Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Kaifeng

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaifeng: $499 a month against $1,363 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Kaifeng
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Kaifeng Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,363

/mo nomad

Kaifeng

🇨🇳 China

$499

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Kaifeng

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

A single person spends $1,363 per month in Almaty vs $499 in Kaifeng, rent included.

Almaty $1,363
Kaifeng $499

A couple spends around $2,131 per month in Almaty vs $789 in Kaifeng, rent included.

Almaty $2,131
Kaifeng $789

A family of three spends $2,900 per month in Almaty vs $1,079 in Kaifeng, rent included.

Almaty $2,900
Kaifeng $1,079

Almaty costs about 173% more than Kaifeng, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 1% above the global median, while Kaifeng is 63% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.05 ₸5,899

$1.81 ¥12.09

620.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.44 ₸19.6K

$13.66 ¥91.3

218.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ₸3,962

$4.21 ¥28.12

108.08%

Cappuccino

$3.32 ₸1,501

$2.29 ¥15.32

44.98%

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

$1.34 ₸607

$0.36 ¥2.40

272.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₸374

$0.14 ¥0.93

492.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 ₸1,518

$0.86 ¥5.77

290.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 ₸1,818

$1.51 ¥10.12

166.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ₸747

$1.49 ¥9.95

10.74%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 ₸421

$1.47 ¥9.82

-36.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 ₸927

$0.82 ¥5.48

150.00%

Eggs

$2.46 ₸1,113

$0.90 ¥6.04

173.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.49 ₸5,646

$6.80 ¥45.47

83.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,035

$2.33 ¥15.59

187.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$9.70 ¥64.9

11.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 ₸807

$0.88 ¥5.91

102.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.00 ¥6.71

125.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 ₸1,299

$0.62 ¥4.15

362.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 ₸1,227

$0.60 ¥3.99

351.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 ₸362

$0.61 ¥4.08

31.15%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸249

$0.68 ¥4.58

-19.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$0.23 ¥1.54

604.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ₸453

$0.55 ¥3.69

81.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$3.01 ¥20.16

-14.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,039

$15.03 ¥101

-25.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₸572

$0.93 ¥6.20

35.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₸1,120

$2.07 ¥13.85

19.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₸128

$0.17 ¥1.15

64.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.05 ₸9,970

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 ₸607

$1.22 ¥8.15

9.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.16 ¥1.09

300.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.04 ₸4,993

$3.56 ¥23.80

210.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸326

$1.27 ¥8.47

-43.31%

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

$28.1K ₸12.7M

$19.8K ¥132.4K

42.13%

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

$31.8K ₸14.4M

$15.2K ¥101.4K

109.77%

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

$90.5 ₸40.9K

$44.64 ¥298

102.78%

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

$10.63 ₸4,805

$4.64 ¥31.03

129.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.12 ₸8,190

$5.17 ¥34.56

250.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 ₸31.2K

$29.59 ¥198

133.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.98 ₸12.2K

$10.29 ¥68.8

162.20%

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 ₸3,062

$3.75 ¥25.09

80.53%

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

$444 ₸200.6K

$387 ¥2,587

14.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K ₸5.4M

$30.1K ¥201.4K

-60.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.9 ₸41.5K

$44.03 ¥294

108.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.80 ₸21.6K

$33.40 ¥223

43.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 ₸63.0K

$71.5 ¥478

94.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₸59.4K

$44.02 ¥294

198.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$777 ₸351.2K

$121 ¥810

541.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$494 ₸223.4K

$90.9 ¥608

443.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 ₸650.4K

$223 ¥1,488

546.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$905 ₸409.2K

$182 ¥1,215

398.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,470 ₸1.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,517 ₸685.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$857 ₸387.2K

$571 ¥3,820

49.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

3.1

566.13%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 18, 2026

Last update for Kaifeng: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$494 36.3%

Kaifeng

$91 18.2% 81.6% $403

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$251 18.4%

Kaifeng

$163 32.7% 34.9% $87

Eating Out

Almaty

$204 15%

Kaifeng

$64 12.8% 68.7% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.6%

Kaifeng

$87 17.4% 53% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$119 8.8%

Kaifeng

$54 10.9% 54.4% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$83 6.1%

Kaifeng

$37 7.4% 55.1% $45

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Kaifeng

$2.7 * 0.6% 90.2% $25

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $777 in Almaty versus $121 in Kaifeng. 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 50% 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 $14.00 in Kaifeng. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $163 – making Kaifeng the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Kaifeng

🕒 Local time

20:16 8:16 PM

22:16 10:16 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

4,676,159

💱 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 Kaifeng 3,330 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Kaifeng

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 Kaifeng: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 173%, 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 $749 in Kaifeng. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kaifeng, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,363 in Almaty and $499 in Kaifeng. That's a gap of about 173%.

Kindergarten costs $444 per month in Almaty and $387 in Kaifeng. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kaifeng, where all-in costs run around $499, than in Almaty at $1,363. In Kaifeng it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kaifeng – 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 Kaifeng. 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.