Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Baotou

For one person, living is cheaper in Baotou: $768 a month against $1,363 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Baotou
Learn more

Baotou Living Index

Jump to prices

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,363

/mo nomad

Baotou

🇨🇳 China

$768

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Baotou

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 Baotou actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,363 per month in Almaty vs $768 in Baotou, rent included.

Almaty $1,363
Baotou $768

A couple spends around $2,131 per month in Almaty vs $1,248 in Baotou, rent included.

Almaty $2,131
Baotou $1,248

A family of three spends $2,900 per month in Almaty vs $1,728 in Baotou, rent included.

Almaty $2,900
Baotou $1,728

Almaty costs about 77% more than Baotou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 1% above the global median, while Baotou is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.05 ₸5,899

$5.26 ¥35.18

148.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.44 ₸19.6K

$22.87 ¥153

89.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ₸3,962

$9.50 ¥63.5

-7.79%

Cappuccino

$3.32 ₸1,501

$2.78 ¥18.56

19.42%

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

$1.34 ₸607

$0.47 ¥3.17

185.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₸374

$0.31 ¥2.07

167.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 ₸1,518

$1.13 ¥7.59

197.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 ₸1,818

$1.91 ¥12.77

110.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ₸747

$1.87 ¥12.49

-11.76%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 ₸421

$1.59 ¥10.65

-41.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 ₸927

$0.65 ¥4.35

215.38%

Eggs

$2.46 ₸1,113

$2.48 ¥16.55

-0.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.49 ₸5,646

$13.77 ¥92.1

-9.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,035

$3.87 ¥25.86

73.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$12.26 ¥82.0

-11.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 ₸807

$1.90 ¥12.70

-6.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.33 ¥8.87

69.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 ₸1,299

$1.50 ¥10.01

91.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 ₸1,227

$1.27 ¥8.52

113.39%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 ₸362

$0.75 ¥5.01

6.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸249

$1.01 ¥6.76

-45.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$0.58 ¥3.88

179.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ₸453

$0.59 ¥3.93

69.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$4.28 ¥28.59

-39.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,039

$10.83 ¥72.4

2.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₸572

$0.86 ¥5.77

46.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₸1,120

$1.55 ¥10.34

60.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₸128

$0.31 ¥2.08

-9.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.05 ₸9,970

$16.41 ¥110

34.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 ₸607

$1.02 ¥6.85

31.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.35 ¥2.35

82.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.04 ₸4,993

$7.09 ¥47.38

55.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸326

$1.16 ¥7.77

-37.93%

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

$28.1K ₸12.7M

$21.1K ¥141.2K

33.25%

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

$31.8K ₸14.4M

$20.1K ¥134.6K

57.97%

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

$90.5 ₸40.9K

$58.0 ¥388

55.96%

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

$10.63 ₸4,805

$8.15 ¥54.5

30.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.12 ₸8,190

$9.65 ¥64.5

87.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 ₸31.2K

$47.39 ¥317

45.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.98 ₸12.2K

$15.49 ¥104

74.18%

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 ₸3,062

$5.08 ¥34.00

33.27%

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

$444 ₸200.6K

$371 ¥2,483

19.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K ₸5.4M

$19.7K ¥131.8K

-39.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.9 ₸41.5K

$42.80 ¥286

114.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.80 ₸21.6K

$36.08 ¥241

32.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 ₸63.0K

$73.6 ¥492

89.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₸59.4K

$88.4 ¥591

48.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$777 ₸351.2K

$263 ¥1,758

195.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$494 ₸223.4K

$173 ¥1,154

186.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 ₸650.4K

$605 ¥4,042

138.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$905 ₸409.2K

$380 ¥2,543

138.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,470 ₸1.1M

$3,121 ¥20.9K

-20.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,517 ₸685.7K

$2,040 ¥13.6K

-25.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$857 ₸387.2K

$666 ¥4,454

28.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

3.36

514.58%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 18, 2026

Last update for Baotou: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$494 36.3%

Baotou

$173 22.5% 65.1% $321

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$251 18.4%

Baotou

$217 28.3% 13.4% $33

Eating Out

Almaty

$204 15%

Baotou

$117 15.2% 42.9% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.6%

Baotou

$108 14.1% 41.3% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$119 8.8%

Baotou

$76 9.9% 36.4% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$83 6.1%

Baotou

$58 7.5% 30.3% $25

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Baotou

$20 2.7% 26.2% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $777 in Almaty versus $263 in Baotou. 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 29% 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 $43.00 in Almaty versus $23.00 in Baotou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $217 – making Baotou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Baotou

🕒 Local time

08:26 8:26 AM

10:26 10:26 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

2,709,378

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 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 21, 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

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Almaty Baotou 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
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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 Baotou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 77%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,044 per month in Almaty and $1,153 in Baotou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Baotou, 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 $43.00 in Almaty and $23.00 in Baotou. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,363 in Almaty and $768 in Baotou. That's a gap of about 77%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Baotou, where all-in costs run around $768, than in Almaty at $1,363. In Baotou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Baotou – 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 Baotou. 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.