Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Mianyang, Sichuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Mianyang, Sichuan: $646 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Mianyang, Sichuan
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Mianyang, Sichuan Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Mianyang, Sichuan

🇨🇳 China

$646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Mianyang, Sichuan

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $646 in Mianyang, Sichuan, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Mianyang, Sichuan $646

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $998 in Mianyang, Sichuan, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Mianyang, Sichuan $998

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,350 in Mianyang, Sichuan, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Mianyang, Sichuan $1,350

Almaty costs about 112% more than Mianyang, Sichuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Mianyang, Sichuan is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,956

$2.92 ¥19.51

350.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$17.81 ¥119

151.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,026

$4.89 ¥32.70

82.00%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,470

$2.97 ¥19.86

9.43%

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

$1.41 ₸640

$0.43 ¥2.89

227.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.28 ¥1.89

214.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,514

$1.46 ¥9.74

129.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,829

$2.26 ¥15.09

78.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸763

$1.52 ¥10.13

11.18%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸391

$1.55 ¥10.33

-44.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸918

$0.99 ¥6.63

105.05%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,101

$1.62 ¥10.83

50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,639

$14.56 ¥97.3

-14.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,037

$3.66 ¥24.42

83.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,910

$10.95 ¥73.2

-0.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸814

$1.79 ¥11.93

0.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,019

$1.31 ¥8.77

71.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,315

$1.06 ¥7.07

174.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,245

$1.15 ¥7.66

139.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸338

$0.71 ¥4.73

5.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$0.72 ¥4.83

-23.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸733

$0.58 ¥3.88

179.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.58 ¥3.88

81.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,168

$3.71 ¥24.76

-30.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,048

$4.56 ¥30.46

144.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$0.83 ¥5.57

45.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,105

$1.30 ¥8.68

87.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.29 ¥1.91

-10.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,968

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸612

$1.07 ¥7.14

26.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.26 ¥1.74

146.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,050

$4.58 ¥30.57

143.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$1.25 ¥8.38

-42.40%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$19.6K ¥131.2K

14.71%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$17.4K ¥116.3K

73.91%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$47.71 ¥319

92.43%

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

$10.66 ₸4,826

$6.41 ¥42.80

66.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,081

$12.51 ¥83.6

42.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$17.89 ¥120

293.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,067

$5.82 ¥38.89

16.49%

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

$449 ₸203.1K

$366 ¥2,446

22.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$14.8K ¥98.9K

-18.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$24.80 ¥166

262.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$27.86 ¥186

68.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.2K

$58.0 ¥388

144.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.1K

$53.2 ¥356

149.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸364.2K

$226 ¥1,508

256.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸226.1K

$193 ¥1,291

158.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸646.6K

$411 ¥2,747

247.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸409.3K

$333 ¥2,226

171.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$2,710 ¥18.1K

-7.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸705.5K

$1,816 ¥12.1K

-14.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.7K

$732 ¥4,890

18.88%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Mianyang, Sichuan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Mianyang, Sichuan

$193 29.9% 61.3% $307

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Mianyang, Sichuan

$191 29.6% 23.5% $59

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Mianyang, Sichuan

$88 13.7% 56.9% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Mianyang, Sichuan

$74 11.4% 60.2% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Mianyang, Sichuan

$67 10.3% 44.6% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Mianyang, Sichuan

$30 4.6% 64.8% $54

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Mianyang, Sichuan

$3.5 * 0.5% 87.3% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $226 in Mianyang, Sichuan. 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 19% 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 $18.00 in Mianyang, Sichuan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $191 – making Mianyang, Sichuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Mianyang, Sichuan

🕒 Local time

18:21 6:21 PM

20:21 8:21 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

4,868,243

💱 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 453 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Almaty Mianyang, Sichuan 2,760 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Mianyang, Sichuan

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 Mianyang, Sichuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 112%, 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 $970 in Mianyang, Sichuan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mianyang, Sichuan, 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 $1,372 in Almaty and $646 in Mianyang, Sichuan. That's a gap of about 112%.

Kindergarten costs $449 per month in Almaty and $366 in Mianyang, Sichuan. 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 Mianyang, Sichuan, where all-in costs run around $646, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Mianyang, Sichuan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mianyang, Sichuan – 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 Mianyang, Sichuan. 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.