Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Chiayi

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiayi: $1,067 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Chiayi
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Chiayi Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Chiayi

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,067

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Chiayi

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $1,067 in Chiayi, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Chiayi $1,067

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,503 in Chiayi, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Chiayi $1,503

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,940 in Chiayi, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Chiayi $1,940

Almaty costs about 29% more than Chiayi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Chiayi is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$4.83 NT$157

172.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$46.84 NT$1,519

-4.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$5.70 NT$185

56.14%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$3.36 NT$109

-3.27%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$0.88 NT$28.58

60.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.67 NT$21.68

31.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

$2.85 NT$92.4

17.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$3.80 NT$123

6.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$3.10 NT$101

-45.48%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$2.06 NT$66.8

-58.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$3.04 NT$98.6

-33.22%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$2.66 NT$86.3

-8.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

$19.77 NT$641

-36.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$9.75 NT$316

-31.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$20.98 NT$680

-48.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$4.87 NT$158

-63.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$3.22 NT$104

-30.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$2.99 NT$97.0

-2.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$4.55 NT$148

-39.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$2.80 NT$90.9

-73.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$2.35 NT$76.3

-76.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$1.68 NT$54.3

-3.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$1.14 NT$37.04

-7.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$4.01 NT$130

-35.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

$4.66 NT$151

139.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$1.65 NT$53.7

-26.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

$2.18 NT$70.8

11.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

$12.43 NT$403

77.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$2.64 NT$85.5

-48.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.46 NT$14.94

39.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

$9.66 NT$313

15.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$1.06 NT$34.43

-32.08%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$32.9K NT$1.1M

-31.45%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$24.5K NT$795.8K

23.35%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$66.7 NT$2,164

37.56%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$17.52 NT$568

-39.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$26.93 NT$873

-33.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$31.82 NT$1,032

121.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$9.84 NT$319

-31.10%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

$660 NT$21.4K

-32.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$16.8K NT$543.4K

-27.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$62.3 NT$2,020

44.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$39.44 NT$1,279

19.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$85.2 NT$2,763

66.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$104 NT$3,383

27.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

$369 NT$12.0K

117.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

$253 NT$8,194

97.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$3,179 NT$103.1K

-21.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

$1,910 NT$61.9K

-18.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

$2,110 NT$68.4K

-58.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

2.4

760.42%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiayi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Chiayi

$253 23.7% 49.4% $247

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Chiayi

$379 35.5% 51.5% $129

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Chiayi

$124 11.6% 39.4% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Chiayi

$131 12.3% 29.2% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Chiayi

$111 10.4% 7.6% $9.1

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Chiayi

$51 4.8% 38.6% $32

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Chiayi

$17 * 1.6% 37.1% $10

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $369 in Chiayi. 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 143% higher in Chiayi, 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 $47.00 in Chiayi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $379 – making Almaty the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇹🇼 Chiayi

🕒 Local time

12:24 12:24 PM

14:24 2:24 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

269,874

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Chiayi 4,530 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Chiayi

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 Chiayi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,058 per month in Almaty and $1,601 in Chiayi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiayi, 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 $47.00 in Chiayi. 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 $1,067 in Chiayi. That's a gap of about 29%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiayi, where all-in costs run around $1,067, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Chiayi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chiayi – 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 Chiayi. 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.