Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shah Alam and Kostanay

For one person, living costs are similar in Shah Alam and in Kostanay: $937 and $962 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Shah Alam
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Shah Alam Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Kostanay
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Kostanay Living Index

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Shah Alam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$937

/mo nomad

Kostanay

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$962

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shah Alam and in Kostanay

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Shah Alam and in Kostanay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $937 per month in Shah Alam vs $962 in Kostanay, rent included.

Shah Alam $937
Kostanay $962

A couple spends around $1,432 per month in Shah Alam vs $1,452 in Kostanay, rent included.

Shah Alam $1,432
Kostanay $1,452

A family of three spends $1,927 per month in Shah Alam vs $1,943 in Kostanay, rent included.

Shah Alam $1,927
Kostanay $1,943

Shah Alam is about 3% cheaper than Kostanay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Shah Alam and Kostanay are more affordable than the global median – Shah Alam 31% lower, Kostanay 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.69 MYR 15.07

$5.60 ₸2,532

-34.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.56 MYR 79.8

$28.73 ₸13.0K

-31.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.05 MYR 16.52

$7.05 ₸3,186

-42.55%

Cappuccino

$2.98 MYR 12.17

$2.18 ₸988

36.70%

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

$0.72 MYR 2.95

$1.12 ₸506

-35.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MYR 1.57

$0.86 ₸389

-55.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 MYR 13.86

$1.45 ₸656

134.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 MYR 17.69

$2.61 ₸1,181

66.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 MYR 7.63

$1.22 ₸550

53.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 MYR 4.43

$0.52 ₸235

109.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MYR 6.05

$1.05 ₸474

40.95%

Eggs

$2.24 MYR 9.12

$2.27 ₸1,026

-1.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.92 MYR 56.8

$10.21 ₸4,614

36.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.37 MYR 17.81

$5.72 ₸2,585

-23.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.48 MYR 38.67

$8.33 ₸3,767

13.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.45 MYR 14.08

$1.61 ₸730

114.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 MYR 6.71

$2.37 ₸1,071

-30.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 MYR 11.20

$1.84 ₸831

49.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 MYR 7.40

$2.32 ₸1,047

-21.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 MYR 4.93

$0.58 ₸264

108.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 MYR 8.26

$0.68 ₸308

197.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MYR 5.86

$1.21 ₸548

19.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 MYR 2.35

$0.88 ₸399

-34.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.37 MYR 17.82

$2.51 ₸1,135

74.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.51 MYR 75.5

$8.47 ₸3,827

118.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 MYR 10.90

$1.10 ₸495

142.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 MYR 18.15

$2.37 ₸1,071

87.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MYR 3.07

$0.31 ₸142

141.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.00 MYR 65.3

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 MYR 5.05

$0.95 ₸430

30.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 MYR 1.53

$1.14 ₸516

-67.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.23 MYR 29.51

$6.09 ₸2,755

18.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 MYR 3.26

$0.58 ₸263

37.93%

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

$46.1K MYR 188.3K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

52.37%

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

$36.2K MYR 147.7K

$30.5K ₸13.8M

18.61%

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

$37.60 MYR 153

$76.8 ₸34.7K

-51.05%

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

$10.01 MYR 40.84

$10.97 ₸4,961

-8.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.97 MYR 118

$15.99 ₸7,229

81.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.53 MYR 165

$48.26 ₸21.8K

-16.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.02 MYR 20.48

$20.11 ₸9,091

-75.04%

Cinema Ticket

$6.41 MYR 26.17

$4.40 ₸1,989

45.68%

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

$196 MYR 800

$209 ₸94.5K

-6.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,644 MYR 18.9K

$6,498 ₸2.9M

-28.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.4 MYR 238

$96.3 ₸43.5K

-39.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.89 MYR 163

$53.8 ₸24.3K

-25.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.8 MYR 276

$107 ₸48.6K

-36.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.5 MYR 279

$93.7 ₸42.3K

-26.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$339 MYR 1,384

$402 ₸181.7K

-15.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$308 MYR 1,258

$321 ₸144.9K

-3.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$569 MYR 2,322

$598 ₸270.1K

-4.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$553 MYR 2,255

$494 ₸223.4K

11.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,519 MYR 6,197

$1,218 ₸550.5K

24.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,170 MYR 4,772

$925 ₸418.0K

26.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,244 MYR 5,076

$657 ₸297.0K

89.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

18.5

-78.16%

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

Last update for Shah Alam: October 18, 2026

Last update for Kostanay: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shah Alam

$308 32.9%

Kostanay

$321 33.4% 4% $12

Groceries & Markets

Shah Alam

$263 28.1%

Kostanay

$202 21% 23.4% $61

Eating Out

Shah Alam

$108 11.5%

Kostanay

$113 11.7% 4.6% $5

Clothing & Footwear

Shah Alam

$106 11.3%

Kostanay

$158 16.4% 49.7% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shah Alam

$77 8.2%

Kostanay

$104 10.8% 35.5% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Shah Alam

$53 5.7%

Kostanay

$57 5.9% 6.9% $3.7

Getting Around

Shah Alam

$22 2.4%

Kostanay

$7.9 * 0.8% 64.2% $14

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $339 in Shah Alam versus $402 in Kostanay. 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 89% higher in Shah Alam, 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 $20.00 in Shah Alam versus $29.00 in Kostanay. Groceries tell a different story – $263 in Shah Alam vs $202 in Kostanay – so Kostanay wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Shah Alam

🇰🇿 Kostanay

🕒 Local time

18:51 6:51 PM

16:51 4:51 PM

2 h behind Shah Alam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

812,327

264,446

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

Shah Alam Kostanay 6,560 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Shah Alam
Kostanay

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

Shah Alam vs Kostanay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kostanay costs about 3% more than Shah Alam, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,405 per month in Shah Alam and $1,443 in Kostanay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shah Alam, 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 $20.00 in Shah Alam and $29.00 in Kostanay. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 30% cheaper in Kostanay – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $937 in Shah Alam and $962 in Kostanay, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Shah Alam – 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 Shah Alam. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kostanay makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.