Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Cixi

For one person, living is cheaper in Cixi: $725 a month against $1,387 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Cixi
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Cixi Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,387

/mo nomad

Cixi

🇨🇳 China

$725

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Cixi

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

A single person spends $1,387 per month in Almaty vs $725 in Cixi, rent included.

Almaty $1,387
Cixi $725

A couple spends around $2,135 per month in Almaty vs $1,145 in Cixi, rent included.

Almaty $2,135
Cixi $1,145

A family of three spends $2,883 per month in Almaty vs $1,564 in Cixi, rent included.

Almaty $2,883
Cixi $1,564

Almaty costs about 91% more than Cixi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 3% above the global median, while Cixi is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.31 ₸6,005

$2.86 ¥19.14

365.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 ₸19.6K

$21.88 ¥146

98.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 ₸3,969

$4.73 ¥31.61

86.05%

Cappuccino

$3.30 ₸1,490

$2.96 ¥19.77

11.49%

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

$1.37 ₸617

$0.47 ¥3.14

191.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₸407

$0.29 ¥1.95

210.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 ₸1,412

$0.94 ¥6.28

232.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 ₸1,851

$2.04 ¥13.64

100.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₸750

$1.85 ¥12.40

-10.27%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 ₸404

$1.60 ¥10.68

-43.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 ₸929

$0.95 ¥6.37

116.84%

Eggs

$2.37 ₸1,069

$1.54 ¥10.28

53.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.64 ₸5,702

$12.74 ¥85.1

-0.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 ₸2,985

$3.16 ¥21.11

109.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.87 ₸4,904

$10.37 ¥69.3

4.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₸841

$1.86 ¥12.42

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 ₸1,070

$1.25 ¥8.37

89.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 ₸1,351

$1.48 ¥9.89

102.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.83 ₸1,276

$1.11 ¥7.41

154.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ₸346

$0.74 ¥4.93

4.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 ₸263

$0.90 ¥6.01

-35.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 ₸719

$0.56 ¥3.71

183.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₸447

$0.54 ¥3.63

83.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.54 ₸1,147

$3.15 ¥21.04

-19.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.04 ₸4,981

$10.77 ¥72.0

2.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸548

$0.78 ¥5.22

55.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 ₸1,087

$1.65 ¥11.00

46.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₸113

$0.29 ¥1.95

-13.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.84 ₸9,854

$16.62 ¥111

31.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₸578

$1.42 ¥9.48

-9.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸290

$0.36 ¥2.39

77.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.74 ₸4,847

$6.71 ¥44.85

60.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.69 ₸313

$1.13 ¥7.55

-38.94%

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

$22.3K ₸10.1M

$19.7K ¥132.0K

12.81%

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

$29.3K ₸13.2M

$17.1K ¥114.4K

71.31%

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

$87.8 ₸39.6K

$44.63 ¥298

96.64%

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

$10.83 ₸4,886

$9.55 ¥63.8

13.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.40 ₸7,850

$11.71 ¥78.3

48.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 ₸31.4K

$42.36 ¥283

64.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.58 ₸12.0K

$14.18 ¥94.7

87.45%

Cinema Ticket

$6.68 ₸3,016

$6.06 ¥40.49

10.23%

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

$446 ₸201.2K

$333 ¥2,227

33.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₸5.4M

$17.1K ¥114.4K

-30.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.7 ₸42.3K

$43.43 ¥290

115.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.91 ₸21.2K

$29.82 ¥199

57.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 ₸64.4K

$72.8 ¥486

96.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.2K

$72.7 ¥486

83.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$773 ₸349.0K

$283 ¥1,894

172.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$497 ₸224.4K

$192 ¥1,281

159.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 ₸627.4K

$588 ¥3,929

136.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$880 ₸397.0K

$366 ¥2,448

140.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,546 ₸1.1M

$3,000 ¥20.0K

-15.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,506 ₸679.8K

$1,998 ¥13.4K

-24.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$834 ₸376.1K

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 5, 2026

Last update for Cixi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$497 36.4%

Cixi

$192 26.8% 61.5% $306

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$251 18.4%

Cixi

$199 27.9% 20.7% $52

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 15%

Cixi

$84 11.8% 58.9% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$188 13.7%

Cixi

$98 13.8% 47.5% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$116 8.5%

Cixi

$66 9.2% 43.2% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$83 6.1%

Cixi

$54 7.6% 34.4% $29

Getting Around

Almaty

$27 2%

Cixi

$21 2.9% 23.2% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $773 in Almaty versus $283 in Cixi. 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 $43.00 in Almaty versus $22.00 in Cixi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $199 – making Cixi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Cixi

🕒 Local time

11:23 11:23 AM

13:23 1:23 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

1,829,488

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 451 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Almaty Cixi 4,150 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Cixi

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 Cixi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 91%, 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 $1,088 in Cixi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cixi, 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 Cixi. 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 $725 in Cixi. That's a gap of about 91%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cixi, where all-in costs run around $725, than in Almaty at $1,387. In Cixi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cixi – 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 Cixi. 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.