Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Heyuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Heyuan: $792 a month against $1,363 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
Learn more

Almaty Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Heyuan
Learn more

Heyuan Living Index

Jump to prices

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,363

/mo nomad

Heyuan

🇨🇳 China

$792

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Heyuan

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

A single person spends $1,363 per month in Almaty vs $792 in Heyuan, rent included.

Almaty $1,363
Heyuan $792

A couple spends around $2,131 per month in Almaty vs $1,284 in Heyuan, rent included.

Almaty $2,131
Heyuan $1,284

A family of three spends $2,900 per month in Almaty vs $1,776 in Heyuan, rent included.

Almaty $2,900
Heyuan $1,776

Almaty costs about 72% more than Heyuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 1% above the global median, while Heyuan is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.05 ₸5,899

$3.06 ¥20.44

326.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.44 ₸19.6K

$29.30 ¥196

48.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ₸3,962

$5.34 ¥35.68

64.04%

Cappuccino

$3.32 ₸1,501

$3.06 ¥20.47

8.50%

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

$1.34 ₸607

$0.58 ¥3.87

131.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₸374

$0.34 ¥2.25

144.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 ₸1,518

$1.36 ¥9.11

147.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 ₸1,818

$2.75 ¥18.38

46.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ₸747

$1.79 ¥11.95

-7.82%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 ₸421

$1.91 ¥12.75

-51.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 ₸927

$1.11 ¥7.39

84.68%

Eggs

$2.46 ₸1,113

$1.52 ¥10.19

61.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.49 ₸5,646

$16.29 ¥109

-23.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,035

$5.14 ¥34.37

30.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$12.23 ¥81.8

-11.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 ₸807

$2.29 ¥15.28

-22.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.22 ¥8.18

84.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 ₸1,299

$1.38 ¥9.22

107.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 ₸1,227

$1.78 ¥11.89

52.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 ₸362

$0.96 ¥6.40

-16.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸249

$1.18 ¥7.92

-53.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$0.83 ¥5.55

95.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ₸453

$0.66 ¥4.44

51.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$3.90 ¥26.04

-33.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,039

$10.64 ¥71.1

4.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₸572

$1.02 ¥6.79

23.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₸1,120

$1.90 ¥12.71

30.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₸128

$0.31 ¥2.10

-9.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.05 ₸9,970

$17.71 ¥118

24.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 ₸607

$1.84 ¥12.32

-27.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.43 ¥2.89

48.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.04 ₸4,993

$7.19 ¥48.04

53.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸326

$1.33 ¥8.88

-45.86%

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

$28.1K ₸12.7M

$19.2K ¥128.1K

46.93%

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

$31.8K ₸14.4M

$17.7K ¥118.6K

79.27%

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

$90.5 ₸40.9K

$61.4 ¥410

47.52%

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

$10.63 ₸4,805

$16.39 ¥110

-35.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.12 ₸8,190

$14.49 ¥96.9

25.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 ₸31.2K

$41.17 ¥275

67.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.98 ₸12.2K

$15.11 ¥101

78.56%

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 ₸3,062

$6.54 ¥43.72

3.52%

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

$444 ₸200.6K

$422 ¥2,823

5.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K ₸5.4M

$24.4K ¥163.4K

-51.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.9 ₸41.5K

$49.24 ¥329

86.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.80 ₸21.6K

$41.47 ¥277

15.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 ₸63.0K

$81.1 ¥542

71.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₸59.4K

$69.9 ¥467

87.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$777 ₸351.2K

$303 ¥2,026

156.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$494 ₸223.4K

$182 ¥1,218

171.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 ₸650.4K

$623 ¥4,165

131.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$905 ₸409.2K

$375 ¥2,507

141.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,470 ₸1.1M

$3,487 ¥23.3K

-29.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,517 ₸685.7K

$1,937 ¥13.0K

-21.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$857 ₸387.2K

$1,362 ¥9,104

-37.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

3.38

510.95%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 18, 2026

Last update for Heyuan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$494 36.3%

Heyuan

$182 23% 63.1% $312

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$251 18.4%

Heyuan

$239 30.1% 4.8% $12

Eating Out

Almaty

$204 15%

Heyuan

$93 11.8% 54.3% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.6%

Heyuan

$109 13.7% 41.1% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$119 8.8%

Heyuan

$92 11.6% 22.7% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$83 6.1%

Heyuan

$54 6.9% 34.3% $28

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Heyuan

$23 2.9% 17.1% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $777 in Almaty versus $303 in Heyuan. 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 59% higher in Heyuan, 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 $29.00 in Heyuan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $239 – making Heyuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Heyuan

🕒 Local time

16:46 4:46 PM

18:46 6:46 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

2,953,019

💱 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Almaty Heyuan 4,070 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Heyuan

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 Heyuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 72%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,044 per month in Almaty and $1,188 in Heyuan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Heyuan, 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 $29.00 in Heyuan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,363 in Almaty and $792 in Heyuan. That's a gap of about 72%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Heyuan, where all-in costs run around $792, than in Almaty at $1,363. In Heyuan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Heyuan – 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 Heyuan. 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.