Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Chifeng

For one person, living is cheaper in Chifeng: $715 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Chifeng
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Chifeng Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Chifeng

🇨🇳 China

$715

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Chifeng

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $715 in Chifeng, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Chifeng $715

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,128 in Chifeng, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Chifeng $1,128

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,541 in Chifeng, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Chifeng $1,541

Almaty costs about 92% more than Chifeng, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Chifeng is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$2.71 ¥18.15

385.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$21.54 ¥144

108.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$4.76 ¥31.82

86.97%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$3.09 ¥20.64

5.18%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$0.47 ¥3.15

200.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.27 ¥1.78

225.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

$0.88 ¥5.87

280.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$2.05 ¥13.69

97.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$1.87 ¥12.48

-9.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.56 ¥10.43

-44.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$0.92 ¥6.12

120.65%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$1.54 ¥10.33

57.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

$12.67 ¥84.7

-1.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$3.21 ¥21.50

109.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$10.35 ¥69.2

4.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$1.82 ¥12.20

-1.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.20 ¥8.02

87.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$1.53 ¥10.20

90.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$1.10 ¥7.33

150.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$0.73 ¥4.88

2.74%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$0.91 ¥6.11

-39.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$0.59 ¥3.97

174.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.52 ¥3.45

101.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$3.19 ¥21.35

-19.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

$10.65 ¥71.2

4.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$0.74 ¥4.93

63.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

$1.61 ¥10.73

51.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.29 ¥1.95

-10.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

$16.64 ¥111

32.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$1.43 ¥9.54

-5.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.33 ¥2.18

93.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

$6.81 ¥45.56

63.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$1.16 ¥7.77

-37.93%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$19.3K ¥129.0K

16.70%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$17.4K ¥116.3K

74.02%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$45.71 ¥306

100.85%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$9.66 ¥64.6

10.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$11.82 ¥79.1

51.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$42.23 ¥282

66.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$14.09 ¥94.2

95.88%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$5.84 ¥39.02

16.10%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

$334 ¥2,234

34.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$16.8K ¥112.5K

-28.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$43.39 ¥290

107.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$30.07 ¥201

56.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$71.2 ¥476

99.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$70.9 ¥474

87.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

$275 ¥1,838

192.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

$193 ¥1,293

158.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

$599 ¥4,005

138.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

$353 ¥2,362

156.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$3,029 ¥20.3K

-17.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

$1,994 ¥13.3K

-21.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

3.89

430.85%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chifeng: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Chifeng

$193 27.1% 61.3% $306

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Chifeng

$198 27.7% 20.9% $52

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Chifeng

$84 11.8% 58.8% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Chifeng

$97 13.6% 47.6% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Chifeng

$67 9.4% 44.2% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Chifeng

$54 7.5% 35.7% $30

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Chifeng

$21 2.9% 24.4% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $275 in Chifeng. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Almaty versus $22.00 in Chifeng. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $198 – making Chifeng the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Chifeng

🕒 Local time

15:33 3:33 PM

17:33 5:33 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

1,175,391

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Almaty Chifeng 3,400 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Chifeng

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 Chifeng: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 92%, 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 $1,072 in Chifeng. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chifeng, 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 $22.00 in Chifeng. 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 $715 in Chifeng. That's a gap of about 92%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Chifeng, where all-in costs run around $715, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Chifeng it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chifeng – 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 Chifeng. 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.