Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Chongqing

For one person, living is cheaper in Chongqing: $714 a month against $1,387 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Chongqing
Learn more

Chongqing Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,387

/mo nomad

Chongqing

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Chongqing

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

A single person spends $1,387 per month in Almaty vs $714 in Chongqing, rent included.

Almaty $1,387
Chongqing $714

A couple spends around $2,135 per month in Almaty vs $1,168 in Chongqing, rent included.

Almaty $2,135
Chongqing $1,168

A family of three spends $2,883 per month in Almaty vs $1,622 in Chongqing, rent included.

Almaty $2,883
Chongqing $1,622

Almaty costs about 94% more than Chongqing, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 3% above the global median, while Chongqing is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.31 ₸6,034

$2.64 ¥17.67

404.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 ₸19.7K

$22.05 ¥147

96.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 ₸3,988

$4.67 ¥31.20

88.44%

Cappuccino

$3.30 ₸1,497

$2.06 ¥13.79

60.19%

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

$1.37 ₸620

$0.43 ¥2.90

218.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₸409

$0.31 ¥2.09

190.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 ₸1,419

$1.20 ¥8.02

160.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 ₸1,860

$1.75 ¥11.71

134.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₸754

$1.92 ¥12.85

-13.54%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 ₸406

$1.58 ¥10.56

-43.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 ₸933

$0.64 ¥4.25

221.88%

Eggs

$2.37 ₸1,074

$2.16 ¥14.42

9.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.64 ₸5,730

$17.55 ¥117

-27.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 ₸3,000

$3.37 ¥22.55

96.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.87 ₸4,928

$10.08 ¥67.4

7.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₸845

$1.56 ¥10.43

19.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 ₸1,075

$1.35 ¥9.01

75.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 ₸1,358

$1.25 ¥8.35

139.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.83 ₸1,282

$1.25 ¥8.32

126.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ₸347

$0.61 ¥4.07

26.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 ₸264

$0.94 ¥6.31

-38.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 ₸723

$0.87 ¥5.83

82.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₸449

$0.62 ¥4.13

59.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.54 ₸1,153

$3.07 ¥20.51

-17.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.04 ₸5,005

$8.95 ¥59.8

23.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸550

$0.76 ¥5.10

59.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 ₸1,093

$1.64 ¥10.93

46.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₸113

$0.39 ¥2.59

-35.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.84 ₸9,901

$22.16 ¥148

-1.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₸581

$1.53 ¥10.24

-16.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸291

$0.29 ¥1.91

120.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.74 ₸4,870

$2.96 ¥19.81

262.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.69 ₸314

$1.26 ¥8.44

-45.24%

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

$22.3K ₸10.1M

$19.5K ¥130.3K

14.25%

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

$29.3K ₸13.3M

$16.8K ¥112.4K

74.42%

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

$87.8 ₸39.8K

$44.19 ¥295

98.60%

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

$10.83 ₸4,909

$6.95 ¥46.43

55.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.40 ₸7,887

$7.17 ¥47.91

142.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 ₸31.6K

$50.7 ¥339

37.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.58 ₸12.1K

$10.64 ¥71.1

149.81%

Cinema Ticket

$6.68 ₸3,031

$5.94 ¥39.71

12.46%

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

$446 ₸202.2K

$290 ¥1,939

53.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₸5.4M

$25.6K ¥171.0K

-53.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.7 ₸42.5K

$39.88 ¥267

134.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.91 ₸21.3K

$29.80 ¥199

57.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 ₸64.7K

$64.8 ¥433

120.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.5K

$62.7 ¥419

112.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$773 ₸350.6K

$418 ¥2,790

85.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$497 ₸225.5K

$200 ¥1,338

148.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 ₸630.4K

$880 ¥5,879

58.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$880 ₸398.9K

$414 ¥2,767

112.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,546 ₸1.2M

$2,681 ¥17.9K

-5.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,506 ₸683.0K

$1,705 ¥11.4K

-11.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$834 ₸377.9K

$1,111 ¥7,423

-24.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

3.34

518.26%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 5, 2026

Last update for Chongqing: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$497 36.4%

Chongqing

$200 27.7% 59.8% $297

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$251 18.4%

Chongqing

$213 29.5% 15.3% $39

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 15%

Chongqing

$72 10% 64.7% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$188 13.7%

Chongqing

$89 12.3% 52.7% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$116 8.5%

Chongqing

$58 8.1% 49.7% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$83 6.1%

Chongqing

$63 8.7% 24.7% $21

Getting Around

Almaty

$27 2%

Chongqing

$27 3.7% 2.4% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $773 in Almaty versus $418 in Chongqing. 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 33% higher in Chongqing, 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 Chongqing. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $213 – making Chongqing the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Chongqing

🕒 Local time

12:34 12:34 PM

14:34 2:34 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

1,564,449

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Almaty Chongqing 3,030 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Chongqing

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 Chongqing: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 94%, 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 $1,071 in Chongqing. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chongqing, 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 Chongqing. 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 $714 in Chongqing. That's a gap of about 94%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Chongqing, where all-in costs run around $714, than in Almaty at $1,387. In Chongqing it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chongqing – 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 Chongqing. 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.