Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Nanchang

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanchang: $648 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Nanchang
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Nanchang Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Nanchang

🇨🇳 China

$648

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Nanchang

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $648 in Nanchang, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Nanchang $648

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,058 in Nanchang, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Nanchang $1,058

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,467 in Nanchang, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Nanchang $1,467

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,939

$2.35 ¥15.71

460.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.2K

$18.21 ¥122

146.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,015

$4.81 ¥32.19

85.03%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,466

$2.59 ¥17.29

25.48%

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

$1.41 ₸638

$0.44 ¥2.92

220.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸398

$0.27 ¥1.81

225.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,510

$1.31 ¥8.76

155.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,824

$1.89 ¥12.67

113.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸761

$2.05 ¥13.71

-17.56%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$2.40 ¥16.08

-64.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸916

$0.84 ¥5.64

141.67%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,098

$1.67 ¥11.15

45.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,623

$13.25 ¥88.6

-5.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,028

$3.95 ¥26.45

69.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,896

$11.77 ¥78.7

-7.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸812

$1.99 ¥13.29

-9.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,017

$1.08 ¥7.22

108.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,312

$1.91 ¥12.74

52.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,241

$1.81 ¥12.13

51.93%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$0.91 ¥6.11

-17.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$1.13 ¥7.54

-51.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸731

$0.61 ¥4.10

165.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸473

$0.43 ¥2.90

144.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,165

$3.07 ¥20.51

-15.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,034

$12.42 ¥83.1

-10.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸546

$0.78 ¥5.20

55.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,102

$1.52 ¥10.19

60.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.26 ¥1.75

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,940

$14.93 ¥99.8

47.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸610

$1.24 ¥8.26

8.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.31 ¥2.08

106.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,036

$7.29 ¥48.76

53.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸323

$1.25 ¥8.34

-42.40%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$19.1K ¥127.7K

17.91%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$17.9K ¥119.4K

69.57%

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

$91.8 ₸41.4K

$34.93 ¥234

162.84%

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

$10.66 ₸4,812

$9.27 ¥62.0

14.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,058

$13.34 ¥89.3

33.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.7K

$42.85 ¥287

64.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$19.61 ¥131

40.74%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,059

$6.42 ¥42.92

5.61%

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

$449 ₸202.5K

$326 ¥2,177

37.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$16.8K ¥112.2K

-27.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.6K

$37.86 ¥253

137.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.2K

$22.07 ¥148

113.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.0K

$87.6 ¥586

61.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸59.9K

$60.7 ¥406

118.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.1K

$223 ¥1,493

260.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.5K

$118 ¥791

322.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸644.8K

$451 ¥3,014

217.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.2K

$257 ¥1,719

251.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$2,008 ¥13.4K

24.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸703.5K

$1,624 ¥10.9K

-4.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸392.6K

$745 ¥4,985

16.72%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Nanchang: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Nanchang

$118 18.3% 76.3% $381

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Nanchang

$227 35% 9.3% $23

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Nanchang

$77 11.9% 62.2% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Nanchang

$94 14.5% 49.4% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Nanchang

$58 8.9% 52.2% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Nanchang

$56 8.6% 33.6% $28

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Nanchang

$19 2.9% 32% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $223 in Nanchang. 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 17% 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 Nanchang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $227 – making Nanchang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Nanchang

🕒 Local time

14:50 2:50 PM

16:50 4:50 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

5,042,566

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 451 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

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Between locations

Almaty Nanchang 3,810 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
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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 Nanchang: 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 $973 in Nanchang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nanchang, 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 $18.00 in Nanchang. 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 $648 in Nanchang. That's a gap of about 112%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Nanchang, where all-in costs run around $648, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Nanchang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nanchang – 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 Nanchang. 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.