Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Heze

For one person, living is cheaper in Heze: $694 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
Learn more

Almaty Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Heze
Learn more

Heze Living Index

Jump to prices

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Heze

🇨🇳 China

$694

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Heze

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $694 in Heze, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Heze $694

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,076 in Heze, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Heze $1,076

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,458 in Heze, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Heze $1,458

Almaty costs about 98% more than Heze, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Heze is 49% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,939

$2.57 ¥17.19

412.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.2K

$10.85 ¥72.5

313.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,015

$4.80 ¥32.10

85.42%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,466

$2.57 ¥17.18

26.46%

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

$1.41 ₸638

$0.46 ¥3.09

206.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸398

$0.21 ¥1.40

319.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,510

$0.88 ¥5.89

280.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,824

$2.05 ¥13.70

97.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸761

$1.44 ¥9.64

17.36%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.47 ¥9.85

-41.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸916

$1.23 ¥8.23

65.04%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,098

$1.06 ¥7.09

129.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,623

$11.66 ¥78.0

6.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,028

$3.35 ¥22.37

100.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,896

$11.26 ¥75.3

-3.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸812

$1.42 ¥9.47

26.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,017

$1.02 ¥6.81

120.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,312

$1.37 ¥9.14

112.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,241

$1.10 ¥7.38

150.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$0.57 ¥3.81

31.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$0.72 ¥4.82

-23.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸731

$0.58 ¥3.86

179.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸473

$0.62 ¥4.13

69.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,165

$3.78 ¥25.27

-31.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,034

$9.93 ¥66.4

12.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸546

$0.68 ¥4.52

77.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,102

$1.31 ¥8.73

86.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.31 ¥2.05

-16.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,940

$19.56 ¥131

12.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸610

$1.02 ¥6.82

32.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.27 ¥1.81

137.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,036

$4.58 ¥30.62

143.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸323

$0.94 ¥6.32

-23.40%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$19.6K ¥130.9K

15.02%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$14.8K ¥98.9K

104.64%

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

$91.8 ₸41.4K

$73.8 ¥493

24.44%

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

$10.66 ₸4,812

$6.86 ¥45.89

55.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,058

$5.25 ¥35.09

240.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.7K

$44.78 ¥299

57.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$16.66 ¥111

65.67%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,059

$5.17 ¥34.57

31.14%

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

$449 ₸202.5K

$219 ¥1,468

104.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$19.9K ¥132.8K

-39.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.6K

$34.41 ¥230

161.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.2K

$42.30 ¥283

11.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.0K

$58.8 ¥393

141.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸59.9K

$51.8 ¥346

156.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.1K

$302 ¥2,017

166.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.5K

$182 ¥1,219

174.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸644.8K

$622 ¥4,157

129.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.2K

$369 ¥2,470

144.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$3,496 ¥23.4K

-28.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸703.5K

$1,956 ¥13.1K

-20.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸392.6K

$602 ¥4,025

44.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

3.13

559.74%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Heze: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Heze

$182 26.3% 63.5% $317

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Heze

$187 26.9% 25.4% $64

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Heze

$77 11.1% 62.5% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Heze

$84 12.1% 54.5% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Heze

$86 12.4% 28.6% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Heze

$55 7.9% 34.3% $29

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Heze

$23 3.3% 16.1% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $302 in Heze. 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 45% 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 $11.00 in Heze. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $187 – making Heze the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Heze

🕒 Local time

10:15 10:15 AM

12:15 12:15 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

8,795,939

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 451 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Almaty Heze 3,400 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Heze

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 Heze: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 98%, 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 $1,042 in Heze. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Heze, 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 $11.00 in Heze. 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 $694 in Heze. That's a gap of about 98%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Heze, where all-in costs run around $694, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Heze it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Heze – 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 Heze. 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.