Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Jilin

For one person, living is cheaper in Jilin: $737 a month against $1,363 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
Learn more

Almaty Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Jilin
Learn more

Jilin Living Index

Jump to prices

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,363

/mo nomad

Jilin

🇨🇳 China

$737

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Jilin

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

A single person spends $1,363 per month in Almaty vs $737 in Jilin, rent included.

Almaty $1,363
Jilin $737

A couple spends around $2,131 per month in Almaty vs $1,185 in Jilin, rent included.

Almaty $2,131
Jilin $1,185

A family of three spends $2,900 per month in Almaty vs $1,633 in Jilin, rent included.

Almaty $2,900
Jilin $1,633

Almaty costs about 85% more than Jilin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 1% above the global median, while Jilin is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.05 ₸5,899

$2.96 ¥19.79

340.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.44 ₸19.6K

$22.66 ¥152

91.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ₸3,962

$5.31 ¥35.51

64.97%

Cappuccino

$3.32 ₸1,501

$3.46 ¥23.12

-4.05%

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

$1.34 ₸607

$0.45 ¥2.98

197.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₸374

$0.25 ¥1.65

232.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 ₸1,518

$1.15 ¥7.69

192.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 ₸1,818

$2.26 ¥15.12

77.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ₸747

$1.75 ¥11.67

-5.71%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 ₸421

$1.63 ¥10.92

-42.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 ₸927

$0.93 ¥6.24

120.43%

Eggs

$2.46 ₸1,113

$1.68 ¥11.21

46.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.49 ₸5,646

$13.07 ¥87.4

-4.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,035

$3.40 ¥22.75

97.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$11.15 ¥74.6

-2.69%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 ₸807

$1.80 ¥12.07

-1.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.28 ¥8.55

75.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 ₸1,299

$1.57 ¥10.48

82.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 ₸1,227

$1.26 ¥8.42

115.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 ₸362

$0.70 ¥4.68

14.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸249

$0.96 ¥6.44

-42.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$0.63 ¥4.21

157.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ₸453

$0.54 ¥3.62

85.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$3.81 ¥25.49

-32.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,039

$11.76 ¥78.6

-5.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₸572

$0.88 ¥5.92

43.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₸1,120

$1.62 ¥10.84

53.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₸128

$0.29 ¥1.91

-3.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.05 ₸9,970

$18.27 ¥122

20.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 ₸607

$1.08 ¥7.21

24.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.24 ¥1.59

166.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.04 ₸4,993

$7.08 ¥47.35

55.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸326

$1.25 ¥8.38

-42.40%

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

$28.1K ₸12.7M

$19.7K ¥131.7K

42.90%

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

$31.8K ₸14.4M

$17.2K ¥114.9K

85.03%

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

$90.5 ₸40.9K

$56.7 ¥379

59.73%

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

$10.63 ₸4,805

$8.74 ¥58.4

21.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.12 ₸8,190

$11.28 ¥75.4

60.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 ₸31.2K

$42.47 ¥284

62.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.98 ₸12.2K

$15.22 ¥102

77.27%

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 ₸3,062

$6.30 ¥42.12

7.46%

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

$444 ₸200.6K

$415 ¥2,774

6.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K ₸5.4M

$17.4K ¥116.6K

-31.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.9 ₸41.5K

$43.23 ¥289

112.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.80 ₸21.6K

$34.09 ¥228

40.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 ₸63.0K

$73.9 ¥494

88.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₸59.4K

$74.2 ¥496

77.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$777 ₸351.2K

$297 ¥1,989

161.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$494 ₸223.4K

$181 ¥1,208

173.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 ₸650.4K

$635 ¥4,248

126.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$905 ₸409.2K

$377 ¥2,517

140.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,470 ₸1.1M

$3,419 ¥22.9K

-27.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,517 ₸685.7K

$1,956 ¥13.1K

-22.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$857 ₸387.2K

$451 ¥3,018

89.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

3.36

514.58%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 18, 2026

Last update for Jilin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$494 36.3%

Jilin

$181 24.5% 63.4% $313

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$251 18.4%

Jilin

$207 28.2% 17.2% $43

Eating Out

Almaty

$204 15%

Jilin

$94 12.8% 53.9% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.6%

Jilin

$101 13.8% 45.1% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$119 8.8%

Jilin

$77 10.4% 35.7% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$83 6.1%

Jilin

$55 7.5% 33.3% $27

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Jilin

$22 2.9% 21.8% $6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $777 in Almaty versus $297 in Jilin. 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 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 $23.00 in Jilin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $207 – making Jilin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Jilin

🕒 Local time

03:47 3:47 AM

05:47 5:47 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

3,623,713

💱 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 Jilin 3,940 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Jilin

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 Jilin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 85%, 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 $1,106 in Jilin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jilin, 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 $23.00 in Jilin. 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 $737 in Jilin. That's a gap of about 85%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Jilin, where all-in costs run around $737, than in Almaty at $1,363. In Jilin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Jilin – 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 Jilin. 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.