Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Hefei

For one person, living is cheaper in Hefei: $764 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Hefei
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Hefei Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Hefei

🇨🇳 China

$764

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Hefei

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $764 in Hefei, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Hefei $764

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,215 in Hefei, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Hefei $1,215

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,666 in Hefei, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Hefei $1,666

Almaty costs about 80% more than Hefei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Hefei is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$2.60 ¥17.37

406.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$22.83 ¥153

96.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$4.53 ¥30.27

96.47%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$2.67 ¥17.83

21.72%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$0.49 ¥3.27

187.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.27 ¥1.78

225.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

$1.03 ¥6.88

225.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$1.98 ¥13.27

104.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$1.58 ¥10.59

6.96%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.97 ¥13.14

-56.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$0.79 ¥5.30

156.96%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$1.83 ¥12.22

32.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

$13.84 ¥92.5

-9.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$4.76 ¥31.85

40.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$11.55 ¥77.2

-6.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$2.31 ¥15.44

-22.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.68 ¥11.23

33.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$1.64 ¥10.95

77.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$1.54 ¥10.27

78.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$0.88 ¥5.90

-14.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$0.99 ¥6.60

-44.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$0.84 ¥5.59

92.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.66 ¥4.44

59.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$3.06 ¥20.47

-15.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

$12.08 ¥80.8

-7.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$0.88 ¥5.88

37.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

$1.90 ¥12.73

28.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.31 ¥2.10

-16.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

$44.14 ¥295

-50.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$1.17 ¥7.79

15.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.33 ¥2.18

93.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

$3.54 ¥23.65

215.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$1.30 ¥8.69

-44.62%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$19.0K ¥127.2K

18.39%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$16.9K ¥112.8K

79.43%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$49.24 ¥329

86.45%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$9.03 ¥60.4

18.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$11.71 ¥78.3

52.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$15.74 ¥105

346.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$15.63 ¥105

76.58%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$6.43 ¥43.00

5.44%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

$246 ¥1,645

82.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$8,528 ¥57.0K

41.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$90.9 ¥608

-1.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$32.82 ¥219

43.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$63.2 ¥422

124.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$98.4 ¥658

34.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

$249 ¥1,662

223.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

$180 ¥1,202

177.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

$550 ¥3,679

159.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

$332 ¥2,221

172.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$3,585 ¥24.0K

-30.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

$1,910 ¥12.8K

-18.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

$1,007 ¥6,734

-13.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

3.15

555.56%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Hefei: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Hefei

$180 23.5% 64% $320

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Hefei

$230 30.1% 8.1% $20

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Hefei

$78 10.3% 61.7% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Hefei

$128 16.8% 30.7% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Hefei

$70 9.2% 41.8% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Hefei

$29 3.8% 65.9% $55

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Hefei

$48 6.3% 74.6% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $249 in Hefei. 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 16% higher in Hefei, 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 $23.00 in Hefei. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $230 – making Hefei the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Hefei

🕒 Local time

06:02 6:02 AM

08:02 8:02 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

9,369,881

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Hefei 3,730 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Hefei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 80%, 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 $1,145 in Hefei. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hefei, 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 $23.00 in Hefei. 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 $764 in Hefei. That's a gap of about 80%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Hefei, where all-in costs run around $764, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Hefei it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Hefei – 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 Hefei. 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.