Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sibu and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Sibu: $866 a month against $1,363 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Sibu
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Sibu Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Sibu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$866

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,363

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $866 per month in Sibu vs $1,363 in Almaty, rent included.

Sibu $866
Almaty $1,363

A couple spends around $1,293 per month in Sibu vs $2,131 in Almaty, rent included.

Sibu $1,293
Almaty $2,131

A family of three spends $1,720 per month in Sibu vs $2,900 in Almaty, rent included.

Sibu $1,720
Almaty $2,900

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

Sibu sits 36% below the global median, while Almaty is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.16 MYR 8.82

$13.05 ₸5,899

-83.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.47 MYR 79.4

$43.44 ₸19.6K

-55.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.21 MYR 17.18

$8.76 ₸3,962

-51.94%

Cappuccino

$2.38 MYR 9.70

$3.32 ₸1,501

-28.31%

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

$0.67 MYR 2.74

$1.34 ₸607

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 MYR 0.93

$0.83 ₸374

-72.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 MYR 11.92

$3.36 ₸1,518

-13.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 MYR 17.96

$4.02 ₸1,818

9.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 MYR 7.33

$1.65 ₸747

9.09%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 MYR 3.65

$0.93 ₸421

-4.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.80

$2.05 ₸927

-18.54%

Eggs

$2.24 MYR 9.16

$2.46 ₸1,113

-8.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.65 MYR 47.53

$12.49 ₸5,646

-6.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.84 MYR 15.66

$6.71 ₸3,035

-42.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 MYR 39.55

$10.85 ₸4,905

-10.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.72 MYR 15.16

$1.78 ₸807

108.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 MYR 6.26

$2.25 ₸1,018

-32.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 MYR 9.55

$2.87 ₸1,299

-18.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.62

$2.71 ₸1,227

-49.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 MYR 4.58

$0.80 ₸362

40.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 MYR 5.29

$0.55 ₸249

136.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 MYR 4.76

$1.62 ₸732

-27.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MYR 2.22

$1.00 ₸453

-46.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.53 MYR 18.48

$2.58 ₸1,167

75.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.28 MYR 74.6

$11.15 ₸5,039

63.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 MYR 11.64

$1.26 ₸572

126.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 MYR 18.38

$2.48 ₸1,120

81.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 MYR 3.40

$0.28 ₸128

196.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.85 MYR 56.5

$22.05 ₸9,970

-37.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.40 MYR 5.70

$1.34 ₸607

4.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.54 MYR 2.18

$0.64 ₸288

-15.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.01 MYR 32.68

$11.04 ₸4,993

-27.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 MYR 3.28

$0.72 ₸326

11.11%

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

$49.1K MYR 200.3K

$28.1K ₸12.7M

74.48%

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

$35.6K MYR 145.4K

$31.8K ₸14.4M

12.07%

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

$49.59 MYR 202

$90.5 ₸40.9K

-45.22%

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

$7.14 MYR 29.14

$10.63 ₸4,805

-32.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.47 MYR 108

$18.12 ₸8,190

46.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.94 MYR 110

$69.0 ₸31.2K

-60.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.44 MYR 26.26

$26.98 ₸12.2K

-76.13%

Cinema Ticket

$3.74 MYR 15.24

$6.77 ₸3,062

-44.76%

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

$181 MYR 739

$444 ₸200.6K

-59.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,906 MYR 28.2K

$12.0K ₸5.4M

-42.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 MYR 226

$91.9 ₸41.5K

-39.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.48 MYR 124

$47.80 ₸21.6K

-36.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.2 MYR 364

$139 ₸63.0K

-35.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.2 MYR 307

$131 ₸59.4K

-42.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$340 MYR 1,386

$777 ₸351.2K

-56.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 MYR 1,150

$494 ₸223.4K

-42.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$597 MYR 2,437

$1,439 ₸650.4K

-58.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 MYR 1,841

$905 ₸409.2K

-50.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,782 MYR 7,272

$2,470 ₸1.1M

-27.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$966 MYR 3,941

$1,517 ₸685.7K

-36.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$496 MYR 2,021

$857 ₸387.2K

-42.15%

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 Sibu: October 18, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sibu

$282 32.6%

Almaty

$494 36.3% 75.3% $212

Groceries & Markets

Sibu

$247 28.5%

Almaty

$251 18.4% 1.5% $3.8

Clothing & Footwear

Sibu

$113 13%

Almaty

$185 13.6% 63.9% $72

Eating Out

Sibu

$85 9.9%

Almaty

$204 15% 139% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sibu

$83 9.6%

Almaty

$119 8.8% 43.4% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Sibu

$34 4%

Almaty

$83 6.1% 140% $48

Getting Around

Sibu

$21 2.5%

Almaty

$28 2% 30.3% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $340 in Sibu versus $777 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 73% 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 $19.00 in Sibu versus $43.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $247 vs $251 – making Sibu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Sibu

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

20:26 8:26 PM

18:26 6:26 PM

2 h behind Sibu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

198,239

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 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

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Highest

Between locations

Sibu Almaty 5,710 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sibu
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

Sibu vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 57%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,299 per month in Sibu and $2,044 in Almaty. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sibu, 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 Sibu and $43.00 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 $866 in Sibu and $1,363 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 57%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sibu, where all-in costs run around $866, than in Almaty at $1,363. In Sibu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sibu – 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 Sibu. 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.