Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Nantong

For one person, living is cheaper in Nantong: $750 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Nantong
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Nantong Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Nantong

🇨🇳 China

$750

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Nantong

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $750 in Nantong, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Nantong $750

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,237 in Nantong, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Nantong $1,237

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,725 in Nantong, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Nantong $1,725

Almaty costs about 83% more than Nantong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$3.01 ¥20.15

337.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$23.57 ¥158

90.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$4.43 ¥29.64

100.90%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$2.79 ¥18.69

16.49%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$0.63 ¥4.23

123.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.33 ¥2.23

166.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

$0.72 ¥4.84

365.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$2.18 ¥14.56

85.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$1.61 ¥10.76

4.97%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.52 ¥10.19

-43.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$0.79 ¥5.26

156.96%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$1.73 ¥11.55

40.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

$6.67 ¥44.59

86.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$3.69 ¥24.66

81.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$10.37 ¥69.3

4.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$2.30 ¥15.37

-21.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.40 ¥9.34

60.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$1.52 ¥10.14

91.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$1.46 ¥9.78

88.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$0.67 ¥4.51

11.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$0.90 ¥6.04

-38.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$0.67 ¥4.46

141.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.50 ¥3.37

110.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$3.44 ¥23.00

-25.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

$9.14 ¥61.1

21.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$0.74 ¥4.97

63.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

$1.65 ¥11.06

47.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.21 ¥1.40

23.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

$14.73 ¥98.5

49.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$1.93 ¥12.89

-30.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.38 ¥2.55

68.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

$7.00 ¥46.78

59.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$1.21 ¥8.07

-40.50%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$19.6K ¥131.1K

14.83%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$18.8K ¥125.8K

60.88%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$47.85 ¥320

91.87%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$7.48 ¥50.0

42.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$14.96 ¥100

19.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$114 ¥763

-38.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$11.96 ¥80.0

130.77%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$7.68 ¥51.3

-11.72%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

$203 ¥1,356

121.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$12.0K ¥80.1K

1.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$58.0 ¥388

54.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$42.62 ¥285

10.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$66.3 ¥443

114.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$110 ¥736

20.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

$213 ¥1,422

278.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

$142 ¥946

253.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

$696 ¥4,656

105.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

$354 ¥2,367

155.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$3,720 ¥24.9K

-32.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

$2,249 ¥15.0K

-30.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

$1,289 ¥8,622

-32.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

3.5

490.00%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nantong: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Nantong

$142 18.9% 71.7% $358

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Nantong

$182 24.3% 27.3% $68

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Nantong

$83 11% 59.6% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Nantong

$125 16.6% 32.7% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Nantong

$70 9.4% 41.6% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Nantong

$130 17.3% 54.4% $46

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Nantong

$19 2.6% 29.7% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $213 in Nantong. 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 48% higher in Nantong, 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 $45.00 in Almaty versus $24.00 in Nantong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $182 – making Nantong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Nantong

🕒 Local time

05:22 5:22 AM

07:22 7:22 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

7,726,635

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Nantong 4,020 km ≈ 6 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 Nantong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 83%, 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 $1,125 in Nantong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nantong, 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 $24.00 in Nantong. 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 $750 in Nantong. That's a gap of about 83%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Nantong, where all-in costs run around $750, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Nantong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nantong – 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 Nantong. 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.