Living in Almaty, Kazakhstan : Cost of Living in Almaty - Food & Prices

Wondering what the cost of food items are in 2014... below I have tried to give you an idea of what to expect in terms of prices. This topic is broken up into 2 posts, the follow-up will include other information, tips and some idea of what other things cost in Almaty.

Currently the exchange rate is USD 1 to 181 KZT (Kazakh Tenge)

The following prices will give you a rough idea of what to expect (Mid- 2014)

Bread between 70-150KZT ($0.38- $1)

Milk roughly 200 KZT per litre ($1.10) depending on the brand and type, there are lots of milk products ranging from fresh to curd/ sour and cow to camel...and it can all be a bit confusing shopping for milk the first time. I prefer the “Foodmaster” brand when it comes to dairy products.

Fresh Foodmaster Milk

The cheese selections are impressive in most supermarkets, so I am sure if you are willing to experiment you will find what you are looking for even goat's cheese. Yellow cheeses range from 2200 to 3000 KZT per kg. My favourite is a yellow cheese made from sour cream called ‘сметанковые’.

My favourite yoghurt products also by Foodmaster

Meat

Meat is more difficult to price as it depends on where you buy it - either at the market like the GreenBazaar or the supermarket and whether it is chicken, beef, lamb or pork (yes, you can get pork and bacon here, but only at selected shops like Bekker, Ramstore and a few other supermarkets).

If you are brave enough you could buy your meat at the market, but you need to find a good seller and build a relationship with them to get the best cuts and best quality meat.

Chicken products are roughly about 900Kzt per kg

Beef – mince meat about 1500Kzt per kg

Beef strips like ‘beef stroganoff’ about 2900Kzt per kg

If you like salami type meats- there are a large varieties available here in Almaty ranging from Spanish imported cold meats to Russian made sausages.

Water

Bottled water delivered at your home can range from 500-800Kzt for 19L.

Our preferred , but also the most expensive, is Calipso http://www.calipso-water.kz/

When we arrived we where advised to drink bottled water, however, many locals do drink the tap water.

Fruits & Vegetables

During summer, local fruits and vegetables can be very cheap like 400KZT ($2.20) for a kilo of raspberries and 800KZT ($4.40) for a kilo of cherries. Potatoes can be as little as 90Kzt per kg (50 cents). While during the winter the prices are excessive and the quality is really poor … tomatoes and potatoes don’t even last a day or two.

Grocery expenses

Expect your monthly grocery bill to be roughly 150 000+ KZT for a couple, which includes the odd imported product.

Shopping Tips

It might all be a bit confusing when shopping for groceries for the first time… you are lucky if any of the brands look familiar. So, my suggestion is to try the bigger stores like Ramstore that have English written on the shelves.

Over the years, we have found that the range of products and brands on offer have increased tremendously. When we got here, now that was a different story, you would not find a particular food item for months on end- so we still stock-up on the stuff that we prefer like peanut butter or all bran flakes... just in case.

Here are a few items listed below to give you a rough idea of what other beverage items might cost.

CarteNiore instant coffee 100g- 2 000Kzt

Jacobs Coffee 100g- 1 000Kzt

Coca-cola 1l- 160Kzt

There are a range of local and imported beers available, they are relatively cheap in the grocery stores.

Miller Beer 0.33l – 250Kzt

Holsten Pilsener 0.5l 200Kzt

Foreign beers

Bottle of wine depending on what you are looking for could be priced from 1900Kzt and anything upwards. You will find Argentinian, French and Georgian wines plentiful in the supermarkets. There is little or no control over who or when liquor can be sold, so even your small corner shop will stock a wide range of alcoholic beverages and you can buy it at anytime.

You will even find some STRONG local cognac