Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Chang-hua

For one person, living is cheaper in Chang-hua: $864 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Chang-hua
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Chang-hua Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Chang-hua

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$864

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Chang-hua

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 Chang-hua actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $864 in Chang-hua, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Chang-hua $864

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,343 in Chang-hua, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Chang-hua $1,343

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,822 in Chang-hua, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Chang-hua $1,822

Almaty costs about 59% more than Chang-hua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Chang-hua is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$3.83 NT$124

243.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$32.76 NT$1,062

36.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$5.53 NT$179

60.94%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$1.63 NT$52.7

99.39%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$0.96 NT$30.99

46.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.56 NT$18.01

57.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

$1.36 NT$44.21

146.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$2.17 NT$70.3

86.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$2.38 NT$77.1

-28.99%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$2.07 NT$67.2

-58.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$2.94 NT$95.5

-30.95%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$2.76 NT$89.5

-11.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

$16.19 NT$525

-23.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$9.51 NT$308

-29.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$21.23 NT$688

-48.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$4.82 NT$156

-62.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$3.38 NT$110

-33.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$2.93 NT$95.1

-0.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$3.17 NT$103

-13.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$2.77 NT$89.8

-72.92%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$2.11 NT$68.4

-73.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$1.69 NT$54.9

-4.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.77 NT$24.97

36.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$3.96 NT$128

-34.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

$9.43 NT$306

18.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$1.38 NT$44.70

-12.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

$2.29 NT$74.4

6.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$1.55 NT$50.4

-83.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

$34.80 NT$1,129

-36.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$2.65 NT$85.9

-49.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.76 NT$24.71

-15.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

$9.29 NT$301

20.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$1.06 NT$34.39

-32.08%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$33.1K NT$1.1M

-32.04%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$24.3K NT$787.5K

24.65%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$31.62 NT$1,025

190.35%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$16.99 NT$551

-37.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$18.71 NT$607

-4.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$31.75 NT$1,029

121.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$9.38 NT$304

-27.72%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

$636 NT$20.6K

-29.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$7,946 NT$257.7K

52.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$49.35 NT$1,600

82.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$15.47 NT$502

203.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$78.1 NT$2,534

81.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$49.57 NT$1,607

167.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

$252 NT$8,160

219.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

$170 NT$5,528

193.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

$509 NT$16.5K

180.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

$169 NT$5,480

435.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$2,959 NT$96.0K

-15.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

$1,631 NT$52.9K

-4.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

$2,011 NT$65.2K

-56.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

2.2

838.64%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chang-hua: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Chang-hua

$170 19.7% 65.9% $329

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Chang-hua

$358 41.4% 43% $108

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Chang-hua

$84 9.7% 59% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Chang-hua

$87 10% 53.2% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Chang-hua

$67 7.8% 44% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Chang-hua

$51 5.8% 39.8% $33

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Chang-hua

$47 5.5% 72% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $252 in Chang-hua. 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 131% higher in Chang-hua, 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 $45.00 in Almaty versus $33.00 in Chang-hua. Groceries tell a different story – $250 in Almaty vs $358 in Chang-hua – so Almaty wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇹🇼 Chang-hua

🕒 Local time

07:32 7:32 AM

09:32 9:32 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

226,564

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Almaty Chang-hua 4,500 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Chang-hua

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 Chang-hua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 59%, 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 $1,296 in Chang-hua. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chang-hua, 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 $33.00 in Chang-hua. 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 $864 in Chang-hua. That's a gap of about 59%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chang-hua, where all-in costs run around $864, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Chang-hua it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chang-hua – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chang-hua. 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.