Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Ankang

For one person, living is cheaper in Ankang: $725 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Ankang
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Ankang Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Ankang

🇨🇳 China

$725

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Ankang

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $725 in Ankang, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Ankang $725

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,132 in Ankang, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Ankang $1,132

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,540 in Ankang, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Ankang $1,540

Almaty costs about 89% more than Ankang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Ankang is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,939

$1.47 ¥9.81

795.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.2K

$14.99 ¥100

199.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,015

$2.91 ¥19.47

205.84%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,466

$2.15 ¥14.40

51.16%

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

$1.41 ₸638

$0.43 ¥2.90

227.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸398

$0.27 ¥1.79

225.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,510

$1.50 ¥10.03

123.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,824

$1.48 ¥9.87

172.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸761

$1.47 ¥9.85

14.97%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.70 ¥11.37

-49.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸916

$0.90 ¥5.99

125.56%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,098

$1.49 ¥9.98

63.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,623

$11.41 ¥76.3

9.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,028

$4.12 ¥27.53

62.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,896

$10.36 ¥69.3

4.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸812

$1.70 ¥11.35

5.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,017

$1.15 ¥7.67

95.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,312

$1.24 ¥8.32

134.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,241

$1.26 ¥8.44

118.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$0.68 ¥4.52

10.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$0.69 ¥4.61

-20.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸731

$0.58 ¥3.85

179.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸473

$0.55 ¥3.68

90.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,165

$3.31 ¥22.16

-22.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,034

$9.89 ¥66.2

12.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸546

$0.78 ¥5.19

55.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,102

$1.68 ¥11.23

45.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.32 ¥2.12

-18.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,940

$17.21 ¥115

28.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸610

$1.25 ¥8.35

8.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.29 ¥1.93

120.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,036

$4.36 ¥29.17

155.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸323

$1.36 ¥9.08

-47.06%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$19.3K ¥129.4K

16.42%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$17.5K ¥117.0K

72.99%

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

$91.8 ₸41.4K

$89.3 ¥597

2.76%

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

$10.66 ₸4,812

$3.26 ¥21.79

226.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,058

$10.61 ¥71.0

68.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.7K

$44.85 ¥300

56.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$13.11 ¥87.7

110.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,059

$5.68 ¥38.00

19.37%

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

$449 ₸202.5K

$679 ¥4,541

-33.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$17.2K ¥115.3K

-29.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.6K

$39.44 ¥264

128.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.2K

$37.19 ¥249

26.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.0K

$74.4 ¥498

90.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸59.9K

$92.4 ¥618

43.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.1K

$299 ¥2,003

168.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.5K

$182 ¥1,220

173.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸644.8K

$616 ¥4,118

132.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.2K

$386 ¥2,583

134.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$3,279 ¥21.9K

-23.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸703.5K

$2,225 ¥14.9K

-29.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸392.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

3.35

516.42%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ankang: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Ankang

$182 25.2% 63.5% $317

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Ankang

$193 26.6% 22.8% $57

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Ankang

$60 8.2% 70.9% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Ankang

$110 15.1% 40.8% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Ankang

$103 14.2% 14.2% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Ankang

$56 7.8% 33% $28

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Ankang

$21 2.9% 23.3% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $299 in Ankang. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Almaty versus $15.00 in Ankang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $193 – making Ankang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Ankang

🕒 Local time

11:45 11:45 AM

13:45 1:45 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

894,853

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 451 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Almaty Ankang 3,020 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Ankang

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

Almaty vs Ankang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 89%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,058 per month in Almaty and $1,088 in Ankang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ankang, 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 $45.00 in Almaty and $15.00 in Ankang. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,372 in Almaty and $725 in Ankang. That's a gap of about 89%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ankang, where all-in costs run around $725, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Ankang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ankang – 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 Ankang. 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.