Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sentul and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Sentul: $878 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Sentul
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Sentul Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Sentul

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$878

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $878 per month in Sentul vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Sentul $878
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,334 per month in Sentul vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Sentul $1,334
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,790 per month in Sentul vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Sentul $1,790
Almaty $2,913

Sentul is about 36% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sentul sits 35% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.64 MYR 14.84

$13.16 ₸5,949

-72.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 MYR 90.1

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-50.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.03 MYR 20.53

$8.90 ₸4,022

-43.48%

Cappuccino

$2.99 MYR 12.21

$3.25 ₸1,469

-8.00%

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

$0.83 MYR 3.40

$1.41 ₸639

-41.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 MYR 2.10

$0.88 ₸399

-42.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 MYR 13.38

$3.35 ₸1,513

-2.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.87 MYR 23.93

$4.04 ₸1,827

45.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MYR 6.92

$1.69 ₸762

0.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 MYR 4.21

$0.86 ₸390

19.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MYR 5.80

$2.03 ₸917

-30.05%

Eggs

$1.74 MYR 7.11

$2.43 ₸1,100

-28.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.66 MYR 39.39

$12.46 ₸5,632

-22.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.17 MYR 12.94

$6.71 ₸3,033

-52.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.45 MYR 38.56

$10.85 ₸4,905

-12.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.25 MYR 13.26

$1.80 ₸813

80.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.87

$2.25 ₸1,018

-25.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 MYR 10.81

$2.91 ₸1,314

-8.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 MYR 6.53

$2.75 ₸1,243

-41.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 MYR 5.97

$0.75 ₸337

94.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 MYR 6.70

$0.55 ₸248

198.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 MYR 5.38

$1.62 ₸732

-18.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 MYR 2.08

$1.05 ₸474

-51.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.16 MYR 16.99

$2.58 ₸1,167

61.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.89 MYR 56.7

$11.15 ₸5,042

24.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 MYR 10.81

$1.21 ₸547

119.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 MYR 12.68

$2.44 ₸1,104

27.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 MYR 3.31

$0.26 ₸117

211.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.06 MYR 49.19

$22.03 ₸9,957

-45.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.96 MYR 3.91

$1.35 ₸611

-28.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 MYR 1.57

$0.64 ₸288

-40.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 MYR 36.60

$11.16 ₸5,044

-19.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.54

$0.72 ₸324

20.83%

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

$41.2K MYR 168.2K

$22.5K ₸10.2M

83.03%

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

$32.5K MYR 132.7K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

7.48%

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

$49.70 MYR 203

$91.8 ₸41.5K

-45.87%

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

$8.10 MYR 33.04

$10.66 ₸4,820

-24.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.39 MYR 112

$17.86 ₸8,072

53.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.09 MYR 168

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-41.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.45 MYR 30.40

$27.60 ₸12.5K

-73.01%

Cinema Ticket

$5.04 MYR 20.57

$6.78 ₸3,064

-25.66%

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

$161 MYR 658

$449 ₸202.9K

-64.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,446 MYR 18.1K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

-63.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.5 MYR 206

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-43.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.38 MYR 66.8

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-65.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.1 MYR 315

$142 ₸64.1K

-45.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.6 MYR 349

$133 ₸60.0K

-35.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$348 MYR 1,419

$805 ₸363.7K

-56.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 MYR 1,150

$500 ₸225.9K

-43.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$707 MYR 2,883

$1,429 ₸645.9K

-50.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$484 MYR 1,976

$904 ₸408.8K

-46.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,147 MYR 8,759

$2,503 ₸1.1M

-14.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,058 MYR 4,315

$1,559 ₸704.7K

-32.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$890 MYR 3,631

$870 ₸393.3K

2.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

20.65

-80.34%

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

Last update for Sentul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sentul

$282 32.1%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 77.2% $218

Groceries & Markets

Sentul

$224 25.6%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 11.6% $26

Eating Out

Sentul

$114 12.9%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 80.4% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Sentul

$103 11.8%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 79.2% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sentul

$85 9.7%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 41.2% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Sentul

$51 5.8%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 63.9% $33

Getting Around

Sentul

$18 2.1%

Almaty

$28 2% 51.8% $9.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $348 in Sentul 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 2% higher in Sentul, 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 $22.00 in Sentul versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $224 vs $250 – making Sentul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Sentul

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

07:15 7:15 AM

05:15 5:15 AM

2 h behind Sentul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,000

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 17, 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 17, 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

Sentul Almaty 5,080 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sentul
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

Sentul vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 56%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,317 per month in Sentul 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 Sentul, 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 $22.00 in Sentul 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 $878 in Sentul and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 56%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sentul, where all-in costs run around $878, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Sentul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sentul – 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 Sentul. 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.