Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Liuzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Liuzhou: $770 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Almaty
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
$1,372
/mo nomad
Liuzhou
🇨🇳 China
$770
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Liuzhou

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $770 in Liuzhou, rent included.

  • Almaty $1,372
  • Liuzhou $770

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,196 in Liuzhou, rent included.

  • Almaty $2,142
  • Liuzhou $1,196

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,621 in Liuzhou, rent included.

  • Almaty $2,913
  • Liuzhou $1,621

Almaty costs about 78% more than Liuzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Liuzhou is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Almaty
Liuzhou
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.16 ₸5,949
$2.79 ¥18.65
371.68%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.86 ₸20.3K
$22.22 ¥149
101.89%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.90 ₸4,022
$5.17 ¥34.55
72.15%
Cappuccino
$3.25 ₸1,469
$2.79 ¥18.68
16.49%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 ₸639
$0.51 ¥3.42
176.47%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.88 ₸399
$0.31 ¥2.10
183.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.35 ₸1,513
$1.06 ¥7.10
216.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.04 ₸1,827
$2.12 ¥14.16
90.57%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Almaty
Liuzhou
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.69 ₸762
$1.81 ¥12.08
-6.63%
White Bread (500g)
$0.86 ₸390
$1.61 ¥10.75
-46.58%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.03 ₸917
$0.99 ¥6.62
105.05%
Eggs
$2.43 ₸1,100
$1.66 ¥11.10
46.39%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.46 ₸5,632
$13.17 ¥88.1
-5.39%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.71 ₸3,033
$3.31 ¥22.14
102.72%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.85 ₸4,905
$10.98 ¥73.4
-1.18%
Apples (1kg)
$1.80 ₸813
$1.47 ¥9.85
22.45%
Banana (1kg)
$2.25 ₸1,018
$0.88 ¥5.87
155.68%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.91 ₸1,314
$1.49 ¥9.94
95.30%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.75 ₸1,243
$1.27 ¥8.51
116.54%
Potato (1kg)
$0.75 ₸337
$0.74 ¥4.92
1.35%
Onion (1kg)
$0.55 ₸248
$0.96 ¥6.40
-42.71%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.62 ₸732
$0.63 ¥4.20
157.14%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.05 ₸474
$0.56 ¥3.75
87.50%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.58 ₸1,167
$3.85 ¥25.74
-32.99%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.15 ₸5,042
$11.99 ¥80.2
-7.01%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.21 ₸547
$0.87 ¥5.82
39.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.44 ₸1,104
$1.56 ¥10.42
56.41%
🚌 Getting Around
Almaty
Liuzhou
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.26 ₸117
$0.29 ¥1.93
-10.34%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.03 ₸9,957
$17.81 ¥119
23.69%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.35 ₸611
$1.52 ¥10.18
-11.18%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.64 ₸288
$0.33 ¥2.19
93.94%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.16 ₸5,044
$6.96 ¥46.54
60.34%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.72 ₸324
$1.35 ¥9.02
-46.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.5K ₸10.2M
$19.7K ¥132.0K
14.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.3K ₸13.7M
$17.7K ¥118.3K
71.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Almaty
Liuzhou
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$91.8 ₸41.5K
$57.1 ¥382
60.76%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.66 ₸4,820
$8.60 ¥57.5
23.95%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.86 ₸8,072
$11.23 ¥75.1
59.04%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Almaty
Liuzhou
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$70.3 ₸31.8K
$82.2 ¥550
-14.44%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.60 ₸12.5K
$15.17 ¥101
81.94%
Cinema Ticket
$6.78 ₸3,064
$6.25 ¥41.77
8.48%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Almaty
Liuzhou
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$449 ₸202.9K
$425 ¥2,842
5.60%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.1K ₸5.5M
$17.7K ¥118.2K
-31.49%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Almaty
Liuzhou
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$89.9 ₸40.7K
$43.51 ¥291
106.71%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.02 ₸21.3K
$33.03 ¥221
42.36%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$142 ₸64.1K
$73.9 ¥494
91.92%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$133 ₸60.0K
$73.6 ¥492
80.33%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Almaty
Liuzhou
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$805 ₸363.7K
$240 ¥1,603
235.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$500 ₸225.9K
$188 ¥1,257
165.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,429 ₸645.9K
$423 ¥2,827
237.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$904 ₸408.8K
$319 ¥2,133
183.48%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,503 ₸1.1M
$3,425 ¥22.9K
-26.92%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,559 ₸704.7K
$1,957 ¥13.1K
-20.34%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Almaty
Liuzhou
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$870 ₸393.3K
$594 ¥3,970
46.51%
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 10, 2026

Last update for Liuzhou: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Almaty
$500
Liuzhou
$188 62.4% $312
Groceries & Markets
Almaty
$250
Liuzhou
$204 18.7% $47
Eating Out
Almaty
$205
Liuzhou
$84 58.9% $121
Clothing & Footwear
Almaty
$185
Liuzhou
$101 45.6% $84
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Almaty
$120
Liuzhou
$77 36.1% $43
Sport & Entertainment
Almaty
$84
Liuzhou
$95 12.9% $11
Getting Around
Almaty
$28
Liuzhou
$22 19.9% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $240 in Liuzhou. 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 $22.00 in Liuzhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $204 – making Liuzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇰🇿 Almaty
🇨🇳 Liuzhou
🕒 Local time
14:38 2:38 PM
16:38 4:38 PM
2 h ahead of Almaty
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,475,400
4,157,934
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Almaty Liuzhou 3,630 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Almaty
  • Liuzhou

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 Liuzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Liuzhou cheaper than Almaty?
Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 78%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,058 per month in Almaty and $1,156 in Liuzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Liuzhou, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Almaty or in Liuzhou?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Almaty and $22.00 in Liuzhou. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Almaty and in Liuzhou?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,372 in Almaty and $770 in Liuzhou. That's a gap of about 78%.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Almaty or in Liuzhou?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Liuzhou, where all-in costs run around $770, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Liuzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Almaty or Liuzhou more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Liuzhou – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Liuzhou. 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.

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