Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zamboanga and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Zamboanga: $748 a month against $1,363 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Zamboanga
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Zamboanga Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Zamboanga

🇵🇭 Philippines

$748

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,363

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $748 per month in Zamboanga vs $1,363 in Almaty, rent included.

Zamboanga $748
Almaty $1,363

A couple spends around $1,123 per month in Zamboanga vs $2,131 in Almaty, rent included.

Zamboanga $1,123
Almaty $2,131

A family of three spends $1,497 per month in Zamboanga vs $2,900 in Almaty, rent included.

Zamboanga $1,497
Almaty $2,900

Zamboanga is about 45% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Zamboanga sits 45% below the global median, while Almaty is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.33 ₱83.5

$13.05 ₸5,899

-89.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.41 ₱1,033

$43.44 ₸19.6K

-62.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.50 ₱220

$8.76 ₸3,962

-60.05%

Cappuccino

$2.09 ₱132

$3.32 ₸1,501

-37.05%

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

$0.86 ₱54.0

$1.34 ₸607

-35.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ₱24.88

$0.83 ₸374

-51.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.44 ₱90.8

$3.36 ₸1,518

-57.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ₱129

$4.02 ₸1,818

-49.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.65 ₸747

6.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ₱89.0

$0.93 ₸421

51.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$2.05 ₸927

-43.41%

Eggs

$1.46 ₱91.7

$2.46 ₸1,113

-40.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.01 ₱630

$12.49 ₸5,646

-19.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.05 ₱255

$6.71 ₸3,035

-39.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.33 ₱209

$10.85 ₸4,905

-69.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 ₱200

$1.78 ₸807

78.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 ₱74.1

$2.25 ₸1,018

-47.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.82 ₱241

$2.87 ₸1,299

33.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 ₱73.1

$2.71 ₸1,227

-57.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 ₱79.6

$0.80 ₸362

57.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ₱161

$0.55 ₸249

365.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 ₱54.4

$1.62 ₸732

-46.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₱32.39

$1.00 ₸453

-49.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.74 ₱172

$2.58 ₸1,167

6.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.23 ₱266

$11.15 ₸5,039

-62.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 ₱82.1

$1.26 ₸572

3.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ₱124

$2.48 ₸1,120

-20.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱13.88

$0.28 ₸128

-21.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.19 ₱704

$22.05 ₸9,970

-49.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 ₱51.9

$1.34 ₸607

-38.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.50

$0.64 ₸288

-64.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 ₱118

$11.04 ₸4,993

-82.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 ₱64.4

$0.72 ₸326

41.67%

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

$21.7K ₱1.4M

$28.1K ₸12.7M

-22.76%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$31.8K ₸14.4M

-38.90%

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

$124 ₱7,826

$90.5 ₸40.9K

37.32%

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

$15.48 ₱975

$10.63 ₸4,805

45.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.25 ₱2,975

$18.12 ₸8,190

160.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.74 ₱2,250

$69.0 ₸31.2K

-48.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.67 ₱294

$26.98 ₸12.2K

-82.69%

Cinema Ticket

$5.07 ₱319

$6.77 ₸3,062

-25.11%

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

$133 ₱8,372

$444 ₸200.6K

-70.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,082 ₱508.9K

$12.0K ₸5.4M

-32.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.93 ₱2,073

$91.9 ₸41.5K

-64.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.29 ₱1,215

$47.80 ₸21.6K

-59.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.8 ₱4,457

$139 ₸63.0K

-49.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.7 ₱3,505

$131 ₸59.4K

-57.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$266 ₱16.8K

$777 ₸351.2K

-65.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$175 ₱11.0K

$494 ₸223.4K

-64.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$332 ₱20.9K

$1,439 ₸650.4K

-76.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$360 ₱22.6K

$905 ₸409.2K

-60.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,366 ₱149.0K

$2,470 ₸1.1M

-4.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$998 ₱62.9K

$1,517 ₸685.7K

-34.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$193 ₱12.2K

$857 ₸387.2K

-77.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

20.65

-67.12%

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

Last update for Zamboanga: October 19, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zamboanga

$187 25%

Almaty

$119 8.8% 36.2% $68

Groceries & Markets

Zamboanga

$184 24.6%

Almaty

$251 18.4% 36.3% $67

Accommodation & Living

Zamboanga

$175 23.3%

Almaty

$494 36.3% 183% $319

Clothing & Footwear

Zamboanga

$80 10.7%

Almaty

$185 13.6% 130% $104

Eating Out

Zamboanga

$62 8.4%

Almaty

$204 15% 227% $142

Sport & Entertainment

Zamboanga

$46 6.1%

Almaty

$83 6.1% 79.9% $37

Getting Around

Zamboanga

$14 1.9%

Almaty

$28 2% 97.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $266 in Zamboanga 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 343% 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 $16.00 in Zamboanga versus $43.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $184 vs $251 – making Zamboanga the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Zamboanga

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

20:27 8:27 PM

18:27 6:27 PM

2 h behind Zamboanga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 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 PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zamboanga Almaty 5,970 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Zamboanga
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

Zamboanga vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 82%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,123 per month in Zamboanga 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 Zamboanga, 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 $16.00 in Zamboanga 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 $748 in Zamboanga and $1,363 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 82%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Zamboanga, where all-in costs run around $748, than in Almaty at $1,363. In Zamboanga it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zamboanga – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Zamboanga. 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.