Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Hangzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Hangzhou: $1,036 a month against $1,387 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
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Hangzhou Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,387

/mo nomad

Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$1,036

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Hangzhou

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

A single person spends $1,387 per month in Almaty vs $1,036 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Almaty $1,387
Hangzhou $1,036

A couple spends around $2,135 per month in Almaty vs $1,557 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Almaty $2,135
Hangzhou $1,557

A family of three spends $2,883 per month in Almaty vs $2,078 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Almaty $2,883
Hangzhou $2,078

Almaty costs about 34% more than Hangzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 3% above the global median, while Hangzhou is 23% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.31 ₸6,034

$3.84 ¥25.65

246.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 ₸19.7K

$25.60 ¥171

69.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 ₸3,988

$4.59 ¥30.70

91.72%

Cappuccino

$3.30 ₸1,497

$3.41 ¥22.80

-3.23%

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

$1.37 ₸620

$0.59 ¥3.94

132.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₸409

$0.31 ¥2.07

190.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 ₸1,419

$1.17 ¥7.81

167.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 ₸1,860

$2.27 ¥15.19

80.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₸754

$1.86 ¥12.41

-10.75%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 ₸406

$1.60 ¥10.68

-43.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 ₸933

$1.11 ¥7.43

85.59%

Eggs

$2.37 ₸1,074

$2.06 ¥13.80

15.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.64 ₸5,730

$19.51 ¥130

-35.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 ₸3,000

$3.64 ¥24.32

81.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.87 ₸4,928

$10.13 ¥67.7

7.31%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₸845

$2.30 ¥15.34

-19.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 ₸1,075

$1.36 ¥9.09

74.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 ₸1,358

$1.51 ¥10.11

98.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.83 ₸1,282

$1.60 ¥10.73

76.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ₸347

$0.86 ¥5.73

-10.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 ₸264

$0.99 ¥6.64

-41.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 ₸723

$0.67 ¥4.47

137.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₸449

$0.53 ¥3.57

86.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.54 ₸1,153

$4.00 ¥26.71

-36.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.04 ₸5,005

$13.58 ¥90.8

-18.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸550

$0.75 ¥4.98

61.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 ₸1,093

$1.65 ¥11.03

46.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₸113

$0.59 ¥3.93

-57.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.84 ₸9,901

$18.15 ¥121

20.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₸581

$1.91 ¥12.79

-32.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸291

$0.36 ¥2.40

77.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.74 ₸4,870

$7.22 ¥48.25

48.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.69 ₸314

$1.31 ¥8.74

-47.33%

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

$22.3K ₸10.1M

$19.5K ¥130.4K

14.19%

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

$29.3K ₸13.3M

$18.2K ¥121.5K

61.35%

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

$87.8 ₸39.8K

$48.36 ¥323

81.47%

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

$10.83 ₸4,909

$9.79 ¥65.4

10.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.40 ₸7,887

$14.72 ¥98.3

18.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 ₸31.6K

$52.2 ¥349

33.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.58 ₸12.1K

$19.77 ¥132

34.45%

Cinema Ticket

$6.68 ₸3,031

$7.30 ¥48.81

-8.49%

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

$446 ₸202.2K

$563 ¥3,765

-20.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₸5.4M

$36.1K ¥241.3K

-67.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.7 ₸42.5K

$59.4 ¥397

57.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.91 ₸21.3K

$42.16 ¥282

11.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 ₸64.7K

$84.8 ¥567

68.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.5K

$109 ¥732

21.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$773 ₸350.6K

$623 ¥4,165

24.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$497 ₸225.5K

$386 ¥2,577

28.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 ₸630.4K

$1,208 ¥8,071

15.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$880 ₸398.9K

$672 ¥4,492

30.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,546 ₸1.2M

$7,991 ¥53.4K

-68.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,506 ₸683.0K

$3,678 ¥24.6K

-59.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$834 ₸377.9K

$1,582 ¥10.6K

-47.30%

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 5, 2026

Last update for Hangzhou: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$497 36.4%

Hangzhou

$386 37.9% 22.5% $112

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$251 18.4%

Hangzhou

$236 23.2% 6.1% $15

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 15%

Hangzhou

$99 9.8% 51.6% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$188 13.7%

Hangzhou

$133 13.1% 29% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$116 8.5%

Hangzhou

$73 7.2% 37.2% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$83 6.1%

Hangzhou

$67 6.6% 19.6% $16

Getting Around

Almaty

$27 2%

Hangzhou

$24 2.4% 11.4% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $773 in Almaty versus $623 in Hangzhou. 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 90% higher in Hangzhou, 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 $43.00 in Almaty versus $26.00 in Hangzhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $236 – making Hangzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🕒 Local time

14:34 2:34 PM

16:34 4:34 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

10,360,000

💱 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 453 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 509 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

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Almaty Hangzhou 4,060 km ≈ 6 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 Hangzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 34%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,080 per month in Almaty and $1,555 in Hangzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hangzhou, 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 $43.00 in Almaty and $26.00 in Hangzhou. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,387 in Almaty and $1,036 in Hangzhou. That's a gap of about 34%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Hangzhou, where all-in costs run around $1,036, than in Almaty at $1,387. In Hangzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Hangzhou – 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 Hangzhou. 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.