Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Changsha

For one person, living is cheaper in Changsha: $784 a month against $1,387 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Changsha
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Changsha Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,387

/mo nomad

Changsha

🇨🇳 China

$784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Changsha

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

A single person spends $1,387 per month in Almaty vs $784 in Changsha, rent included.

Almaty $1,387
Changsha $784

A couple spends around $2,135 per month in Almaty vs $1,263 in Changsha, rent included.

Almaty $2,135
Changsha $1,263

A family of three spends $2,883 per month in Almaty vs $1,742 in Changsha, rent included.

Almaty $2,883
Changsha $1,742

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

Almaty sits 3% above the global median, while Changsha is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.31 ₸6,034

$2.96 ¥19.80

349.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 ₸19.7K

$22.08 ¥148

96.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 ₸3,988

$4.99 ¥33.35

76.35%

Cappuccino

$3.30 ₸1,497

$3.43 ¥22.94

-3.79%

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

$1.37 ₸620

$0.47 ¥3.12

191.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₸409

$0.25 ¥1.66

260.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 ₸1,419

$1.25 ¥8.36

150.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 ₸1,860

$1.97 ¥13.15

108.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₸754

$1.96 ¥13.09

-15.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 ₸406

$2.36 ¥15.76

-61.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 ₸933

$0.94 ¥6.29

119.15%

Eggs

$2.37 ₸1,074

$1.73 ¥11.56

36.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.64 ₸5,730

$12.84 ¥85.8

-1.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 ₸3,000

$3.91 ¥26.13

69.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.87 ₸4,928

$11.63 ¥77.7

-6.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₸845

$2.92 ¥19.52

-36.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 ₸1,075

$1.44 ¥9.60

64.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 ₸1,358

$1.90 ¥12.73

57.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.83 ₸1,282

$1.94 ¥12.96

45.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ₸347

$1.01 ¥6.76

-23.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 ₸264

$1.57 ¥10.51

-63.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 ₸723

$0.65 ¥4.33

144.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₸449

$0.48 ¥3.18

106.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.54 ₸1,153

$3.03 ¥20.22

-16.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.04 ₸5,005

$12.43 ¥83.0

-11.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸550

$1.07 ¥7.16

13.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 ₸1,093

$1.54 ¥10.29

56.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₸113

$0.36 ¥2.38

-30.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.84 ₸9,901

$14.89 ¥99.5

46.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₸581

$1.47 ¥9.84

-12.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸291

$0.29 ¥1.92

120.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.74 ₸4,870

$4.52 ¥30.22

137.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.69 ₸314

$1.29 ¥8.60

-46.51%

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

$22.3K ₸10.1M

$19.5K ¥130.2K

14.36%

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

$29.3K ₸13.3M

$17.4K ¥116.2K

68.72%

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

$87.8 ₸39.8K

$56.9 ¥380

54.37%

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

$10.83 ₸4,909

$8.83 ¥59.0

22.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.40 ₸7,887

$13.56 ¥90.6

28.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 ₸31.6K

$55.0 ¥367

26.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.58 ₸12.1K

$24.39 ¥163

8.98%

Cinema Ticket

$6.68 ₸3,031

$6.44 ¥43.01

3.73%

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

$446 ₸202.2K

$325 ¥2,169

37.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₸5.4M

$16.8K ¥112.2K

-29.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.7 ₸42.5K

$81.8 ¥546

14.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.91 ₸21.3K

$34.27 ¥229

36.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 ₸64.7K

$87.2 ¥583

63.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.5K

$59.0 ¥395

125.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$773 ₸350.6K

$265 ¥1,770

191.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$497 ₸225.5K

$168 ¥1,122

196.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 ₸630.4K

$569 ¥3,804

144.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$880 ₸398.9K

$383 ¥2,561

129.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,546 ₸1.2M

$2,477 ¥16.6K

2.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,506 ₸683.0K

$1,393 ¥9,308

8.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$834 ₸377.9K

$1,097 ¥7,331

-24.01%

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 5, 2026

Last update for Changsha: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$497 36.4%

Changsha

$168 21.5% 66.2% $329

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$251 18.4%

Changsha

$235 30.1% 6.4% $16

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 15%

Changsha

$93 11.9% 54.8% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$188 13.7%

Changsha

$118 15.1% 37.1% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$116 8.5%

Changsha

$79 10.2% 31.7% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$83 6.1%

Changsha

$68 8.7% 18.3% $15

Getting Around

Almaty

$27 2%

Changsha

$19 2.5% 29.7% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $773 in Almaty versus $265 in Changsha. 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 32% higher in Changsha, 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 $22.00 in Changsha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $235 – making Changsha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Changsha

🕒 Local time

11:04 11:04 AM

13:04 1:04 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

5,289,000

💱 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 453 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 509 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

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Between locations

Almaty Changsha 3,610 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Changsha

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 Changsha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 77%, 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 $1,175 in Changsha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Changsha, 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 $22.00 in Changsha. 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 $784 in Changsha. That's a gap of about 77%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Changsha, where all-in costs run around $784, than in Almaty at $1,387. In Changsha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Changsha – 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 Changsha. 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.