Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Selangor and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Selangor: $1,020 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Selangor
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Selangor Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Selangor

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,020

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,020 per month in Selangor vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Selangor $1,020
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,469 per month in Selangor vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Selangor $1,469
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,918 per month in Selangor vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Selangor $1,918
Almaty $2,913

Selangor is about 26% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Selangor sits 24% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.33 MYR 17.67

$13.16 ₸5,949

-67.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.20 MYR 78.3

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-57.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.04 MYR 16.46

$8.90 ₸4,022

-54.61%

Cappuccino

$2.26 MYR 9.23

$3.25 ₸1,469

-30.46%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.18

$1.41 ₸639

-44.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.93

$0.88 ₸399

-46.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 MYR 18.08

$3.35 ₸1,513

32.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 MYR 20.24

$4.04 ₸1,827

22.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 MYR 7.87

$1.69 ₸762

14.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 MYR 4.30

$0.86 ₸390

22.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 MYR 6.25

$2.03 ₸917

-24.63%

Eggs

$1.92 MYR 7.82

$2.43 ₸1,100

-20.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.26 MYR 58.2

$12.46 ₸5,632

14.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 MYR 17.78

$6.71 ₸3,033

-35.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 MYR 39.16

$10.85 ₸4,905

-11.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 MYR 14.04

$1.80 ₸813

91.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 MYR 7.52

$2.25 ₸1,018

-18.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 MYR 9.55

$2.91 ₸1,314

-19.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 MYR 6.49

$2.75 ₸1,243

-42.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 MYR 5.45

$0.75 ₸337

78.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 MYR 4.21

$0.55 ₸248

87.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 MYR 4.52

$1.62 ₸732

-31.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MYR 2.19

$1.05 ₸474

-48.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 MYR 18.35

$2.58 ₸1,167

74.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.53 MYR 79.7

$11.15 ₸5,042

75.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.59 MYR 14.64

$1.21 ₸547

196.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.86 MYR 19.81

$2.44 ₸1,104

99.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 MYR 4.87

$0.26 ₸117

357.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.26 MYR 50.0

$22.03 ₸9,957

-44.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 MYR 5.06

$1.35 ₸611

-8.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 MYR 5.10

$0.64 ₸288

95.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.34 MYR 17.72

$11.16 ₸5,044

-61.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.73 MYR 2.99

$0.72 ₸324

1.39%

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

$41.9K MYR 171.0K

$22.5K ₸10.2M

86.07%

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

$35.3K MYR 143.8K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

16.45%

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

$63.4 MYR 258

$91.8 ₸41.5K

-30.99%

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

$8.50 MYR 34.69

$10.66 ₸4,820

-20.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.97 MYR 106

$17.86 ₸8,072

45.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.09 MYR 168

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-41.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.87 MYR 28.04

$27.60 ₸12.5K

-75.11%

Cinema Ticket

$5.05 MYR 20.59

$6.78 ₸3,064

-25.52%

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

$122 MYR 499

$449 ₸202.9K

-72.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,175 MYR 29.3K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

-40.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MYR 289

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-21.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.40 MYR 169

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-11.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.1 MYR 315

$142 ₸64.1K

-45.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.0 MYR 339

$133 ₸60.0K

-37.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$511 MYR 2,083

$805 ₸363.7K

-36.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 MYR 1,413

$500 ₸225.9K

-30.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$880 MYR 3,589

$1,429 ₸645.9K

-38.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$481 MYR 1,963

$904 ₸408.8K

-46.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,578 MYR 6,438

$2,503 ₸1.1M

-36.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$705 MYR 2,875

$1,559 ₸704.7K

-54.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,019 MYR 4,157

$870 ₸393.3K

17.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

20.65

-80.82%

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

Last update for Selangor: 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

Selangor

$346 34%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 44.3% $153

Groceries & Markets

Selangor

$266 26.1%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 6% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Selangor

$123 12%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 51.1% $63

Eating Out

Selangor

$111 10.9%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 84.6% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Selangor

$98 9.6%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 23% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Selangor

$51 5%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 63.9% $33

Getting Around

Selangor

$25 2.4%

Almaty

$28 2% 12.6% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $511 in Selangor 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 17% higher in Selangor, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Selangor versus $45.00 in Almaty. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Selangor vs $250 in Almaty – so Almaty wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Selangor

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

06:36 6:36 AM

04:36 4:36 AM

2 h behind Selangor

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

281,717

1,475,400

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Selangor Almaty 5,040 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Selangor
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

Selangor vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 35%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,529 per month in Selangor 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 Selangor, 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 Selangor 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 $1,020 in Selangor and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 35%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Selangor, where all-in costs run around $1,020, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Selangor it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Selangor – 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 Selangor. 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.