Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Bortala

For one person, living is cheaper in Bortala: $758 a month against $1,362 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Bortala
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Bortala Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,362

/mo nomad

Bortala

🇨🇳 China

$758

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Bortala

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

A single person spends $1,362 per month in Almaty vs $758 in Bortala, rent included.

Almaty $1,362
Bortala $758

A couple spends around $2,151 per month in Almaty vs $1,168 in Bortala, rent included.

Almaty $2,151
Bortala $1,168

A family of three spends $2,940 per month in Almaty vs $1,577 in Bortala, rent included.

Almaty $2,940
Bortala $1,577

Almaty costs about 80% more than Bortala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.32 ₸6,066

$2.99 ¥19.88

345.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.80 ₸20.4K

$22.84 ¥152

96.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 ₸4,071

$4.86 ¥32.33

83.95%

Cappuccino

$3.37 ₸1,537

$2.79 ¥18.54

20.79%

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

$1.32 ₸602

$0.48 ¥3.18

175.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 ₸398

$0.32 ¥2.10

171.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 ₸1,434

$1.11 ¥7.39

183.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 ₸1,801

$2.16 ¥14.35

82.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₸756

$1.87 ¥12.46

-11.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸393

$1.59 ¥10.58

-45.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 ₸913

$0.95 ¥6.30

111.58%

Eggs

$2.47 ₸1,127

$1.60 ¥10.68

54.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.58 ₸5,728

$13.42 ¥89.3

-6.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.57 ₸2,992

$3.36 ¥22.38

95.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.61 ₸4,832

$11.29 ¥75.1

-6.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 ₸816

$1.89 ¥12.55

-5.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₸1,046

$1.34 ¥8.89

71.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 ₸1,349

$1.51 ¥10.02

96.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 ₸1,301

$1.26 ¥8.36

126.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 ₸367

$0.75 ¥4.99

8.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₸268

$0.98 ¥6.50

-39.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 ₸721

$0.59 ¥3.95

167.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₸453

$0.59 ¥3.90

67.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.74 ₸1,248

$3.71 ¥24.71

-26.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.30 ₸5,147

$11.52 ¥76.7

-1.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 ₸558

$0.88 ¥5.88

38.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 ₸1,122

$1.55 ¥10.31

58.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.28 ¥1.87

-7.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.98 ₸10.0K

$15.99 ¥106

37.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸616

$1.57 ¥10.47

-14.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 ₸320

$0.32 ¥2.15

118.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.12 ₸5,065

$7.15 ¥47.60

55.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸329

$1.17 ¥7.81

-38.46%

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

$28.4K ₸12.9M

$19.4K ¥129.1K

46.36%

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

$31.8K ₸14.5M

$15.2K ¥101.0K

109.60%

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

$91.3 ₸41.6K

$57.1 ¥380

59.82%

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

$10.60 ₸4,827

$8.48 ¥56.5

25.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.89 ₸8,147

$11.13 ¥74.1

60.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.3 ₸29.7K

$41.95 ¥279

55.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.76 ₸12.6K

$14.98 ¥99.7

85.31%

Cinema Ticket

$6.47 ₸2,945

$6.53 ¥43.43

-0.92%

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

$473 ₸215.3K

$453 ¥3,016

4.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K ₸5.6M

$19.3K ¥128.6K

-36.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.1 ₸42.4K

$42.79 ¥285

117.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.67 ₸21.7K

$30.92 ¥206

54.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 ₸65.0K

$75.6 ¥503

88.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 ₸61.3K

$68.3 ¥455

96.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₸355.5K

$291 ¥1,934

168.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$492 ₸224.1K

$214 ¥1,421

130.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₸646.5K

$582 ¥3,874

143.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$934 ₸425.5K

$343 ¥2,283

172.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,462 ₸1.1M

$3,687 ¥24.5K

-33.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,591 ₸724.9K

$1,825 ¥12.1K

-12.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$873 ₸397.4K

$625 ¥4,161

39.56%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Bortala: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$492 36.1%

Bortala

$214 28.2% 56.6% $279

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.4%

Bortala

$210 27.7% 16.1% $40

Eating Out

Almaty

$206 15.1%

Bortala

$85 11.2% 58.8% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$188 13.8%

Bortala

$98 12.9% 47.9% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Bortala

$77 10.1% 35.9% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$78 5.7%

Bortala

$55 7.3% 29.7% $23

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2.1%

Bortala

$20 2.7% 27.2% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $780 in Almaty versus $291 in Bortala. 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 40% 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 in Almaty versus $23 in Bortala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $210 – making Bortala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Bortala

🕒 Local time

21:37 9:37 PM

00:37 12:37 AM

3 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

246,706

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 455 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD). 1 EUR = 507 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

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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 Bortala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 80%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,043 per month in Almaty and $1,137 in Bortala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bortala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $291 there versus $780 in Almaty.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Almaty and $23 in Bortala. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,362 in Almaty and $758 in Bortala. That’s a gap of about 80%.

Families tend to lean toward Bortala – 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 Bortala. 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.