Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Longyan

For one person, living is cheaper in Longyan: $462 a month against $1,363 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Longyan
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Longyan Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,363

/mo nomad

Longyan

🇨🇳 China

$462

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Longyan

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

A single person spends $1,363 per month in Almaty vs $462 in Longyan, rent included.

Almaty $1,363
Longyan $462

A couple spends around $2,131 per month in Almaty vs $750 in Longyan, rent included.

Almaty $2,131
Longyan $750

A family of three spends $2,900 per month in Almaty vs $1,038 in Longyan, rent included.

Almaty $2,900
Longyan $1,038

Almaty costs about 195% more than Longyan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 1% above the global median, while Longyan is 66% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.05 ₸5,899

$2.95 ¥19.74

342.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.44 ₸19.6K

$22.57 ¥151

92.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ₸3,962

$4.96 ¥33.19

76.61%

Cappuccino

$3.32 ₸1,501

$2.20 ¥14.72

50.91%

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

$1.34 ₸607

$0.44 ¥2.94

204.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₸374

$0.27 ¥1.79

207.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 ₸1,518

$0.88 ¥5.87

281.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 ₸1,818

$1.60 ¥10.68

151.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ₸747

$2.08 ¥13.90

-20.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 ₸421

$1.42 ¥9.47

-34.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 ₸927

$0.78 ¥5.22

162.82%

Eggs

$2.46 ₸1,113

$1.48 ¥9.90

66.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.49 ₸5,646

$7.63 ¥51.0

63.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,035

$2.18 ¥14.61

207.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$8.99 ¥60.1

20.69%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 ₸807

$1.89 ¥12.63

-5.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.34 ¥8.95

67.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 ₸1,299

$1.77 ¥11.83

62.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 ₸1,227

$1.12 ¥7.48

141.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 ₸362

$0.89 ¥5.97

-10.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸249

$1.01 ¥6.75

-45.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$0.43 ¥2.90

276.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ₸453

$0.48 ¥3.21

108.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$3.42 ¥22.85

-24.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,039

$12.16 ¥81.3

-8.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₸572

$0.78 ¥5.21

61.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₸1,120

$1.18 ¥7.89

110.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₸128

$0.16 ¥1.08

75.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.05 ₸9,970

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 ₸607

$1.06 ¥7.10

26.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.47 ¥3.12

36.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.04 ₸4,993

$7.57 ¥50.6

45.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸326

$1.31 ¥8.76

-45.04%

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

$28.1K ₸12.7M

$19.3K ¥129.1K

45.77%

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

$31.8K ₸14.4M

$15.6K ¥104.3K

103.96%

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

$90.5 ₸40.9K

$66.3 ¥443

36.51%

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

$10.63 ₸4,805

$15.68 ¥105

-32.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.12 ₸8,190

$8.86 ¥59.3

104.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 ₸31.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.98 ₸12.2K

$4.40 ¥29.44

513.18%

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 ₸3,062

$7.61 ¥50.9

-11.04%

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

$444 ₸200.6K

$213 ¥1,425

108.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K ₸5.4M

$11.7K ¥78.4K

2.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.9 ₸41.5K

$29.86 ¥200

207.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.80 ₸21.6K

$14.92 ¥99.8

220.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 ₸63.0K

$76.0 ¥508

83.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₸59.4K

$98.4 ¥658

33.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$777 ₸351.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$494 ₸223.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 ₸650.4K

$377 ¥2,518

282.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$905 ₸409.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,470 ₸1.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,517 ₸685.7K

$1,338 ¥8,949

13.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$857 ₸387.2K

$485 ¥3,243

76.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

3.46

496.82%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 18, 2026

Last update for Longyan: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$494 36.3%

Longyan

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$251 18.4%

Longyan

$178 38.5% 29.1% $73

Eating Out

Almaty

$204 15%

Longyan

$75 16.3% 63.1% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.6%

Longyan

$99 21.4% 46.6% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$119 8.8%

Longyan

$91 19.7% 23.8% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$83 6.1%

Longyan

$15 * 3.3% 81.6% $67

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Longyan

$4 * 0.9% 85.4% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 77% 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 Longyan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $178 – making Longyan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Longyan

🕒 Local time

08:59 8:59 AM

10:59 10:59 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

2,559,545

💱 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 23, 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 23, 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 Longyan 4,150 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Longyan

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 Longyan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 195%, 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 $693 in Longyan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,363 in Almaty and $462 in Longyan. That's a gap of about 195%.

Kindergarten costs $444 per month in Almaty and $213 in Longyan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Longyan, where all-in costs run around $462, than in Almaty at $1,363. In Longyan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Longyan – 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 Longyan. 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.