Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Jining

For one person, living is cheaper in Jining: $675 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Jining
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Jining Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Jining

🇨🇳 China

$675

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Jining

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $675 in Jining, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Jining $675

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,012 in Jining, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Jining $1,012

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,349 in Jining, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Jining $1,349

Almaty costs about 103% more than Jining, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Jining is 50% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$2.19 ¥14.62

500.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$16.48 ¥110

172.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$4.37 ¥29.21

103.66%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$2.51 ¥16.75

29.48%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$0.51 ¥3.41

176.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.31 ¥2.08

183.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

$0.93 ¥6.21

260.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$1.61 ¥10.80

150.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$1.70 ¥11.35

-0.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.18 ¥7.89

-27.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$0.94 ¥6.27

115.96%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$0.96 ¥6.43

153.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

$8.16 ¥54.5

52.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$2.87 ¥19.17

133.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$10.26 ¥68.6

5.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$1.45 ¥9.68

24.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$0.99 ¥6.61

127.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$1.06 ¥7.06

174.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$1.17 ¥7.84

135.04%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$0.61 ¥4.09

22.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$0.73 ¥4.89

-24.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$0.66 ¥4.42

145.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.76 ¥5.08

38.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$5.31 ¥35.50

-51.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

$9.86 ¥65.9

13.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$0.95 ¥6.32

27.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

$1.61 ¥10.74

51.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.31 ¥2.08

-16.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

$18.21 ¥122

20.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$1.04 ¥6.94

29.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.29 ¥1.93

120.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

$3.60 ¥24.10

210.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$1.31 ¥8.77

-45.04%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$19.3K ¥129.0K

16.70%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$17.6K ¥117.7K

72.02%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$60.8 ¥407

50.95%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$6.92 ¥46.30

54.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$10.47 ¥70.0

70.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$42.31 ¥283

66.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$15.20 ¥102

81.58%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$4.43 ¥29.64

53.05%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

$386 ¥2,578

16.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$7,427 ¥49.7K

62.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$43.12 ¥288

108.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$33.56 ¥224

40.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$72.6 ¥485

95.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$69.8 ¥466

90.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

$281 ¥1,880

186.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

$182 ¥1,214

175.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

$391 ¥2,615

265.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

$269 ¥1,796

236.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$3,524 ¥23.6K

-28.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

$1,958 ¥13.1K

-20.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

$592 ¥3,957

47.02%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Jining: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Jining

$182 26.9% 63.7% $318

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Jining

$172 25.5% 31.3% $78

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Jining

$72 10.6% 65% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Jining

$99 14.6% 46.8% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Jining

$78 11.6% 35% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Jining

$51 7.6% 39% $33

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Jining

$22 3.3% 20.5% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $281 in Jining. 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 47% 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 $16.00 in Jining. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $172 – making Jining the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Jining

🕒 Local time

15:00 3:00 PM

17:00 5:00 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

8,357,897

💱 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 →

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Almaty Jining 3,480 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Almaty
Jining

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 Jining: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 103%, 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 $1,013 in Jining. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jining, 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 $16.00 in Jining. 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 $675 in Jining. That's a gap of about 103%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Jining, where all-in costs run around $675, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Jining it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Jining – 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 Jining. 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.