Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Miaoli

For one person, living is cheaper in Miaoli: $794 a month against $1,387 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Miaoli
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Miaoli Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,387

/mo nomad

Miaoli

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Miaoli

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

A single person spends $1,387 per month in Almaty vs $794 in Miaoli, rent included.

Almaty $1,387
Miaoli $794

A couple spends around $2,135 per month in Almaty vs $1,109 in Miaoli, rent included.

Almaty $2,135
Miaoli $1,109

A family of three spends $2,883 per month in Almaty vs $1,425 in Miaoli, rent included.

Almaty $2,883
Miaoli $1,425

Almaty costs about 75% more than Miaoli, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 3% above the global median, while Miaoli is 41% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.31 ₸6,034

$2.46 NT$78.6

441.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 ₸19.7K

$23.69 NT$756

83.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 ₸3,988

$4.69 NT$150

87.63%

Cappuccino

$3.30 ₸1,497

$3.01 NT$96.1

9.63%

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

$1.37 ₸620

$0.86 NT$27.33

59.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₸409

$0.53 NT$16.97

69.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 ₸1,419

$1.23 NT$39.22

154.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 ₸1,860

$1.36 NT$43.36

201.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₸754

$2.69 NT$86.0

-38.29%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 ₸406

$1.25 NT$39.79

-28.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 ₸933

$2.72 NT$86.7

-24.26%

Eggs

$2.37 ₸1,074

$2.21 NT$70.5

7.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.64 ₸5,730

$9.25 NT$295

36.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 ₸3,000

$7.54 NT$241

-12.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.87 ₸4,928

$21.84 NT$697

-50.23%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₸845

$3.74 NT$119

-50.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 ₸1,075

$1.98 NT$63.2

19.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 ₸1,358

$3.05 NT$97.3

-1.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.83 ₸1,282

$3.09 NT$98.5

-8.41%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ₸347

$2.47 NT$78.9

-68.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 ₸264

$2.04 NT$65.2

-71.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 ₸723

$2.30 NT$73.5

-30.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₸449

$0.87 NT$27.78

13.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.54 ₸1,153

$4.06 NT$129

-37.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.04 ₸5,005

$10.99 NT$351

0.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸550

$1.49 NT$47.39

-18.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 ₸1,093

$2.08 NT$66.5

15.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₸113

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.84 ₸9,901

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₸581

$2.90 NT$92.6

-55.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸291

$0.75 NT$23.97

-14.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.74 ₸4,870

$7.05 NT$225

52.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.69 ₸314

$1.03 NT$32.92

-33.01%

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

$22.3K ₸10.1M

$33.3K NT$1.1M

-33.06%

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

$29.3K ₸13.3M

$23.8K NT$758.4K

23.44%

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

$87.8 ₸39.8K

$69.0 NT$2,201

27.24%

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

$10.83 ₸4,909

$18.41 NT$587

-41.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.40 ₸7,887

$22.34 NT$713

-22.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 ₸31.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.58 ₸12.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.68 ₸3,031

$10.97 NT$350

-39.11%

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

$446 ₸202.2K

$517 NT$16.5K

-13.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₸5.4M

$31.7K NT$1.0M

-62.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.7 ₸42.5K

$12.55 NT$400

646.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.91 ₸21.3K

$25.14 NT$802

86.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 ₸64.7K

$63.8 NT$2,036

123.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.5K

$99.4 NT$3,172

34.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$773 ₸350.6K

$217 NT$6,917

256.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$497 ₸225.5K

$158 NT$5,030

215.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 ₸630.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$880 ₸398.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,546 ₸1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,506 ₸683.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$834 ₸377.9K

$2,500 NT$79.8K

-66.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

2.38

767.65%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 5, 2026

Last update for Miaoli: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$497 36.4%

Miaoli

$158 20.1% 68.3% $340

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$251 18.4%

Miaoli

$313 39.9% 24.6% $62

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 15%

Miaoli

$84 10.8% 59% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$188 13.7%

Miaoli

$90 11.5% 51.8% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$116 8.5%

Miaoli

$110 14% 5.4% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$83 6.1%

Miaoli

$22 * 2.8% 73.6% $61

Getting Around

Almaty

$27 2%

Miaoli

$6.7 * 0.9% 75.6% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $773 in Almaty versus $217 in Miaoli. 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 200% higher in Miaoli, 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 $24.00 in Miaoli. Groceries tell a different story – $251 in Almaty vs $313 in Miaoli – so Almaty wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇹🇼 Miaoli

🕒 Local time

00:15 12:15 AM

02:15 2:15 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

89,892

💱 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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Between locations

Almaty Miaoli 4,480 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Miaoli

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 Miaoli: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 75%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,080 per month in Almaty and $1,191 in Miaoli. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Miaoli, 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 $1,387 in Almaty and $794 in Miaoli. That's a gap of about 75%.

Kindergarten costs $446 per month in Almaty and $517 in Miaoli. 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 Miaoli, where all-in costs run around $794, than in Almaty at $1,387. In Miaoli it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Miaoli – 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 Miaoli. 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.