Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Beihai

For one person, living is cheaper in Beihai: $744 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Beihai
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Beihai Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Beihai

🇨🇳 China

$744

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Beihai

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $744 in Beihai, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Beihai $744

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,167 in Beihai, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Beihai $1,167

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,590 in Beihai, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Beihai $1,590

Almaty costs about 84% more than Beihai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Beihai is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,939

$3.40 ¥22.75

287.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.2K

$19.56 ¥131

129.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,015

$5.58 ¥37.31

59.50%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,466

$2.43 ¥16.28

33.74%

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

$1.41 ₸638

$0.46 ¥3.09

206.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸398

$0.30 ¥1.99

193.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,510

$1.22 ¥8.14

174.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,824

$2.29 ¥15.34

76.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸761

$1.90 ¥12.69

-11.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.70 ¥11.36

-49.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸916

$1.10 ¥7.33

84.55%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,098

$1.87 ¥12.53

29.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,623

$13.95 ¥93.3

-10.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,028

$2.92 ¥19.54

129.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,896

$10.58 ¥70.8

2.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸812

$2.10 ¥14.03

-14.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,017

$1.48 ¥9.91

52.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,312

$1.52 ¥10.19

91.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,241

$1.27 ¥8.48

116.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$0.74 ¥4.92

1.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$0.97 ¥6.46

-43.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸731

$0.67 ¥4.47

141.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸473

$0.50 ¥3.33

110.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,165

$3.39 ¥22.70

-23.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,034

$12.05 ¥80.6

-7.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸546

$0.74 ¥4.95

63.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,102

$1.66 ¥11.10

46.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.30 ¥2.02

-13.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,940

$17.17 ¥115

28.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸610

$1.56 ¥10.42

-13.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.31 ¥2.08

106.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,036

$6.21 ¥41.53

79.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸323

$1.39 ¥9.31

-48.20%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$18.2K ¥121.6K

23.85%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$18.2K ¥121.9K

66.01%

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

$91.8 ₸41.4K

$61.5 ¥411

49.21%

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

$10.66 ₸4,812

$9.42 ¥63.0

13.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,058

$12.09 ¥80.9

47.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.7K

$40.99 ¥274

71.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$14.01 ¥93.7

97.00%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,059

$5.71 ¥38.20

18.74%

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

$449 ₸202.5K

$458 ¥3,065

-2.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$18.3K ¥122.6K

-33.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.6K

$48.58 ¥325

85.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.2K

$38.03 ¥254

23.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.0K

$79.9 ¥534

77.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸59.9K

$79.0 ¥528

68.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.1K

$279 ¥1,863

188.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.5K

$178 ¥1,190

180.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸644.8K

$718 ¥4,804

98.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.2K

$332 ¥2,221

172.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$3,665 ¥24.5K

-31.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸703.5K

$2,221 ¥14.9K

-29.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸392.6K

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 10, 2026

Last update for Beihai: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Beihai

$178 23.9% 64.4% $322

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Beihai

$212 28.5% 15.4% $39

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Beihai

$87 11.7% 57.6% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Beihai

$110 14.9% 40.3% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Beihai

$83 11.2% 31% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Beihai

$52 7% 37.5% $31

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Beihai

$22 2.9% 22.1% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $279 in Beihai. 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 $20.00 in Beihai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $212 – making Beihai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Beihai

🕒 Local time

11:45 11:45 AM

13:45 1:45 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

1,617,500

💱 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 Beihai 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Beihai

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 Beihai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 84%, 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 $1,116 in Beihai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Beihai, 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 $20.00 in Beihai. 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 $744 in Beihai. That's a gap of about 84%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Beihai, where all-in costs run around $744, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Beihai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Beihai – 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 Beihai. 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.