Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Gongzhuling

For one person, living is cheaper in Gongzhuling: $592 a month against $1,363 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Gongzhuling
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Gongzhuling Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,363

/mo nomad

Gongzhuling

🇨🇳 China

$592

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Gongzhuling

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $591 in Gongzhuling, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Gongzhuling $591

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $946 in Gongzhuling, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Gongzhuling $946

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,300 in Gongzhuling, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Gongzhuling $1,300

Almaty costs about 132% more than Gongzhuling, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Gongzhuling is 56% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.05 ₸5,899

$2.11 ¥14.13

518.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.44 ₸19.6K

$16.27 ¥109

166.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ₸3,962

$4.57 ¥30.56

91.68%

Cappuccino

$3.32 ₸1,501

$1.99 ¥13.32

66.83%

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

$1.34 ₸607

$0.47 ¥3.12

185.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₸374

$0.21 ¥1.40

295.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 ₸1,518

$0.73 ¥4.88

360.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 ₸1,818

$1.67 ¥11.15

140.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ₸747

$1.38 ¥9.22

19.57%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 ₸421

$2.18 ¥14.57

-57.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 ₸927

$1.06 ¥7.10

93.40%

Eggs

$2.46 ₸1,113

$1.02 ¥6.84

141.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.49 ₸5,646

$7.30 ¥48.79

71.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,035

$3.68 ¥24.63

82.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$9.21 ¥61.6

17.81%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 ₸807

$0.58 ¥3.89

206.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$0.64 ¥4.28

251.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 ₸1,299

$0.54 ¥3.62

431.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 ₸1,227

$0.46 ¥3.10

489.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 ₸362

$0.46 ¥3.09

73.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸249

$0.51 ¥3.40

7.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$0.47 ¥3.12

244.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ₸453

$0.62 ¥4.12

61.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$3.60 ¥24.08

-28.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,039

$10.33 ¥69.1

7.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₸572

$0.65 ¥4.37

93.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₸1,120

$1.13 ¥7.59

119.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₸128

$0.31 ¥2.09

-9.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.05 ₸9,970

$17.60 ¥118

25.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 ₸607

$1.14 ¥7.60

17.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.36 ¥2.38

77.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.04 ₸4,993

$2.71 ¥18.09

307.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸326

$1.30 ¥8.70

-44.62%

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

$28.1K ₸12.7M

$19.7K ¥131.8K

42.73%

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

$31.8K ₸14.4M

$16.2K ¥108.2K

96.45%

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

$90.5 ₸40.9K

$28.24 ¥189

220.54%

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

$10.63 ₸4,805

$6.14 ¥41.02

73.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.12 ₸8,190

$10.25 ¥68.5

76.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 ₸31.2K

$41.33 ¥276

66.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.98 ₸12.2K

$14.83 ¥99.2

81.93%

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 ₸3,062

$5.26 ¥35.17

28.71%

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

$444 ₸200.6K

$397 ¥2,655

11.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K ₸5.4M

$11.6K ¥77.8K

2.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.9 ₸41.5K

$16.46 ¥110

458.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.80 ₸21.6K

$22.60 ¥151

111.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 ₸63.0K

$59.1 ¥395

135.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₸59.4K

$44.33 ¥296

196.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$777 ₸351.2K

$301 ¥2,012

158.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$494 ₸223.4K

$185 ¥1,237

167.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 ₸650.4K

$636 ¥4,251

126.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$905 ₸409.2K

$371 ¥2,481

143.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,470 ₸1.1M

$3,483 ¥23.3K

-29.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,517 ₸685.7K

$1,937 ¥12.9K

-21.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$857 ₸387.2K

$336 ¥2,246

154.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

3.5

490.00%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 18, 2026

Last update for Gongzhuling: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$494 36.3%

Gongzhuling

$185 31.2% 62.6% $309

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$251 18.4%

Gongzhuling

$161 27.2% 35.8% $90

Eating Out

Almaty

$204 15%

Gongzhuling

$64 10.8% 68.5% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.6%

Gongzhuling

$64 10.8% 65.3% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$119 8.8%

Gongzhuling

$45 7.5% 62.6% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$83 6.1%

Gongzhuling

$52 8.8% 37.2% $31

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Gongzhuling

$22 3.7% 21.5% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $300 in Gongzhuling. 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 155% 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 $16.00 in Gongzhuling. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $160 – making Gongzhuling the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Gongzhuling

🕒 Local time

15:53 3:53 PM

17:53 5:53 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

862,313

💱 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

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Almaty Gongzhuling 3,800 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

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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 Gongzhuling: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 132%, 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 $887 in Gongzhuling. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gongzhuling, 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 $16.00 in Gongzhuling. 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 $591 in Gongzhuling. That's a gap of about 132%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Gongzhuling, where all-in costs run around $591, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Gongzhuling it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Gongzhuling – 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 Gongzhuling. 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.