Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Changde

For one person, living is cheaper in Changde: $650 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Changde
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Changde Living Index

Jump to prices

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Changde

🇨🇳 China

$650

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Changde

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $650 in Changde, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Changde $650

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,126 in Changde, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Changde $1,126

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,602 in Changde, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Changde $1,602

Almaty costs about 111% more than Changde, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Changde is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$2.20 ¥14.70

498.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$17.66 ¥118

154.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$5.04 ¥33.67

76.59%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$2.37 ¥15.81

37.13%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$0.44 ¥2.92

220.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.25 ¥1.66

252.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

$1.17 ¥7.85

186.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$1.98 ¥13.26

104.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$1.48 ¥9.89

14.19%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$2.29 ¥15.30

-62.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$0.87 ¥5.80

133.33%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$1.73 ¥11.58

40.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

$12.86 ¥86.0

-3.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$4.06 ¥27.16

65.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$11.46 ¥76.6

-5.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$1.62 ¥10.82

11.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.22 ¥8.18

84.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$1.10 ¥7.36

164.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$0.87 ¥5.79

216.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$0.63 ¥4.19

19.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$0.74 ¥4.94

-25.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$0.39 ¥2.60

315.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.52 ¥3.48

101.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$3.03 ¥20.28

-14.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

$12.74 ¥85.2

-12.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$1.03 ¥6.91

17.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

$0.73 ¥4.88

234.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.29 ¥1.94

-10.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

$17.85 ¥119

23.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$1.18 ¥7.87

14.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.31 ¥2.08

106.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

$4.36 ¥29.18

155.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$1.30 ¥8.72

-44.62%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$19.1K ¥127.5K

18.13%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$17.9K ¥120.0K

68.68%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$55.6 ¥372

65.22%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$9.17 ¥61.3

16.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$11.23 ¥75.1

59.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$42.44 ¥284

65.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$14.76 ¥98.7

86.99%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$5.81 ¥38.86

16.70%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

$328 ¥2,191

36.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$16.7K ¥111.5K

-27.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$84.9 ¥568

5.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$34.85 ¥233

34.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$89.0 ¥595

59.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$59.6 ¥398

122.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

$132 ¥886

507.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

$95.4 ¥638

424.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

$617 ¥4,127

131.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

$373 ¥2,492

142.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$3,949 ¥26.4K

-36.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

$1,977 ¥13.2K

-21.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

$745 ¥4,980

16.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

3.46

496.82%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Changde: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Changde

$95 14.7% 80.9% $404

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Changde

$209 32.1% 16.6% $42

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Changde

$74 11.3% 64.1% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Changde

$121 18.6% 34.8% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Changde

$76 11.7% 36.9% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Changde

$54 8.3% 35.5% $30

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Changde

$22 3.3% 21.2% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $132 in Changde. 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 17% 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 Changde. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $209 – making Changde the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Changde

🕒 Local time

13:35 1:35 PM

15:35 3:35 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

5,717,200

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 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 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).

USD to KZT in detail →

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Between locations

Almaty Changde 3,460 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Changde

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 Changde: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 111%, 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 $975 in Changde. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Changde, 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 $18.00 in Changde. 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 $650 in Changde. That's a gap of about 111%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Changde, where all-in costs run around $650, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Changde it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Changde – 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 Changde. 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.