Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Beijing (Pekin)

For one person, living is cheaper in Beijing (Pekin): $1,178 a month against $1,387 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Beijing (Pekin)
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Beijing (Pekin) Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,387

/mo nomad

Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,178

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Beijing (Pekin)

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 Beijing (Pekin) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,387 per month in Almaty vs $1,178 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Almaty $1,387
Beijing (Pekin) $1,178

A couple spends around $2,135 per month in Almaty vs $1,895 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Almaty $2,135
Beijing (Pekin) $1,895

A family of three spends $2,883 per month in Almaty vs $2,612 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Almaty $2,883
Beijing (Pekin) $2,612

Almaty costs about 18% more than Beijing (Pekin), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 3% above the global median, while Beijing (Pekin) is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.31 ₸5,991

$4.54 ¥30.39

193.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 ₸19.5K

$29.25 ¥196

48.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 ₸3,959

$5.32 ¥35.59

65.41%

Cappuccino

$3.30 ₸1,486

$3.52 ¥23.57

-6.25%

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

$1.37 ₸616

$0.53 ¥3.56

158.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₸406

$0.28 ¥1.88

221.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 ₸1,409

$1.22 ¥8.18

156.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 ₸1,847

$1.67 ¥11.15

145.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₸749

$1.67 ¥11.16

-0.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 ₸403

$1.77 ¥11.81

-49.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 ₸927

$1.29 ¥8.62

59.69%

Eggs

$2.37 ₸1,067

$2.04 ¥13.68

16.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.64 ₸5,689

$14.52 ¥97.2

-12.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 ₸2,978

$3.21 ¥21.46

106.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.87 ₸4,893

$11.23 ¥75.2

-3.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₸839

$2.09 ¥13.96

-11.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 ₸1,067

$1.72 ¥11.52

37.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 ₸1,348

$2.01 ¥13.44

48.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.83 ₸1,273

$1.55 ¥10.38

82.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ₸345

$0.67 ¥4.52

14.93%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 ₸262

$0.85 ¥5.70

-31.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 ₸718

$0.74 ¥4.96

114.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₸446

$0.62 ¥4.14

59.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.54 ₸1,145

$4.42 ¥29.57

-42.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.04 ₸4,969

$13.84 ¥92.7

-20.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸546

$1.03 ¥6.88

17.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 ₸1,085

$1.81 ¥12.11

33.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₸113

$0.64 ¥4.31

-60.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.84 ₸9,831

$34.88 ¥234

-37.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₸577

$1.98 ¥13.25

-35.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸289

$0.35 ¥2.35

82.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.74 ₸4,836

$7.65 ¥51.2

40.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.69 ₸312

$1.27 ¥8.51

-45.67%

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

$22.3K ₸10.0M

$19.6K ¥131.2K

13.69%

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

$29.3K ₸13.2M

$18.1K ¥121.4K

61.81%

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

$87.8 ₸39.5K

$59.0 ¥395

48.75%

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

$10.83 ₸4,874

$8.94 ¥59.9

21.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.40 ₸7,831

$14.15 ¥94.7

22.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 ₸31.4K

$40.77 ¥273

70.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.58 ₸12.0K

$24.56 ¥164

8.22%

Cinema Ticket

$6.68 ₸3,009

$7.38 ¥49.37

-9.49%

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

$446 ₸200.8K

$650 ¥4,353

-31.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₸5.4M

$24.5K ¥163.8K

-51.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.7 ₸42.2K

$70.4 ¥471

32.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.91 ₸21.1K

$40.51 ¥271

15.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 ₸64.3K

$87.6 ¥586

62.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.1K

$124 ¥830

7.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$773 ₸348.1K

$933 ¥6,246

-17.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$497 ₸223.9K

$518 ¥3,469

-4.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 ₸625.9K

$2,387 ¥16.0K

-41.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$880 ₸396.0K

$1,143 ¥7,654

-23.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,546 ₸1.1M

$12.6K ¥84.1K

-79.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,506 ₸678.2K

$6,393 ¥42.8K

-76.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$834 ₸375.2K

$1,710 ¥11.4K

-51.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

3.21

543.30%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 5, 2026

Last update for Beijing (Pekin): October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$497 36.4%

Beijing (Pekin)

$518 44% 4.2% $21

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$251 18.4%

Beijing (Pekin)

$228 19.4% 9.3% $23

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 15%

Beijing (Pekin)

$107 9.1% 47.8% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$188 13.7%

Beijing (Pekin)

$145 12.3% 22.6% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$116 8.5%

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 7% 29.2% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$83 6.1%

Beijing (Pekin)

$56 4.7% 33.2% $28

Getting Around

Almaty

$27 2%

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5% 50.7% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $773 in Almaty versus $933 in Beijing (Pekin). 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 105% higher in Beijing (Pekin), 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 $43.00 in Almaty versus $29.00 in Beijing (Pekin). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $228 – making Beijing (Pekin) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🕒 Local time

10:57 10:57 AM

12:57 12:57 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

21,893,095 Capital

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

1 CNY = 0.149 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 450 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Almaty Beijing (Pekin) 3,270 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Beijing (Pekin)

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 Beijing (Pekin): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 18%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,080 per month in Almaty and $1,768 in Beijing (Pekin). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Beijing (Pekin), 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 $29.00 in Beijing (Pekin). That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,387 in Almaty and $1,178 in Beijing (Pekin). That's a gap of about 18%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Beijing (Pekin), where all-in costs run around $1,178, than in Almaty at $1,387. In Beijing (Pekin) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Beijing (Pekin) – 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 Beijing (Pekin). 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.