Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aktobe and Shenyang

For one person, living is cheaper in Shenyang: $718 a month against $881 in Aktobe, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. The total is higher in Aktobe despite lower rent and utilities.

Aktobe
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
$881
/mo nomad
Shenyang
🇨🇳 China
$718
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aktobe and in Shenyang

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

A single person spends $881 per month in Aktobe vs $718 in Shenyang, rent included.

  • Aktobe $881
  • Shenyang $718

A couple spends around $1,386 per month in Aktobe vs $1,071 in Shenyang, rent included.

  • Aktobe $1,386
  • Shenyang $1,071

A family of three spends $1,891 per month in Aktobe vs $1,424 in Shenyang, rent included.

  • Aktobe $1,891
  • Shenyang $1,424

Aktobe costs about 23% more than Shenyang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Aktobe and Shenyang are more affordable than the global median – Aktobe 35% lower, Shenyang 47% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Aktobe
Shenyang
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.74 ₸3,951
$3.00 ¥20.04
191.33%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.63 ₸18.4K
$22.24 ¥148
82.69%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.01 ₸3,170
$5.08 ¥33.93
37.99%
Cappuccino
$2.47 ₸1,115
$2.46 ¥16.43
0.41%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.26 ₸567
$0.47 ¥3.16
168.09%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.61 ₸275
$0.38 ¥2.54
60.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.84 ₸831
$0.87 ¥5.79
111.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.95 ₸1,335
$1.82 ¥12.15
62.09%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Aktobe
Shenyang
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.42 ₸641
$1.89 ¥12.65
-24.87%
White Bread (500g)
$0.41 ₸184
$2.46 ¥16.43
-83.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.93 ₸421
$1.08 ¥7.18
-13.89%
Eggs
$1.77 ₸799
$1.03 ¥6.87
71.84%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.82 ₸3,535
-
-
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.68 ₸2,569
-
-
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.10 ₸4,115
$11.99 ¥80.0
-24.10%
Apples (1kg)
$1.62 ₸733
$1.78 ¥11.89
-8.99%
Banana (1kg)
$2.13 ₸964
$1.19 ¥7.93
78.99%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.34 ₸1,058
-
-
Tomato (1kg)
$1.94 ₸878
$1.53 ¥10.21
26.80%
Potato (1kg)
$0.84 ₸378
-
-
Onion (1kg)
$0.40 ₸181
-
-
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.09 ₸494
$0.61 ¥4.07
78.69%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.69 ₸312
$0.64 ¥4.27
7.81%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.53 ₸1,142
$3.77 ¥25.14
-32.89%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.95 ₸2,689
$16.53 ¥110
-64.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 ₸489
$0.66 ¥4.40
63.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.81 ₸818
$1.09 ¥7.26
66.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Aktobe
Shenyang
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.20 ₸90.8
$0.38 ¥2.57
-47.37%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$17.62 ₸7,966
$12.91 ¥86.2
36.48%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.08 ₸487
$1.35 ¥9.03
-20.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.13 ₸511
$0.31 ¥2.09
264.52%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.53 ₸2,499
$2.96 ¥19.76
86.82%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.65 ₸294
$1.29 ¥8.64
-49.61%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.1K ₸10.4M
$19.1K ¥127.5K
20.99%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.6K ₸13.8M
$18.3K ¥122.3K
67.20%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Aktobe
Shenyang
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$55.8 ₸25.2K
$75.4 ¥503
-26.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.35 ₸4,680
$15.87 ¥106
-34.78%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.93 ₸9,463
$14.87 ¥99.3
40.75%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Aktobe
Shenyang
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.08 ₸21.7K
$22.27 ¥149
115.90%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.14 ₸5,490
$10.79 ¥72.0
12.51%
Cinema Ticket
$5.44 ₸2,458
$6.09 ¥40.69
-10.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Aktobe
Shenyang
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$220 ₸99.6K
$539 ¥3,601
-59.14%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,286 ₸1.5M
$21.3K ¥141.9K
-84.54%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Aktobe
Shenyang
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.4 ₸24.6K
$42.49 ¥284
27.96%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.8 ₸25.2K
-
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$118 ₸53.3K
$59.5 ¥397
98.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$100 ₸45.3K
$69.5 ¥464
44.18%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Aktobe
Shenyang
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$307 ₸138.8K
$277 ¥1,847
11.01%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$233 ₸105.5K
$242 ¥1,617
-3.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$453 ₸204.8K
$558 ¥3,729
-18.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$359 ₸162.3K
$393 ¥2,621
-8.55%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$846 ₸382.4K
$2,272 ¥15.2K
-62.76%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$546 ₸247.0K
$1,308 ¥8,732
-58.22%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Aktobe
Shenyang
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$548 ₸247.8K
$1,115 ¥7,444
-50.84%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
17
4.37
289.02%

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

Last update for Aktobe: October 12, 2026

Last update for Shenyang: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Aktobe
$234
Shenyang
$242 3.7% $8.6
Groceries & Markets
Aktobe
$185
Shenyang
$160 * 13.4% $25
Clothing & Footwear
Aktobe
$148
Shenyang
$77 * 47.8% $71
Eating Out
Aktobe
$143
Shenyang
$80 44% $63
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Aktobe
$87
Shenyang
$106 21.9% $19
Sport & Entertainment
Aktobe
$59
Shenyang
$34 41.6% $25
Getting Around
Aktobe
$25
Shenyang
$17 30.9% $7.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $307 in Aktobe versus $277 in Shenyang. 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 103% higher in Shenyang, 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 $41.00 in Aktobe versus $22.00 in Shenyang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $185 vs $160 – making Shenyang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇰🇿 Aktobe
🇨🇳 Shenyang
🕒 Local time
12:48 12:48 PM
15:48 3:48 PM
3 h ahead of Aktobe
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
570,452
9,199,601
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Aktobe Shenyang 5,020 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Aktobe
  • Shenyang

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
Aktobe vs Shenyang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Shenyang cheaper than Aktobe?
Yes – Aktobe is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,321 per month in Aktobe and $1,076 in Shenyang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Shenyang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do food prices compare in Aktobe and in Shenyang?
Groceries cost about 15% more in Aktobe, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is eating out cheaper in Aktobe or in Shenyang?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Aktobe and $22.00 in Shenyang. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $800 enough for either Aktobe or Shenyang?
$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $881 in Aktobe and $718 in Shenyang, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is Aktobe or Shenyang more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Shenyang – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Shenyang. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Aktobe makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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