Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Southern Cross and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Almaty: $1,372 a month against $2,347 in Southern Cross, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in Southern Cross
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Southern Cross Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Southern Cross

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,347

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,347 per month in Southern Cross vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Southern Cross $2,347
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $3,547 per month in Southern Cross vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Southern Cross $3,547
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $4,747 per month in Southern Cross vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Southern Cross $4,747
Almaty $2,913

Southern Cross costs about 71% more than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Southern Cross and Almaty sit above the global median – Southern Cross by 74%, Almaty by 2%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.67 A$28.30

$13.16 ₸5,949

49.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.9 A$89.1

$44.86 ₸20.3K

37.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.52 A$15.13

$8.90 ₸4,022

18.20%

Cappuccino

$3.57 A$5.14

$3.25 ₸1,469

9.85%

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

$2.47 A$3.55

$1.41 ₸639

75.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 A$2.44

$0.88 ₸399

93.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.08 A$10.19

$3.35 ₸1,513

111.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.22 A$11.83

$4.04 ₸1,827

103.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 A$2.26

$1.69 ₸762

-7.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 A$3.80

$0.86 ₸390

206.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 A$3.14

$2.03 ₸917

7.39%

Eggs

$2.72 A$3.92

$2.43 ₸1,100

11.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 A$13.55

$12.46 ₸5,632

-24.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.15 A$13.16

$6.71 ₸3,033

36.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.68 A$21.13

$10.85 ₸4,905

35.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.83 A$5.51

$1.80 ₸813

112.78%

Banana (1kg)

$3.11 A$4.48

$2.25 ₸1,018

38.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.32 A$4.78

$2.91 ₸1,314

14.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$2.75 ₸1,243

73.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.83 A$4.07

$0.75 ₸337

277.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 A$3.43

$0.55 ₸248

332.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 A$3.46

$1.62 ₸732

48.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.05 ₸474

40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$34.77 A$50.0

$2.58 ₸1,167

1247.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.03 A$20.19

$11.15 ₸5,042

25.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.63 A$6.67

$1.21 ₸547

282.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.67

$2.44 ₸1,104

118.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.70 A$3.88

$0.26 ₸117

938.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.3 A$133

$22.03 ₸9,957

319.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 A$4.32

$1.35 ₸611

122.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 A$2.40

$0.64 ₸288

159.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.90 A$56.0

$11.16 ₸5,044

248.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 A$1.80

$0.72 ₸324

73.61%

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

$24.1K A$34.7K

$22.5K ₸10.2M

7.09%

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

$28.1K A$40.5K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-7.07%

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

$201 A$289

$91.8 ₸41.5K

118.58%

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

$28.18 A$40.56

$10.66 ₸4,820

164.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.8 A$81.7

$17.86 ₸8,072

218.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.78 A$71.6

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-29.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.91 A$25.77

$27.60 ₸12.5K

-35.11%

Cinema Ticket

$13.34 A$19.20

$6.78 ₸3,064

96.76%

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

$2,080 A$2,994

$449 ₸202.9K

363.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K A$25.9K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

48.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.0 A$116

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-10.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 A$82.2

$47.02 ₸21.3K

21.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.1 A$141

$142 ₸64.1K

-30.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$133 ₸60.0K

-0.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,265 A$1,821

$805 ₸363.7K

57.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 A$1,507

$500 ₸225.9K

109.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,210 A$3,180

$1,429 ₸645.9K

54.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,939 A$2,790

$904 ₸408.8K

114.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,734 A$8,251

$2,503 ₸1.1M

129.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,261 A$7,571

$1,559 ₸704.7K

237.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,010 A$10.1K

$870 ₸393.3K

705.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.25

20.65

-69.73%

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

Last update for Southern Cross: 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

Southern Cross

$1K 44.6%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 52.3% $548

Groceries & Markets

Southern Cross

$357 15.2%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 29.9% $107

Eating Out

Southern Cross

$300 12.8%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 31.7% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Southern Cross

$286 12.2%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 57.9% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Southern Cross

$166 7.1%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 11.7% $19

Getting Around

Southern Cross

$114 4.9%

Almaty

$28 2% 75.9% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Southern Cross

$76 3.3%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 9.7% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,265 in Southern Cross 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 706% higher in Southern Cross, 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 $62.0 in Southern Cross versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $357 vs $250 – making Almaty the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Southern Cross

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

22:00 10:00 PM

20:00 8:00 PM

2 h behind Southern Cross

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

700

1,475,400

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 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 AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Southern Cross Almaty 9,340 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Southern Cross
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

Southern Cross vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Southern Cross is pricier by about 71%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,520 per month in Southern Cross 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 Almaty, 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 $62.0 in Southern Cross 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 $2,347 in Southern Cross and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 71%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Almaty, where all-in costs run around $1,372, than in Southern Cross at $2,347. In Almaty it covers expenses comfortably, while in Southern Cross it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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