Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz, Laguna and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz, Laguna: $626 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz, Laguna
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Santa Cruz, Laguna Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Santa Cruz, Laguna

🇵🇭 Philippines

$626

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $626 per month in Santa Cruz, Laguna vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Santa Cruz, Laguna $626
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $931 per month in Santa Cruz, Laguna vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Santa Cruz, Laguna $931
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,236 per month in Santa Cruz, Laguna vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Santa Cruz, Laguna $1,236
Almaty $2,913

Santa Cruz, Laguna is about 54% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Santa Cruz, Laguna sits 54% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.57 ₱99.0

$13.16 ₸5,949

-88.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.09 ₱509

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-81.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.76 ₱174

$8.90 ₸4,022

-68.99%

Cappuccino

$1.78 ₱112

$3.25 ₸1,469

-45.23%

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

$0.38 ₱23.98

$1.41 ₸639

-73.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ₱14.42

$0.88 ₸399

-73.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.99 ₱62.2

$3.35 ₸1,513

-70.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₱62.1

$4.04 ₸1,827

-75.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 ₱103

$1.69 ₸762

-3.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 ₱72.9

$0.86 ₸390

34.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₱63.3

$2.03 ₸917

-50.74%

Eggs

$1.55 ₱97.5

$2.43 ₸1,100

-36.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.65 ₱293

$12.46 ₸5,632

-62.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.50 ₱220

$6.71 ₸3,033

-47.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.07 ₱445

$10.85 ₸4,905

-34.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.46 ₱92.1

$1.80 ₸813

-18.89%

Banana (1kg)

$0.46 ₱28.85

$2.25 ₸1,018

-79.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 ₱91.0

$2.91 ₸1,314

-50.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.02 ₱64.2

$2.75 ₸1,243

-62.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 ₱111

$0.75 ₸337

134.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 ₱109

$0.55 ₸248

216.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ₱41.99

$1.62 ₸732

-58.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.46

$1.05 ₸474

-49.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.89 ₱182

$2.58 ₸1,167

12.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.60 ₱541

$11.15 ₸5,042

-22.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 ₱61.0

$1.21 ₸547

-19.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 ₱131

$2.44 ₸1,104

-14.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 ₱13.40

$0.26 ₸117

-19.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.41 ₱718

$22.03 ₸9,957

-48.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.2

$1.35 ₸611

-40.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.36

$0.64 ₸288

-64.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 ₱121

$11.16 ₸5,044

-82.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ₱78.7

$0.72 ₸324

73.61%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$22.5K ₸10.2M

-5.88%

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

$19.2K ₱1.2M

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-36.41%

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

$85.1 ₱5,359

$91.8 ₸41.5K

-7.29%

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

$17.58 ₱1,107

$10.66 ₸4,820

64.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.61 ₱1,487

$17.86 ₸8,072

32.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.48 ₱1,982

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-55.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.14 ₱261

$27.60 ₸12.5K

-85.00%

Cinema Ticket

$5.13 ₱323

$6.78 ₸3,064

-24.34%

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

$134 ₱8,442

$449 ₸202.9K

-70.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₱675.9K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

-11.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.89 ₱1,819

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-67.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.72 ₱1,242

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-58.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.5 ₱4,565

$142 ₸64.1K

-48.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.8 ₱3,515

$133 ₸60.0K

-57.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$242 ₱15.2K

$805 ₸363.7K

-69.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$157 ₱9,895

$500 ₸225.9K

-68.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$475 ₱29.9K

$1,429 ₸645.9K

-66.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 ₱19.0K

$904 ₸408.8K

-66.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,296 ₱144.5K

$2,503 ₸1.1M

-8.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$886 ₱55.8K

$1,559 ₸704.7K

-43.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

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 Santa Cruz, Laguna: October 12, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$157 25.1%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 218% $343

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$156 24.9%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 60.8% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$126 20.2%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 4.7% $6

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$80 12.7%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 133% $106

Eating Out

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$52 8.2%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 297% $153

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$42 6.7%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 101% $42

Getting Around

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$14 2.3%

Almaty

$28 2% 94.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $242 in Santa Cruz, Laguna 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 $8.00 in Santa Cruz, Laguna versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $156 vs $250 – making Santa Cruz, Laguna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Santa Cruz, Laguna

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

07:52 7:52 AM

05:52 5:52 AM

2 h behind Santa Cruz, Laguna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

123,574

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 = 70.78 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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Highest

Between locations

Santa Cruz, Laguna Almaty 5,310 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Cruz, Laguna
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

Santa Cruz, Laguna vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 119%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $940 per month in Santa Cruz, Laguna 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 Santa Cruz, Laguna, 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 $8.00 in Santa Cruz, Laguna 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 $626 in Santa Cruz, Laguna and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 119%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Santa Cruz, Laguna, where all-in costs run around $626, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Santa Cruz, Laguna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santa Cruz, Laguna – 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 Santa Cruz, Laguna. 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.