Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and China

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

Almaty
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
$1,387
/mo nomad
🇨🇳 China
$784
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: Almaty is 56.4% more expensive than China without rent, and 77% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Almaty is 61.3% more expensive than China without rent, and 64.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Almaty
China
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.31 ₸6,034
$2.90 ¥19.39
358.97%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 ₸19.7K
$22.02 ¥147
96.96%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.80 ₸3,988
$5.20 ¥34.74
69.23%
Cappuccino
$3.30 ₸1,497
$3.04 ¥20.31
8.55%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.37 ₸620
$0.52 ¥3.45
163.46%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 ₸409
$0.28 ¥1.85
221.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.13 ₸1,419
$1.01 ¥6.75
209.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.10 ₸1,860
$2.19 ¥14.64
87.21%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Almaty
China
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ₸754
$1.75 ¥11.71
-5.14%
White Bread (500g)
$0.90 ₸406
$1.64 ¥10.96
-45.12%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.06 ₸933
$0.92 ¥6.12
123.91%
Eggs
$2.37 ₸1,074
$1.59 ¥10.66
49.06%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.64 ₸5,730
$12.99 ¥86.8
-2.69%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.62 ₸3,000
$3.35 ¥22.38
97.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.87 ₸4,928
$11.18 ¥74.7
-2.77%
Apples (1kg)
$1.86 ₸845
$1.80 ¥12.02
3.33%
Banana (1kg)
$2.37 ₸1,075
$1.31 ¥8.78
80.92%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.99 ₸1,358
$1.47 ¥9.80
103.40%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.83 ₸1,282
$1.32 ¥8.79
114.39%
Potato (1kg)
$0.77 ₸347
$0.76 ¥5.07
1.32%
Onion (1kg)
$0.58 ₸264
$0.92 ¥6.15
-36.96%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.59 ₸723
$0.59 ¥3.94
169.49%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.99 ₸449
$0.54 ¥3.63
83.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.54 ₸1,153
$3.79 ¥25.34
-32.98%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.04 ₸5,005
$12.14 ¥81.1
-9.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.21 ₸550
$0.82 ¥5.48
47.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.41 ₸1,093
$1.63 ¥10.92
47.85%
🚌 Getting Around
Almaty
China
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 ₸113
$0.29 ¥1.93
-13.79%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$21.84 ₸9,901
$22.33 ¥149
-2.19%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.28 ₸581
$1.53 ¥10.24
-16.34%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.64 ₸291
$0.35 ¥2.31
82.86%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.74 ₸4,870
$7.00 ¥46.79
53.43%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.69 ₸314
$1.31 ¥8.77
-47.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.3K ₸10.1M
$19.0K ¥127.1K
17.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.3K ₸13.3M
$17.0K ¥113.7K
72.41%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Almaty
China
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$87.8 ₸39.8K
$54.1 ¥362
62.13%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.83 ₸4,909
$8.42 ¥56.3
28.62%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.40 ₸7,887
$10.72 ¥71.6
62.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Almaty
China
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$69.7 ₸31.6K
$40.72 ¥272
71.14%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.58 ₸12.1K
$14.58 ¥97.4
82.30%
Cinema Ticket
$6.68 ₸3,031
$6.76 ¥45.15
-1.18%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Almaty
China
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$446 ₸202.2K
$462 ¥3,089
-3.52%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K ₸5.4M
$19.6K ¥131.0K
-39.33%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Almaty
China
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$93.7 ₸42.5K
$45.57 ¥305
105.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.91 ₸21.3K
$36.05 ¥241
30.12%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$143 ₸64.7K
$75.4 ¥504
89.27%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$133 ₸60.5K
$79.0 ¥528
68.84%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Almaty
China
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$773 ₸350.6K
$386 ¥2,577
100.57%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$497 ₸225.5K
$240 ¥1,601
107.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,390 ₸630.4K
$843 ¥5,637
64.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$880 ₸398.9K
$461 ¥3,083
90.68%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,546 ₸1.2M
$4,590 ¥30.7K
-44.53%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,506 ₸683.0K
$2,279 ¥15.2K
-33.90%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Almaty
China
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$834 ₸377.9K
$1,060 ¥7,082
-21.33%
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 China: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Almaty
$497
China
$240 51.8% $258
Groceries & Markets
Almaty
$251
China
$207 17.5% $44
Eating Out
Almaty
$205
China
$88 57.2% $118
Clothing & Footwear
Almaty
$188
China
$106 43.4% $81
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Almaty
$116
China
$73 36.8% $43
Sport & Entertainment
Almaty
$83
China
$54 34.7% $29
Getting Around
Almaty
$27
China
$27 2.1% $0.6
Good to know
🇰🇿 Almaty
🇨🇳 China
🕒 Local time
16:27 4:27 PM
18:27 6:27 PM
2 h ahead of Almaty
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,475,400
1,442,965,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 453 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 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 = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Almaty China 3,270 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Almaty
  • China

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.
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