Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Jiaozuo

For one person, living is cheaper in Jiaozuo: $674 a month against $1,363 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Jiaozuo
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Jiaozuo Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,363

/mo nomad

Jiaozuo

🇨🇳 China

$674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Jiaozuo

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

A single person spends $1,363 per month in Almaty vs $674 in Jiaozuo, rent included.

Almaty $1,363
Jiaozuo $674

A couple spends around $2,131 per month in Almaty vs $1,059 in Jiaozuo, rent included.

Almaty $2,131
Jiaozuo $1,059

A family of three spends $2,900 per month in Almaty vs $1,445 in Jiaozuo, rent included.

Almaty $2,900
Jiaozuo $1,445

Almaty costs about 102% more than Jiaozuo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 1% above the global median, while Jiaozuo is 50% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.05 ₸5,899

$1.82 ¥12.16

617.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.44 ₸19.6K

$16.41 ¥110

164.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ₸3,962

$4.59 ¥30.70

90.85%

Cappuccino

$3.32 ₸1,501

$2.48 ¥16.57

33.87%

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

$1.34 ₸607

$0.42 ¥2.78

219.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₸374

$0.26 ¥1.72

219.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 ₸1,518

$0.85 ¥5.71

295.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 ₸1,818

$1.68 ¥11.22

139.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ₸747

$1.68 ¥11.26

-1.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 ₸421

$1.58 ¥10.60

-41.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 ₸927

$0.69 ¥4.60

197.10%

Eggs

$2.46 ₸1,113

$0.96 ¥6.40

156.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.49 ₸5,646

$8.43 ¥56.4

48.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,035

$2.41 ¥16.11

178.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$8.26 ¥55.2

31.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 ₸807

$1.18 ¥7.87

50.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$0.98 ¥6.59

129.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 ₸1,299

$0.63 ¥4.20

355.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 ₸1,227

$0.57 ¥3.83

375.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 ₸362

$0.53 ¥3.55

50.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸249

$0.47 ¥3.14

17.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$0.40 ¥2.66

305.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ₸453

$0.73 ¥4.86

36.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$2.54 ¥17.00

1.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,039

$9.79 ¥65.5

13.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₸572

$0.68 ¥4.58

85.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₸1,120

$2.02 ¥13.50

22.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₸128

$0.31 ¥2.08

-9.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.05 ₸9,970

$17.86 ¥119

23.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 ₸607

$1.53 ¥10.25

-12.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.31 ¥2.10

106.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.04 ₸4,993

$3.66 ¥24.48

201.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸326

$0.98 ¥6.53

-26.53%

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

$28.1K ₸12.7M

$19.2K ¥128.3K

46.63%

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

$31.8K ₸14.4M

$17.6K ¥117.4K

81.18%

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

$90.5 ₸40.9K

$60.1 ¥402

50.67%

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

$10.63 ₸4,805

$7.17 ¥47.97

48.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.12 ₸8,190

$9.16 ¥61.3

97.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 ₸31.2K

$57.7 ¥386

19.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.98 ₸12.2K

$15.04 ¥101

79.39%

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 ₸3,062

$3.94 ¥26.37

71.83%

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

$444 ₸200.6K

$177 ¥1,182

150.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K ₸5.4M

$21.6K ¥144.2K

-44.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.9 ₸41.5K

$43.93 ¥294

109.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.80 ₸21.6K

$34.16 ¥228

39.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 ₸63.0K

$73.3 ¥490

90.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₸59.4K

$65.3 ¥437

101.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$777 ₸351.2K

$296 ¥1,982

162.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$494 ₸223.4K

$185 ¥1,238

166.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 ₸650.4K

$622 ¥4,158

131.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$905 ₸409.2K

$380 ¥2,541

138.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,470 ₸1.1M

$2,585 ¥17.3K

-4.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,517 ₸685.7K

$1,965 ¥13.1K

-22.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$857 ₸387.2K

$566 ¥3,786

51.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

3.29

527.66%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 18, 2026

Last update for Jiaozuo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$494 36.3%

Jiaozuo

$185 27.5% 62.5% $309

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$251 18.4%

Jiaozuo

$158 23.5% 36.8% $92

Eating Out

Almaty

$204 15%

Jiaozuo

$68 10.2% 66.5% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.6%

Jiaozuo

$97 14.5% 47.2% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$119 8.8%

Jiaozuo

$76 11.3% 35.9% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$83 6.1%

Jiaozuo

$66 9.7% 20.5% $17

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Jiaozuo

$22 3.3% 19.8% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $777 in Almaty versus $296 in Jiaozuo. 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 51% 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 $43.00 in Almaty versus $16.00 in Jiaozuo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $158 – making Jiaozuo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Jiaozuo

🕒 Local time

04:56 4:56 AM

06:56 6:56 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

3,539,860

💱 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

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Between locations

Almaty Jiaozuo 3,220 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Jiaozuo

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 Jiaozuo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 102%, 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 $1,010 in Jiaozuo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jiaozuo, 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 $16.00 in Jiaozuo. 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 $674 in Jiaozuo. That's a gap of about 102%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Jiaozuo, where all-in costs run around $674, than in Almaty at $1,363. In Jiaozuo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Jiaozuo – 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 Jiaozuo. 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.