Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Dongguan

For one person, living is cheaper in Dongguan: $813 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Dongguan
Learn more

Dongguan Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Dongguan

🇨🇳 China

$813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Dongguan

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $813 in Dongguan, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Dongguan $813

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,291 in Dongguan, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Dongguan $1,291

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,768 in Dongguan, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Dongguan $1,768

Almaty costs about 69% more than Dongguan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Dongguan is 40% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,939

$2.57 ¥17.18

412.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.2K

$22.04 ¥147

103.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,015

$5.26 ¥35.16

69.20%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,466

$2.56 ¥17.14

26.95%

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

$1.41 ₸638

$0.47 ¥3.15

200.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸398

$0.29 ¥1.93

203.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,510

$0.92 ¥6.18

264.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,824

$2.21 ¥14.80

82.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸761

$1.60 ¥10.69

5.62%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.56 ¥10.42

-44.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸916

$1.03 ¥6.90

97.09%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,098

$1.66 ¥11.12

46.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,623

$20.79 ¥139

-40.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,028

$3.44 ¥22.99

95.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,896

$14.23 ¥95.2

-23.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸812

$2.27 ¥15.17

-20.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,017

$1.57 ¥10.51

43.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,312

$1.94 ¥12.95

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,241

$1.42 ¥9.47

93.66%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$1.08 ¥7.19

-30.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$1.24 ¥8.32

-55.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸731

$0.56 ¥3.72

189.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸473

$0.55 ¥3.68

90.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,165

$4.49 ¥30.04

-42.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,034

$11.89 ¥79.5

-6.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸546

$0.86 ¥5.76

40.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,102

$1.75 ¥11.68

39.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.35 ¥2.35

-25.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,940

$22.79 ¥152

-3.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸610

$1.18 ¥7.91

14.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.39 ¥2.59

64.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,036

$4.36 ¥29.14

155.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸323

$1.28 ¥8.53

-43.75%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$19.5K ¥130.7K

15.22%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$18.6K ¥124.6K

62.52%

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

$91.8 ₸41.4K

$63.8 ¥426

43.99%

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

$10.66 ₸4,812

$9.24 ¥61.8

15.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,058

$13.08 ¥87.5

36.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.7K

$51.1 ¥341

37.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$16.01 ¥107

72.39%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,059

$7.67 ¥51.3

-11.60%

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

$449 ₸202.5K

$533 ¥3,566

-15.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$24.2K ¥161.6K

-49.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.6K

$46.76 ¥313

92.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.2K

$40.41 ¥270

16.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.0K

$73.3 ¥490

93.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸59.9K

$39.10 ¥262

239.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.1K

$372 ¥2,490

116.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.5K

$218 ¥1,459

129.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸644.8K

$662 ¥4,427

115.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.2K

$431 ¥2,883

109.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$5,714 ¥38.2K

-56.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸703.5K

$3,066 ¥20.5K

-49.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸392.6K

$858 ¥5,736

1.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

3.35

516.42%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Dongguan: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Dongguan

$218 26.8% 56.3% $282

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Dongguan

$246 30.3% 1.6% $4

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Dongguan

$79 9.7% 61.4% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Dongguan

$90 11% 51.5% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Dongguan

$86 10.6% 28.5% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Dongguan

$66 8.2% 20.8% $17

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Dongguan

$27 3.4% 1% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $372 in Dongguan. 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 1% higher in Almaty, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Almaty versus $22.00 in Dongguan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $246 – making Dongguan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Dongguan

🕒 Local time

11:47 11:47 AM

13:47 1:47 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

8,254,100

💱 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 451 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

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Between locations

Almaty Dongguan 4,050 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Dongguan

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 Dongguan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 69%, 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 $1,220 in Dongguan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dongguan, 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 Dongguan. 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 $813 in Dongguan. That's a gap of about 69%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Dongguan, where all-in costs run around $813, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Dongguan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Dongguan – 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 Dongguan. 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.