Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Guilin

For one person, living is cheaper in Guilin: $659 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Guilin
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Guilin Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Guilin

🇨🇳 China

$659

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Guilin

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $659 in Guilin, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Guilin $659

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,058 in Guilin, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Guilin $1,058

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,457 in Guilin, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Guilin $1,457

Almaty costs about 108% more than Guilin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Guilin is 51% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$2.22 ¥14.85

492.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$15.16 ¥101

195.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$3.05 ¥20.39

191.80%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$2.14 ¥14.32

51.87%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$0.42 ¥2.81

235.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.31 ¥2.08

183.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

$0.81 ¥5.40

313.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$2.14 ¥14.33

88.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$1.46 ¥9.77

15.75%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.25 ¥8.38

-31.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$0.62 ¥4.16

227.42%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$1.83 ¥12.26

32.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

$13.25 ¥88.6

-5.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$3.42 ¥22.86

96.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$11.19 ¥74.8

-3.04%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$1.46 ¥9.74

23.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.18 ¥7.90

90.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$1.04 ¥6.92

179.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$0.94 ¥6.28

192.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$0.73 ¥4.90

2.74%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$0.88 ¥5.89

-37.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$0.69 ¥4.60

134.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.43 ¥2.91

144.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$3.75 ¥25.10

-31.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

$13.16 ¥88.0

-15.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$0.84 ¥5.63

44.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

$1.45 ¥9.67

68.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.29 ¥1.91

-10.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

$17.97 ¥120

22.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$1.31 ¥8.73

3.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.29 ¥1.94

120.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

$7.79 ¥52.1

43.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$1.21 ¥8.10

-40.50%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$19.2K ¥128.5K

17.15%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$17.4K ¥116.4K

73.82%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$24.59 ¥164

273.36%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$4.89 ¥32.69

118.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$11.49 ¥76.8

55.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$41.59 ¥278

69.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$14.65 ¥98.0

88.40%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$5.33 ¥35.63

27.20%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

$407 ¥2,719

10.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$15.8K ¥105.5K

-23.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$43.52 ¥291

106.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$31.64 ¥212

48.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$75.2 ¥503

88.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$74.2 ¥496

78.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

$294 ¥1,967

173.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

$183 ¥1,226

172.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

$624 ¥4,173

128.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

$372 ¥2,486

143.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$1,334 ¥8,916

87.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

$1,980 ¥13.2K

-21.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

$497 ¥3,322

75.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

3.36

514.58%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Guilin: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Guilin

$183 27.8% 63.3% $316

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Guilin

$196 29.7% 21.7% $54

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Guilin

$64 9.7% 68.8% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Guilin

$101 15.3% 45.4% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Guilin

$41 6.2% 66% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Guilin

$52 7.9% 37.7% $32

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Guilin

$22 3.3% 20.8% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $294 in Guilin. 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 75% 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 $15.00 in Guilin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $196 – making Guilin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Guilin

🕒 Local time

13:36 1:36 PM

15:36 3:36 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

4,931,137

💱 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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Between locations

Almaty Guilin 3,620 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
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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 Guilin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 108%, 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 $989 in Guilin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guilin, 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 $15.00 in Guilin. 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 $659 in Guilin. That's a gap of about 108%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Guilin, where all-in costs run around $659, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Guilin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Guilin – 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 Guilin. 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.