Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Fernando, La Union and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in San Fernando, La Union: $719 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in San Fernando, La Union
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San Fernando, La Union Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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San Fernando, La Union

🇵🇭 Philippines

$719

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $719 per month in San Fernando, La Union vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

San Fernando, La Union $719
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,102 per month in San Fernando, La Union vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

San Fernando, La Union $1,102
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,485 per month in San Fernando, La Union vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

San Fernando, La Union $1,485
Almaty $2,913

San Fernando, La Union is about 48% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

San Fernando, La Union sits 47% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.93 ₱248

$13.16 ₸5,949

-70.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.86 ₱936

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-66.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.45 ₱154

$8.90 ₸4,022

-72.47%

Cappuccino

$1.92 ₱121

$3.25 ₸1,469

-40.92%

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

$0.63 ₱39.53

$1.41 ₸639

-55.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₱18.67

$0.88 ₸399

-65.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.15 ₱72.3

$3.35 ₸1,513

-65.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 ₱112

$4.04 ₸1,827

-55.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 ₱106

$1.69 ₸762

-0.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 ₱67.7

$0.86 ₸390

25.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱65.0

$2.03 ₸917

-49.26%

Eggs

$1.93 ₱122

$2.43 ₸1,100

-20.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.38 ₱402

$12.46 ₸5,632

-48.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.77 ₱238

$6.71 ₸3,033

-43.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.48 ₱471

$10.85 ₸4,905

-31.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.38 ₱150

$1.80 ₸813

32.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 ₱101

$2.25 ₸1,018

-28.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.71 ₱170

$2.91 ₸1,314

-6.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.21 ₱76.1

$2.75 ₸1,243

-56.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 ₱142

$0.75 ₸337

201.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 ₱131

$0.55 ₸248

276.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 ₱62.8

$1.62 ₸732

-38.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₱36.41

$1.05 ₸474

-44.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.97 ₱187

$2.58 ₸1,167

15.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.16 ₱451

$11.15 ₸5,042

-35.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₱70.0

$1.21 ₸547

-8.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₱103

$2.44 ₸1,104

-33.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.89

$0.26 ₸117

-3.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.92 ₱687

$22.03 ₸9,957

-50.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.2

$1.35 ₸611

-40.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.52

$0.64 ₸288

-67.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.77 ₱111

$11.16 ₸5,044

-84.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 ₱64.5

$0.72 ₸324

41.67%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$22.5K ₸10.2M

-6.75%

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

$18.3K ₱1.1M

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-39.66%

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

$109 ₱6,863

$91.8 ₸41.5K

18.72%

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

$16.96 ₱1,068

$10.66 ₸4,820

59.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.32 ₱1,720

$17.86 ₸8,072

52.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.83 ₱2,067

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-53.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.60 ₱290

$27.60 ₸12.5K

-83.33%

Cinema Ticket

$5.76 ₱363

$6.78 ₸3,064

-15.04%

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

$114 ₱7,179

$449 ₸202.9K

-74.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,119 ₱574.1K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

-24.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.24 ₱2,093

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-63.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.66 ₱1,112

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-62.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.9 ₱4,524

$142 ₸64.1K

-49.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.6 ₱3,503

$133 ₸60.0K

-58.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$262 ₱16.5K

$805 ₸363.7K

-67.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$169 ₱10.7K

$500 ₸225.9K

-66.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$521 ₱32.8K

$1,429 ₸645.9K

-63.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 ₱22.7K

$904 ₸408.8K

-60.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,558 ₱161.1K

$2,503 ₸1.1M

2.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,037 ₱65.3K

$1,559 ₸704.7K

-33.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

20.65

-67.12%

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

Last update for San Fernando, La Union: 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

San Fernando, La Union

$183 25.5%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 36.6% $67

Accommodation & Living

San Fernando, La Union

$169 23.6%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 195% $330

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Fernando, La Union

$153 21.3%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 21.5% $33

Clothing & Footwear

San Fernando, La Union

$80 11.2%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 131% $105

Eating Out

San Fernando, La Union

$75 10.4%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 174% $130

Sport & Entertainment

San Fernando, La Union

$44 6.2%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 89.1% $40

Getting Around

San Fernando, La Union

$14 1.9%

Almaty

$28 2% 99.7% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $262 in San Fernando, La Union 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 $15.00 in San Fernando, La Union versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $183 vs $250 – making San Fernando, La Union the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 San Fernando, La Union

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

12:13 12:13 PM

10:13 10:13 AM

2 h behind San Fernando, La Union

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,003

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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 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 PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

San Fernando, La Union Almaty 5,040 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

San Fernando, La Union
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

San Fernando, La Union vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 91%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,079 per month in San Fernando, La Union 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 San Fernando, La Union, 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 $15.00 in San Fernando, La Union 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 $719 in San Fernando, La Union and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 91%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in San Fernando, La Union, where all-in costs run around $719, than in Almaty at $1,372. In San Fernando, La Union it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Fernando, La Union – 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 San Fernando, La Union. 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.