Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Kaohsiung

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaohsiung: $1,108 a month against $1,387 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
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Kaohsiung Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,387

/mo nomad

Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,108

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Kaohsiung

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

A single person spends $1,387 per month in Almaty vs $1,108 in Kaohsiung, rent included.

Almaty $1,387
Kaohsiung $1,108

A couple spends around $2,135 per month in Almaty vs $1,821 in Kaohsiung, rent included.

Almaty $2,135
Kaohsiung $1,821

A family of three spends $2,883 per month in Almaty vs $2,535 in Kaohsiung, rent included.

Almaty $2,883
Kaohsiung $2,535

Almaty costs about 25% more than Kaohsiung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Almaty sits 3% above the global median, while Kaohsiung is 17% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.31 ₸6,034

$5.46 NT$174

143.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 ₸19.7K

$31.96 NT$1,020

35.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 ₸3,988

$4.87 NT$155

80.70%

Cappuccino

$3.30 ₸1,497

$2.83 NT$90.4

16.61%

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

$1.37 ₸620

$1.14 NT$36.40

20.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₸409

$0.71 NT$22.76

26.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 ₸1,419

$1.53 NT$48.85

104.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 ₸1,860

$2.55 NT$81.5

60.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₸754

$3.25 NT$104

-48.92%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 ₸406

$2.19 NT$69.7

-58.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 ₸933

$3.07 NT$98.1

-32.90%

Eggs

$2.37 ₸1,074

$2.67 NT$85.2

-11.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.64 ₸5,730

$16.13 NT$515

-21.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 ₸3,000

$8.08 NT$258

-18.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.87 ₸4,928

$15.24 NT$486

-28.67%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₸845

$6.80 NT$217

-72.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 ₸1,075

$2.82 NT$90.1

-15.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 ₸1,358

$2.57 NT$82.0

16.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.83 ₸1,282

$3.08 NT$98.4

-8.12%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ₸347

$2.84 NT$90.7

-72.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 ₸264

$2.06 NT$65.8

-71.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 ₸723

$2.45 NT$78.2

-35.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₸449

$1.04 NT$33.18

-4.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.54 ₸1,153

$4.54 NT$145

-44.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.04 ₸5,005

$15.72 NT$502

-29.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸550

$1.67 NT$53.4

-27.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 ₸1,093

$2.25 NT$71.7

7.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₸113

$0.68 NT$21.68

-63.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.84 ₸9,901

$12.67 NT$404

72.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₸581

$2.76 NT$88.0

-53.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸291

$0.75 NT$23.98

-14.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.74 ₸4,870

$5.51 NT$176

94.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.69 ₸314

$1.02 NT$32.50

-32.35%

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

$22.3K ₸10.1M

$33.6K NT$1.1M

-33.79%

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

$29.3K ₸13.3M

$23.0K NT$735.3K

27.32%

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

$87.8 ₸39.8K

$84.8 NT$2,705

3.51%

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

$10.83 ₸4,909

$17.34 NT$553

-37.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.40 ₸7,887

$25.77 NT$822

-32.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 ₸31.6K

$41.21 NT$1,315

69.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.58 ₸12.1K

$10.41 NT$332

155.33%

Cinema Ticket

$6.68 ₸3,031

$10.96 NT$350

-39.05%

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

$446 ₸202.2K

$462 NT$14.7K

-3.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₸5.4M

$14.1K NT$449.2K

-15.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.7 ₸42.5K

$93.5 NT$2,982

0.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.91 ₸21.3K

$31.88 NT$1,017

47.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 ₸64.7K

$85.9 NT$2,740

66.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.5K

$104 NT$3,314

28.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$773 ₸350.6K

$415 NT$13.2K

86.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$497 ₸225.5K

$276 NT$8,808

80.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 ₸630.4K

$979 NT$31.2K

41.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$880 ₸398.9K

$668 NT$21.3K

31.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,546 ₸1.2M

$4,588 NT$146.4K

-44.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,506 ₸683.0K

$3,154 NT$100.7K

-52.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$834 ₸377.9K

$1,462 NT$46.7K

-43.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

2.56

706.64%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 5, 2026

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$497 36.4%

Kaohsiung

$276 24.9% 44.5% $221

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$251 18.4%

Kaohsiung

$368 33.1% 46.4% $116

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 15%

Kaohsiung

$112 10.1% 45.3% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$188 13.7%

Kaohsiung

$142 12.8% 24.4% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$116 8.5%

Kaohsiung

$128 11.5% 10.3% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$83 6.1%

Kaohsiung

$63 5.7% 24% $20

Getting Around

Almaty

$27 2%

Kaohsiung

$22 2% 19.9% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $773 in Almaty versus $415 in Kaohsiung. 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 75% higher in Kaohsiung, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Almaty versus $32.00 in Kaohsiung. Groceries tell a different story – $251 in Almaty vs $368 in Kaohsiung – so Almaty wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🕒 Local time

19:46 7:46 PM

21:46 9:46 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

2,777,873

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 453 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 31.91 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.76 TWD (100 TWD = 2.8 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Almaty Kaohsiung 4,580 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Kaohsiung

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 Kaohsiung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 25%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,080 per month in Almaty and $1,661 in Kaohsiung. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kaohsiung, 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 $32.00 in Kaohsiung. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,387 in Almaty and $1,108 in Kaohsiung. That's a gap of about 25%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kaohsiung, where all-in costs run around $1,108, than in Almaty at $1,387. In Kaohsiung it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kaohsiung – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Kaohsiung. 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.