Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Mudanjiang

For one person, living is cheaper in Mudanjiang: $758 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Mudanjiang
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Mudanjiang Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Mudanjiang

🇨🇳 China

$758

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Mudanjiang

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $758 in Mudanjiang, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Mudanjiang $758

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,192 in Mudanjiang, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Mudanjiang $1,192

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,627 in Mudanjiang, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Mudanjiang $1,627

Almaty costs about 81% more than Mudanjiang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Mudanjiang is 44% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$3.00 ¥20.09

338.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$13.67 ¥91.4

228.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$6.08 ¥40.67

46.38%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$2.69 ¥18.00

20.82%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$0.43 ¥2.87

227.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.34 ¥2.25

158.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

$1.04 ¥6.98

222.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$2.05 ¥13.70

97.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$1.84 ¥12.29

-8.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.59 ¥10.62

-45.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$0.92 ¥6.18

120.65%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$1.62 ¥10.82

50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

$11.77 ¥78.7

5.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$3.41 ¥22.78

96.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$11.24 ¥75.2

-3.47%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$1.90 ¥12.69

-5.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.28 ¥8.56

75.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$1.50 ¥10.01

94.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$1.40 ¥9.33

96.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$0.73 ¥4.87

2.74%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$0.94 ¥6.31

-41.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$0.60 ¥4.00

170.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.59 ¥3.93

77.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$3.53 ¥23.61

-26.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

$11.48 ¥76.8

-2.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$0.88 ¥5.85

37.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

$1.47 ¥9.84

65.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.29 ¥1.91

-10.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

$18.98 ¥127

16.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$1.42 ¥9.49

-4.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.35 ¥2.32

82.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

$6.34 ¥42.40

76.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$1.45 ¥9.68

-50.34%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$20.0K ¥133.6K

12.73%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$16.1K ¥107.7K

87.91%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$57.8 ¥387

58.79%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$9.32 ¥62.3

14.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$11.00 ¥73.5

62.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$40.45 ¥270

73.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$14.75 ¥98.6

87.12%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$6.26 ¥41.83

8.31%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

$375 ¥2,510

19.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$17.3K ¥115.7K

-30.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$42.02 ¥281

114.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$38.37 ¥257

22.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$78.1 ¥522

81.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$82.0 ¥548

61.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

$310 ¥2,076

159.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

$204 ¥1,364

144.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

$686 ¥4,589

108.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

$421 ¥2,815

114.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$3,884 ¥26.0K

-35.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

$1,996 ¥13.3K

-21.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

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 Mudanjiang: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Mudanjiang

$204 26.9% 59.2% $296

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Mudanjiang

$204 27% 18.3% $46

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Mudanjiang

$87 11.5% 57.6% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Mudanjiang

$108 14.3% 41.5% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Mudanjiang

$78 10.3% 35.1% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Mudanjiang

$53 7% 36.9% $31

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Mudanjiang

$23 3.1% 15.7% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $310 in Mudanjiang. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Almaty versus $14.00 in Mudanjiang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $204 – making Mudanjiang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Mudanjiang

🕒 Local time

10:41 10:41 AM

12:41 12:41 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

965,154

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 →

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Almaty Mudanjiang 4,150 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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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 Mudanjiang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 81%, 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 $1,137 in Mudanjiang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mudanjiang, 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 $45.00 in Almaty and $14.00 in Mudanjiang. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,372 in Almaty and $758 in Mudanjiang. That's a gap of about 81%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mudanjiang, where all-in costs run around $758, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Mudanjiang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mudanjiang – 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 Mudanjiang. 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.