

76.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 Rp 31.7K

$0.55 ₸248

220.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 Rp 13.6K

$1.62 ₸732

-53.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,097

$1.05 ₸474

-51.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.08 Rp 37.4K

$2.58 ₸1,167

-19.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.04 Rp 378.7K

$11.15 ₸5,042

88.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 Rp 28.8K

$1.21 ₸547

32.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 Rp 45.4K

$2.44 ₸1,104

3.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 Rp 5,403

$0.26 ₸117

15.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.50 Rp 8,935

$1.35 ₸611

-62.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 Rp 6,183

$0.64 ₸288

-46.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 Rp 48.0K

$11.16 ₸5,044

-76.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$0.72 ₸324

12.50%

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

$26.8K Rp 482.4M

$22.5K ₸10.2M

19.01%

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

$31.1K Rp 559.1M

$30.3K ₸13.7M

2.62%

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

$67.2 Rp 1.2M

$91.8 ₸41.5K

-26.76%

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

$4.75 Rp 85.5K

$10.66 ₸4,820

-55.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.78 Rp 338.0K

$17.86 ₸8,072

5.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.72 Rp 354.9K

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-71.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.94 Rp 160.9K

$27.60 ₸12.5K

-67.61%

Cinema Ticket

$2.75 Rp 49.4K

$6.78 ₸3,064

-59.44%

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

$89.9 Rp 1.6M

$449 ₸202.9K

-79.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,095 Rp 145.7M

$12.1K ₸5.5M

-33.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.77 Rp 859.9K

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-46.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.33 Rp 582.0K

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-31.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 Rp 1.4M

$142 ₸64.1K

-45.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.1 Rp 1.3M

$133 ₸60.0K

-44.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$195 Rp 3.5M

$805 ₸363.7K

-75.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 Rp 2.7M

$500 ₸225.9K

-70.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$491 Rp 8.8M

$1,429 ₸645.9K

-65.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$338 Rp 6.1M

$904 ₸408.8K

-62.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,107 Rp 19.9M

$2,503 ₸1.1M

-55.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$730 Rp 13.1M

$1,559 ₸704.7K

-53.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 Rp 6.0M

$870 ₸393.3K

-61.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.46

20.65

-54.19%

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

Last update for Samarinda: October 12, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Samarinda

$213 32.9%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 17.6% $37

Accommodation & Living

Samarinda

$148 22.8%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 239% $352

Clothing & Footwear

Samarinda

$104 16.1%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 78.1% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Samarinda

$91 14%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 32.6% $30

Eating Out

Samarinda

$63 9.7%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 225% $142

Sport & Entertainment

Samarinda

$25 3.9%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 233% $59

Getting Around

Samarinda

$3.4 * 0.5%

Almaty

$28 2% 709% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $195 in Samarinda 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 159% 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 $14.00 in Samarinda versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $213 vs $250 – making Samarinda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Samarinda

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

12:03 12:03 PM

10:03 10:03 AM

2 h behind Samarinda

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

726,223

1,475,400

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Samarinda Almaty 6,290 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Samarinda
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

Samarinda vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 112%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $970 per month in Samarinda 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 Samarinda, 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 $647 in Samarinda and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 112%.

Kindergarten costs $89.9 per month in Samarinda 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 Samarinda, where all-in costs run around $647, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Samarinda it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Samarinda – 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 Samarinda. 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.