Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Douliu

For one person, living is cheaper in Douliu: $1,138 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Almaty outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Douliu
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Douliu Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Douliu

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Douliu

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $1,138 in Douliu, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Douliu $1,138

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,894 in Douliu, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Douliu $1,894

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $2,650 in Douliu, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Douliu $2,650

Almaty costs about 21% more than Douliu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Douliu is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$3.85 NT$125

241.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$22.40 NT$726

100.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$5.81 NT$189

53.18%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$3.40 NT$110

-4.41%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$0.94 NT$30.58

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.67 NT$21.86

31.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

$2.79 NT$90.4

20.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$3.73 NT$121

8.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$3.09 NT$100

-45.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$2.01 NT$65.1

-57.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$3.17 NT$103

-35.96%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$2.76 NT$89.4

-11.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

$19.44 NT$631

-35.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$9.97 NT$323

-32.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$21.44 NT$695

-49.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$4.79 NT$155

-62.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$3.29 NT$107

-31.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$3.08 NT$99.9

-5.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$4.34 NT$141

-36.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$2.82 NT$91.3

-73.40%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$2.34 NT$75.9

-76.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$1.71 NT$55.6

-5.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$1.10 NT$35.65

-4.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$3.85 NT$125

-32.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

$14.46 NT$469

-22.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$1.63 NT$52.9

-25.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

$2.31 NT$75.0

5.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.61 NT$19.89

-57.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

$35.53 NT$1,152

-38.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$2.66 NT$86.3

-49.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.77 NT$24.82

-16.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

$9.46 NT$307

17.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$1.03 NT$33.56

-30.10%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$34.0K NT$1.1M

-33.75%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$24.0K NT$777.6K

26.23%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$86.6 NT$2,807

6.08%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$17.15 NT$556

-37.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$27.79 NT$901

-35.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$36.37 NT$1,179

93.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$9.54 NT$309

-28.93%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

$663 NT$21.5K

-32.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$17.0K NT$550.7K

-28.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$64.5 NT$2,091

39.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$40.75 NT$1,321

15.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$85.0 NT$2,756

66.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$105 NT$3,408

26.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

$404 NT$13.1K

99.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

$257 NT$8,334

94.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

$982 NT$31.8K

45.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

$730 NT$23.7K

23.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$7,836 NT$254.1K

-68.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

$4,924 NT$159.7K

-68.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

$2,544 NT$82.5K

-65.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

2.4

760.42%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Douliu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Douliu

$257 22.6% 48.6% $243

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Douliu

$400 35.1% 59.7% $149

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Douliu

$117 10.3% 43% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Douliu

$133 11.7% 28.2% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Douliu

$132 11.6% 9.3% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Douliu

$55 4.9% 33.9% $28

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Douliu

$44 3.9% 61.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $404 in Douliu. 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 192% higher in Douliu, 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 $45.00 in Almaty versus $22.00 in Douliu. Groceries tell a different story – $250 in Almaty vs $400 in Douliu – so Almaty wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇹🇼 Douliu

🕒 Local time

08:06 8:06 AM

10:06 10:06 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

108,401

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Almaty Douliu 4,520 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Douliu

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 Douliu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 21%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,058 per month in Almaty and $1,707 in Douliu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Douliu, 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 Douliu. 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 $1,138 in Douliu. That's a gap of about 21%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Douliu, where all-in costs run around $1,138, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Douliu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Douliu – 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 Douliu. 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.