Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Binzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Binzhou: $775 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Almaty
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
$1,372
/mo nomad
Binzhou
🇨🇳 China
$775
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Binzhou

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $775 in Binzhou, rent included.

  • Almaty $1,372
  • Binzhou $775

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,224 in Binzhou, rent included.

  • Almaty $2,142
  • Binzhou $1,224

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,672 in Binzhou, rent included.

  • Almaty $2,913
  • Binzhou $1,672

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

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Binzhou is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Almaty
Binzhou
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.16 ₸5,949
$3.02 ¥20.20
335.76%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.86 ₸20.3K
$17.67 ¥118
153.88%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.90 ₸4,022
$4.40 ¥29.44
102.27%
Cappuccino
$3.25 ₸1,469
$2.69 ¥18.00
20.82%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 ₸639
$0.51 ¥3.39
176.47%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.88 ₸399
$0.30 ¥2.00
193.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.35 ₸1,513
$1.05 ¥7.03
219.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.04 ₸1,827
$2.55 ¥17.08
58.43%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Almaty
Binzhou
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.69 ₸762
$1.93 ¥12.91
-12.44%
White Bread (500g)
$0.86 ₸390
$1.36 ¥9.09
-36.76%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.03 ₸917
$1.04 ¥6.94
95.19%
Eggs
$2.43 ₸1,100
$1.30 ¥8.68
86.92%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.46 ₸5,632
$16.40 ¥110
-24.02%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.71 ₸3,033
$4.42 ¥29.55
51.81%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.85 ₸4,905
$9.53 ¥63.7
13.85%
Apples (1kg)
$1.80 ₸813
$1.47 ¥9.80
22.45%
Banana (1kg)
$2.25 ₸1,018
$1.20 ¥8.00
87.50%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.91 ₸1,314
$1.69 ¥11.33
72.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.75 ₸1,243
$1.30 ¥8.70
111.54%
Potato (1kg)
$0.75 ₸337
$0.68 ¥4.57
10.29%
Onion (1kg)
$0.55 ₸248
$0.97 ¥6.47
-43.30%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.62 ₸732
$0.93 ¥6.24
74.19%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.05 ₸474
$0.61 ¥4.05
72.13%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.58 ₸1,167
$3.76 ¥25.15
-31.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.15 ₸5,042
$14.72 ¥98.4
-24.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.21 ₸547
$1.03 ¥6.86
17.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.44 ₸1,104
$1.63 ¥10.91
49.69%
🚌 Getting Around
Almaty
Binzhou
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.26 ₸117
$0.29 ¥1.93
-10.34%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.03 ₸9,957
$17.01 ¥114
29.51%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.35 ₸611
$1.04 ¥6.95
29.81%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.64 ₸288
$0.45 ¥2.99
42.22%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.16 ₸5,044
$8.82 ¥59.0
26.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.72 ₸324
$1.27 ¥8.52
-43.31%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.5K ₸10.2M
$19.7K ¥131.7K
14.31%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.3K ₸13.7M
$16.5K ¥110.4K
83.32%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Almaty
Binzhou
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$91.8 ₸41.5K
$67.8 ¥453
35.37%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.66 ₸4,820
$6.88 ¥46.00
54.94%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.86 ₸8,072
$7.89 ¥52.7
126.36%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Almaty
Binzhou
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$70.3 ₸31.8K
$41.59 ¥278
69.10%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.60 ₸12.5K
$14.50 ¥97.0
90.34%
Cinema Ticket
$6.78 ₸3,064
$5.67 ¥37.90
19.58%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Almaty
Binzhou
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$449 ₸202.9K
$368 ¥2,462
21.87%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.1K ₸5.5M
$17.8K ¥118.7K
-31.84%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Almaty
Binzhou
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$89.9 ₸40.7K
$52.2 ¥349
72.20%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.02 ₸21.3K
$47.93 ¥320
-1.90%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$142 ₸64.1K
$93.8 ¥627
51.26%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$133 ₸60.0K
$89.8 ¥600
47.86%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Almaty
Binzhou
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$805 ₸363.7K
$296 ¥1,980
171.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$500 ₸225.9K
$184 ¥1,232
171.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,429 ₸645.9K
$624 ¥4,173
128.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$904 ₸408.8K
$378 ¥2,529
139.09%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,503 ₸1.1M
$3,388 ¥22.7K
-26.11%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,559 ₸704.7K
$1,677 ¥11.2K
-7.04%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Almaty
Binzhou
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$870 ₸393.3K
$567 ¥3,788
53.58%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
20.65
3.37
512.76%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Binzhou: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Almaty
$500
Binzhou
$184 63.1% $315
Groceries & Markets
Almaty
$250
Binzhou
$223 11% $28
Eating Out
Almaty
$205
Binzhou
$83 59.4% $122
Clothing & Footwear
Almaty
$185
Binzhou
$128 31.1% $58
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Almaty
$120
Binzhou
$83 31.4% $38
Sport & Entertainment
Almaty
$84
Binzhou
$53 36.9% $31
Getting Around
Almaty
$28
Binzhou
$21 22.3% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $296 in Binzhou. 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 54% 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 $45.00 in Almaty versus $18.00 in Binzhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $223 – making Binzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇰🇿 Almaty
🇨🇳 Binzhou
🕒 Local time
15:07 3:07 PM
17:07 5:07 PM
2 h ahead of Almaty
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,475,400
3,748,500
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Almaty Binzhou 3,500 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Almaty
  • Binzhou

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 Binzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Binzhou cheaper than Almaty?
Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 77%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,058 per month in Almaty and $1,162 in Binzhou. 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 Binzhou, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Almaty or in Binzhou?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Almaty and $18.00 in Binzhou. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Almaty and in Binzhou?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,372 in Almaty and $775 in Binzhou. That's a gap of about 77%.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Almaty or in Binzhou?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Binzhou, where all-in costs run around $775, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Binzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Almaty or Binzhou more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Binzhou – 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 Binzhou. 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.

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