Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Nanchong

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanchong: $682 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Almaty
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
$1,372
/mo nomad
Nanchong
🇨🇳 China
$682
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Nanchong

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $682 in Nanchong, rent included.

  • Almaty $1,372
  • Nanchong $682

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,112 in Nanchong, rent included.

  • Almaty $2,142
  • Nanchong $1,112

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,543 in Nanchong, rent included.

  • Almaty $2,913
  • Nanchong $1,543

Almaty costs about 101% more than Nanchong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Nanchong is 50% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Almaty
Nanchong
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.16 ₸5,949
$1.75 ¥11.70
652.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.86 ₸20.3K
$22.63 ¥151
98.23%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.90 ₸4,022
$3.02 ¥20.17
194.70%
Cappuccino
$3.25 ₸1,469
$2.02 ¥13.49
60.89%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 ₸639
$0.43 ¥2.90
227.91%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.88 ₸399
$0.31 ¥2.09
183.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.35 ₸1,513
$1.22 ¥8.14
174.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.04 ₸1,827
$1.75 ¥11.72
130.86%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Almaty
Nanchong
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.69 ₸762
$1.93 ¥12.90
-12.44%
White Bread (500g)
$0.86 ₸390
$1.60 ¥10.68
-46.25%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.03 ₸917
$0.63 ¥4.23
222.22%
Eggs
$2.43 ₸1,100
$2.16 ¥14.41
12.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.46 ₸5,632
$18.25 ¥122
-31.73%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.71 ₸3,033
$3.43 ¥22.95
95.63%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.85 ₸4,905
$9.97 ¥66.7
8.83%
Apples (1kg)
$1.80 ₸813
$1.53 ¥10.24
17.65%
Banana (1kg)
$2.25 ₸1,018
$1.30 ¥8.67
73.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.91 ₸1,314
$1.25 ¥8.33
132.80%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.75 ₸1,243
$1.20 ¥8.04
129.17%
Potato (1kg)
$0.75 ₸337
$0.67 ¥4.45
11.94%
Onion (1kg)
$0.55 ₸248
$0.93 ¥6.23
-40.86%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.62 ₸732
$0.84 ¥5.60
92.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.05 ₸474
$0.61 ¥4.09
72.13%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.58 ₸1,167
$2.96 ¥19.82
-12.84%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.15 ₸5,042
$8.74 ¥58.4
27.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.21 ₸547
$0.81 ¥5.43
49.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.44 ₸1,104
$1.69 ¥11.33
44.38%
🚌 Getting Around
Almaty
Nanchong
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.26 ₸117
$0.34 ¥2.25
-23.53%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.03 ₸9,957
$18.28 ¥122
20.51%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.35 ₸611
$1.52 ¥10.17
-11.18%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.64 ₸288
$0.31 ¥2.10
106.45%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.16 ₸5,044
$3.08 ¥20.58
262.34%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.72 ₸324
$1.31 ¥8.77
-45.04%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.5K ₸10.2M
$19.5K ¥130.2K
15.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.3K ₸13.7M
$16.9K ¥112.7K
79.60%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Almaty
Nanchong
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$91.8 ₸41.5K
$44.74 ¥299
105.21%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.66 ₸4,820
$7.19 ¥48.08
48.26%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.86 ₸8,072
$6.88 ¥46.01
159.59%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Almaty
Nanchong
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$70.3 ₸31.8K
$41.93 ¥280
67.73%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.60 ₸12.5K
$14.50 ¥97.0
90.34%
Cinema Ticket
$6.78 ₸3,064
$6.16 ¥41.16
10.06%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Almaty
Nanchong
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$449 ₸202.9K
$292 ¥1,955
53.47%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.1K ₸5.5M
$25.5K ¥170.8K
-52.61%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Almaty
Nanchong
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$89.9 ₸40.7K
$39.45 ¥264
127.98%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.02 ₸21.3K
$30.06 ¥201
56.42%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$142 ₸64.1K
$64.4 ¥431
120.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$133 ₸60.0K
$63.9 ¥427
107.66%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Almaty
Nanchong
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$805 ₸363.7K
$298 ¥1,991
170.20%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$500 ₸225.9K
$183 ¥1,222
173.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,429 ₸645.9K
$624 ¥4,169
129.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$904 ₸408.8K
$382 ¥2,557
136.47%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,503 ₸1.1M
$3,201 ¥21.4K
-21.79%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,559 ₸704.7K
$1,973 ¥13.2K
-21.00%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Almaty
Nanchong
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$870 ₸393.3K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
20.65
3.34
518.26%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nanchong: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Almaty
$500
Nanchong
$183 63.4% $317
Groceries & Markets
Almaty
$250
Nanchong
$214 14.4% $36
Eating Out
Almaty
$205
Nanchong
$60 70.8% $145
Clothing & Footwear
Almaty
$185
Nanchong
$89 51.9% $96
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Almaty
$120
Nanchong
$59 51.1% $62
Sport & Entertainment
Almaty
$84
Nanchong
$54 35.3% $30
Getting Around
Almaty
$28
Nanchong
$23 17.7% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $298 in Nanchong. 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 $23.00 in Nanchong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $214 – making Nanchong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇰🇿 Almaty
🇨🇳 Nanchong
🕒 Local time
13:36 1:36 PM
15:36 3:36 PM
2 h ahead of Almaty
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,475,400
5,607,565
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Almaty Nanchong 2,910 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Almaty
  • Nanchong

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 Nanchong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Nanchong cheaper than Almaty?
Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 101%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,058 per month in Almaty and $1,022 in Nanchong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Nanchong, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Almaty or in Nanchong?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Almaty and $23.00 in Nanchong. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Almaty and in Nanchong?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,372 in Almaty and $682 in Nanchong. That's a gap of about 101%.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Almaty or in Nanchong?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Nanchong, where all-in costs run around $682, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Nanchong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Almaty or Nanchong more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Nanchong – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Nanchong. 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.

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