Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Chaozhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaozhou: $642 a month against $1,363 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Chaozhou
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Chaozhou Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,363

/mo nomad

Chaozhou

🇨🇳 China

$642

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Chaozhou

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

A single person spends $1,363 per month in Almaty vs $642 in Chaozhou, rent included.

Almaty $1,363
Chaozhou $642

A couple spends around $2,131 per month in Almaty vs $1,047 in Chaozhou, rent included.

Almaty $2,131
Chaozhou $1,047

A family of three spends $2,900 per month in Almaty vs $1,451 in Chaozhou, rent included.

Almaty $2,900
Chaozhou $1,451

Almaty costs about 112% more than Chaozhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 1% above the global median, while Chaozhou is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.05 ₸5,899

$2.26 ¥15.10

477.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.44 ₸19.6K

$23.63 ¥158

83.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ₸3,962

$3.54 ¥23.65

147.46%

Cappuccino

$3.32 ₸1,501

$1.52 ¥10.18

118.42%

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

$1.34 ₸607

$0.49 ¥3.29

173.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₸374

$0.29 ¥1.93

186.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 ₸1,518

$1.17 ¥7.83

187.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 ₸1,818

$2.87 ¥19.20

40.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ₸747

$1.52 ¥10.19

8.55%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 ₸421

$1.48 ¥9.88

-37.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 ₸927

$0.73 ¥4.87

180.82%

Eggs

$2.46 ₸1,113

$1.16 ¥7.74

112.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.49 ₸5,646

$9.61 ¥64.2

29.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,035

$2.52 ¥16.85

166.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$11.99 ¥80.1

-9.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 ₸807

$2.20 ¥14.74

-19.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$0.94 ¥6.29

139.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 ₸1,299

$0.92 ¥6.16

211.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 ₸1,227

$1.76 ¥11.77

53.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 ₸362

$0.62 ¥4.15

29.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸249

$0.47 ¥3.15

17.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$0.43 ¥2.88

276.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ₸453

$0.31 ¥2.08

222.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$2.95 ¥19.76

-12.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,039

$11.03 ¥73.8

1.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₸572

$0.72 ¥4.84

75.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₸1,120

$1.17 ¥7.84

111.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₸128

$0.29 ¥1.92

-3.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.05 ₸9,970

$18.02 ¥121

22.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 ₸607

$1.00 ¥6.71

34.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.29 ¥1.91

120.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.04 ₸4,993

$7.03 ¥47.02

57.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸326

$1.24 ¥8.26

-41.94%

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

$28.1K ₸12.7M

$19.4K ¥129.6K

45.20%

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

$31.8K ₸14.4M

$17.7K ¥118.1K

80.06%

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

$90.5 ₸40.9K

$43.79 ¥293

106.71%

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

$10.63 ₸4,805

$4.32 ¥28.86

146.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.12 ₸8,190

$11.32 ¥75.7

60.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 ₸31.2K

$41.24 ¥276

67.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.98 ₸12.2K

$15.04 ¥101

79.39%

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 ₸3,062

$6.36 ¥42.53

6.45%

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

$444 ₸200.6K

$483 ¥3,231

-8.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K ₸5.4M

$24.7K ¥165.0K

-51.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.9 ₸41.5K

$13.41 ¥89.7

585.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.80 ₸21.6K

$28.46 ¥190

67.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 ₸63.0K

$88.1 ¥589

58.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₸59.4K

$60.0 ¥401

119.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$777 ₸351.2K

$300 ¥2,003

159.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$494 ₸223.4K

$179 ¥1,200

175.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 ₸650.4K

$624 ¥4,169

130.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$905 ₸409.2K

$376 ¥2,513

140.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,470 ₸1.1M

$3,524 ¥23.6K

-29.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,517 ₸685.7K

$1,951 ¥13.0K

-22.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$857 ₸387.2K

$490 ¥3,279

74.67%

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 18, 2026

Last update for Chaozhou: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$494 36.3%

Chaozhou

$179 28% 63.7% $315

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$251 18.4%

Chaozhou

$180 28.1% 28% $70

Eating Out

Almaty

$204 15%

Chaozhou

$62 9.6% 69.8% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.6%

Chaozhou

$85 13.3% 53.7% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$119 8.8%

Chaozhou

$59 9.3% 50.2% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$83 6.1%

Chaozhou

$54 8.4% 34.6% $29

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Chaozhou

$22 3.4% 22% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $777 in Almaty versus $300 in Chaozhou. 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 75% 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 $43.00 in Almaty versus $24.00 in Chaozhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $180 – making Chaozhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Chaozhou

🕒 Local time

09:05 9:05 AM

11:05 11:05 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

2,568,387

💱 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 23, 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 23, 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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Almaty Chaozhou 4,220 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Chaozhou

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 Chaozhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 112%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,044 per month in Almaty and $963 in Chaozhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chaozhou, 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 $24.00 in Chaozhou. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,363 in Almaty and $642 in Chaozhou. That's a gap of about 112%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Chaozhou, where all-in costs run around $642, than in Almaty at $1,363. In Chaozhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chaozhou – 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 Chaozhou. 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.