Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seria and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Seria: $567 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Seria
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Seria Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Seria

🇧🇳 Brunei

$567

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $567 per month in Seria vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Seria $567
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $904 per month in Seria vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Seria $904
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,242 per month in Seria vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Seria $1,242
Almaty $2,913

Seria is about 59% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Seria sits 58% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.13 BND 4.00

$13.16 ₸5,949

-76.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.07 BND 34.64

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-39.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 BND 6.86

$8.90 ₸4,022

-39.78%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.59 BND 2.04

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 BND 2.96

Cappuccino

$3.88 BND 4.97

$3.25 ₸1,469

19.38%

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

$0.91 BND 1.16

$1.41 ₸639

-35.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 BND 0.69

$0.88 ₸399

-38.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 BND 2.32

$1.69 ₸762

7.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 BND 1.83

$0.86 ₸390

66.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 BND 1.55

$2.03 ₸917

-40.39%

Eggs

$1.38 BND 1.76

$2.43 ₸1,100

-43.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.17 BND 7.90

$12.46 ₸5,632

-50.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 BND 5.64

$6.71 ₸3,033

-34.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.89 BND 13.93

$10.85 ₸4,905

0.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 BND 4.09

$1.80 ₸813

77.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 BND 2.85

$2.25 ₸1,018

-0.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 BND 3.82

$2.91 ₸1,314

2.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.55 BND 3.27

$2.75 ₸1,243

-7.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 BND 2.15

$0.75 ₸337

124.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 BND 2.66

$0.55 ₸248

278.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.74 BND 4.79

$1.62 ₸732

130.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 BND 0.98

$1.05 ₸474

-27.62%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$23.42 BND 29.96

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 BND 4.12

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 BND 1.38

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.42 BND 19.73

$2.58 ₸1,167

497.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.02 BND 5.14

$1.35 ₸611

197.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 BND 4.15

$0.64 ₸288

407.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.77 BND 15.06

$11.16 ₸5,044

5.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.30 BND 0.38

$0.72 ₸324

-58.33%

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

$43.5K BND 55.7K

$22.5K ₸10.2M

93.35%

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

$36.2K BND 46.3K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

19.62%

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

$61.8 BND 79.0

$91.8 ₸41.5K

-32.73%

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

$15.66 BND 20.03

$10.66 ₸4,820

46.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.1 BND 82.0

$17.86 ₸8,072

258.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.52 BND 35.20

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-60.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

Cinema Ticket

$5.36 BND 6.86

$6.78 ₸3,064

-20.94%

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

$216 BND 276

$449 ₸202.9K

-51.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,750 BND 12.5K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

-19.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.04 BND 39.71

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-65.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.71 BND 35.45

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-41.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.3 BND 64.4

$142 ₸64.1K

-64.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.16 BND 59.1

$133 ₸60.0K

-65.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$716 BND 917

$870 ₸393.3K

-17.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.88

20.65

-81.21%

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

Last update for Seria: October 10, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Seria

$203 35.9%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 23.1% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seria

$142 25%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 15% $21

Eating Out

Seria

$94 16.5%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 119% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Seria

$70 12.3%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 165% $115

Sport & Entertainment

Seria

$38 6.8%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 119% $46

Getting Around

Seria

$20 * 3.6%

Almaty

$28 2% 36.3% $7.4

Accommodation & Living

Seria

- * 0%

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 21% 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 $27.00 in Seria versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $203 vs $250 – making Seria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇳 Seria

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

10:35 10:35 AM

08:35 8:35 AM

2 h behind Seria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,097

1,475,400

💱 Currency

Brunei Dollar BND $

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 BND = 0.782 USD

1 BND = 0.695 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to BND – Brunei Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇳 Brunei Dollar ($)

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.782 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 BND (1 BND = 0.695 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 BND in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seria Almaty 5,650 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Seria
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

Seria vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 142%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $850 per month in Seria and $2,058 in Almaty. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $567 in Seria and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 142%.

Kindergarten costs $216 per month in Seria and $449 in Almaty. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Seria, where all-in costs run around $567, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Seria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Seria – 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 Seria. 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.