Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Haikou

For one person, living is cheaper in Haikou: $806 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Haikou
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Haikou Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Haikou

🇨🇳 China

$806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Haikou

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $806 in Haikou, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Haikou $806

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,152 in Haikou, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Haikou $1,152

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,497 in Haikou, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Haikou $1,497

Almaty costs about 70% more than Haikou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$4.40 ¥29.45

199.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$14.72 ¥98.4

204.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$6.02 ¥40.26

47.84%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$2.43 ¥16.25

33.74%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$0.86 ¥5.74

63.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.34 ¥2.27

158.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

$1.51 ¥10.06

121.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$2.72 ¥18.18

48.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$2.13 ¥14.26

-20.66%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.48 ¥9.90

-41.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$0.66 ¥4.40

207.58%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$1.36 ¥9.07

78.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$3.92 ¥26.23

71.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$15.42 ¥103

-29.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$1.69 ¥11.30

6.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$0.87 ¥5.80

158.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$1.11 ¥7.40

162.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$0.93 ¥6.24

195.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$0.89 ¥5.95

-15.73%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$0.73 ¥4.85

-24.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$0.47 ¥3.12

244.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.57 ¥3.83

84.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$3.09 ¥20.68

-16.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

$8.76 ¥58.6

27.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$0.57 ¥3.84

112.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

$1.23 ¥8.23

98.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.92 ¥6.17

-71.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

$53.3 ¥356

-58.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$2.19 ¥14.66

-38.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.43 ¥2.86

48.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$1.22 ¥8.15

-40.98%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$35.41 ¥237

159.28%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$13.21 ¥88.3

-19.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$13.38 ¥89.4

33.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$45.67 ¥305

54.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$6.33 ¥42.35

336.02%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$4.50 ¥30.10

50.67%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

$862 ¥5,762

-47.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$19.5K ¥130.4K

-37.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$27.00 ¥181

233.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$34.89 ¥233

34.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$44.76 ¥299

216.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$37.57 ¥251

253.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

$377 ¥2,523

113.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

$294 ¥1,966

69.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

$570 ¥3,808

150.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

$369 ¥2,469

144.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$3,154 ¥21.1K

-20.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

$2,183 ¥14.6K

-28.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

$727 ¥4,859

19.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

3.85

436.36%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Haikou: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Haikou

$294 36.5% 41.1% $206

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Haikou

$169 * 20.9% 32.7% $82

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Haikou

$100 12.4% 51.1% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Haikou

$65 8.1% 65% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Haikou

$62 7.7% 48.5% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Haikou

$55 6.8% 34.8% $29

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Haikou

$61 7.6% 122% $34

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $377 in Haikou. 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 20% 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 Haikou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $169 – making Haikou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Haikou

🕒 Local time

03:36 3:36 AM

05:36 5:36 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

2,873,358

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 →

On the map

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Almaty Haikou 4,020 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Haikou

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 Haikou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 70%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,058 per month in Almaty and $1,209 in Haikou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Haikou, 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 Haikou. 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 $806 in Haikou. That's a gap of about 70%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Haikou, where all-in costs run around $806, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Haikou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Haikou – 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 Haikou. 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.