Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $749 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

San Juan
🇵🇭 Philippines
$749
/mo nomad
Almaty
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
$1,372
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $749 per month in San Juan vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

  • San Juan $749
  • Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,101 per month in San Juan vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

  • San Juan $1,101
  • Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,452 per month in San Juan vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

  • San Juan $1,452
  • Almaty $2,913

San Juan is about 45% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

San Juan sits 45% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
San Juan
Almaty
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.05 ₱255
$13.16 ₸5,949
-69.22%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$16.88 ₱1,063
$44.86 ₸20.3K
-62.37%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$2.82 ₱177
$8.90 ₸4,022
-68.31%
Cappuccino
$2.76 ₱174
$3.25 ₸1,469
-15.08%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.66 ₱41.30
$1.41 ₸639
-53.19%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ₱19.48
$0.88 ₸399
-64.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.07 ₱67.2
$3.35 ₸1,513
-68.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.56 ₱98.5
$4.04 ₸1,827
-61.39%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
San Juan
Almaty
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.69 ₱107
$1.69 ₸762
-
White Bread (500g)
$1.12 ₱70.5
$0.86 ₸390
30.23%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.84 ₱52.7
$2.03 ₸917
-58.62%
Eggs
$1.82 ₱114
$2.43 ₸1,100
-25.10%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.24 ₱330
$12.46 ₸5,632
-57.95%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.46 ₱218
$6.71 ₸3,033
-48.44%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.21 ₱454
$10.85 ₸4,905
-33.55%
Apples (1kg)
$2.32 ₱146
$1.80 ₸813
28.89%
Banana (1kg)
$1.36 ₱85.9
$2.25 ₸1,018
-39.56%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.33 ₱147
$2.91 ₸1,314
-19.93%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.06 ₱66.8
$2.75 ₸1,243
-61.45%
Potato (1kg)
$1.69 ₱107
$0.75 ₸337
125.33%
Onion (1kg)
$1.74 ₱109
$0.55 ₸248
216.36%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.67 ₱42.17
$1.62 ₸732
-58.64%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.97 ₱61.3
$1.05 ₸474
-7.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.71 ₱171
$2.58 ₸1,167
5.04%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.79 ₱490
$11.15 ₸5,042
-30.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.92 ₱58.0
$1.21 ₸547
-23.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.84 ₱116
$2.44 ₸1,104
-24.59%
🚌 Getting Around
San Juan
Almaty
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.26 ₱16.26
$0.26 ₸117
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$12.14 ₱764
$22.03 ₸9,957
-44.89%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.79 ₱49.71
$1.35 ₸611
-41.48%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.23 ₱14.52
$0.64 ₸288
-64.06%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.95 ₱123
$11.16 ₸5,044
-82.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 ₱77.8
$0.72 ₸324
72.22%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K ₱1.3M
$22.5K ₸10.2M
-6.86%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.0K ₱1.2M
$30.3K ₸13.7M
-37.36%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
San Juan
Almaty
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$141 ₱8,877
$91.8 ₸41.5K
53.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.25 ₱897
$10.66 ₸4,820
33.68%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$24.38 ₱1,535
$17.86 ₸8,072
36.51%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
San Juan
Almaty
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.07 ₱1,893
$70.3 ₸31.8K
-57.24%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$4.41 ₱278
$27.60 ₸12.5K
-84.02%
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 ₱319
$6.78 ₸3,064
-25.22%
🧸 Childcare & Education
San Juan
Almaty
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$74.3 ₱4,677
$449 ₸202.9K
-83.45%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,556 ₱160.9K
$12.1K ₸5.5M
-78.89%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
San Juan
Almaty
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$29.32 ₱1,846
$89.9 ₸40.7K
-67.40%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.71 ₱1,241
$47.02 ₸21.3K
-58.08%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.1 ₱4,539
$142 ₸64.1K
-49.16%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$56.8 ₱3,573
$133 ₸60.0K
-57.25%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
San Juan
Almaty
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$303 ₱19.1K
$805 ₸363.7K
-62.30%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$173 ₱10.9K
$500 ₸225.9K
-65.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$515 ₱32.4K
$1,429 ₸645.9K
-63.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$302 ₱19.0K
$904 ₸408.8K
-66.66%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,681 ₱168.8K
$2,503 ₸1.1M
7.09%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,115 ₱70.2K
$1,559 ₸704.7K
-28.49%
💵 Salaries & Financials
San Juan
Almaty
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$243 ₱15.3K
$870 ₸393.3K
-72.02%
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 San Juan: October 13, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
San Juan
$180
Almaty
$120 33% $59
Groceries & Markets
San Juan
$175
Almaty
$250 43.4% $76
Accommodation & Living
San Juan
$173
Almaty
$500 188% $326
Eating Out
San Juan
$86
Almaty
$205 137% $119
Clothing & Footwear
San Juan
$80
Almaty
$185 131% $105
Sport & Entertainment
San Juan
$40
Almaty
$84 109% $44
Getting Around
San Juan
$15
Almaty
$28 82.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $303 in San Juan 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 257% 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 $17.00 in San Juan versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $175 vs $250 – making San Juan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇭 San Juan
🇰🇿 Almaty
🕒 Local time
04:14 4:14 AM
02:14 2:14 AM
2 h behind San Juan
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
126,347
1,475,400
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • San Juan Almaty 5,250 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • San Juan
  • 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 Juan vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Almaty cheaper than San Juan?
Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 83%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,124 per month in San Juan and $2,058 in Almaty. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in San Juan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in San Juan or in Almaty?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $17.00 in San Juan and $45.00 in Almaty. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in San Juan and in Almaty?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $749 in San Juan and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 83%.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in San Juan or in Almaty?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in San Juan, where all-in costs run around $749, than in Almaty at $1,372. In San Juan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is San Juan or Almaty more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward San Juan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with San Juan. 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.

San Juan vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?