Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and New Taipei City

For one person, living is cheaper in New Taipei City: $1,211 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Almaty
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
$1,372
/mo nomad
New Taipei City
🇹🇼 Taiwan
$1,211
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in New Taipei City

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 New Taipei City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $1,211 in New Taipei City, rent included.

  • Almaty $1,372
  • New Taipei City $1,211

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $2,026 in New Taipei City, rent included.

  • Almaty $2,142
  • New Taipei City $2,026

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $2,841 in New Taipei City, rent included.

  • Almaty $2,913
  • New Taipei City $2,841

Almaty costs about 13% more than New Taipei City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while New Taipei City is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Almaty
New Taipei City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.16 ₸5,949
$4.77 NT$155
175.89%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.86 ₸20.3K
$31.06 NT$1,007
44.43%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.90 ₸4,022
$5.02 NT$163
77.29%
Cappuccino
$3.25 ₸1,469
$2.27 NT$73.5
43.17%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 ₸639
$0.88 NT$28.40
60.23%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.88 ₸399
$0.56 NT$18.22
57.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.35 ₸1,513
$1.58 NT$51.3
112.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.04 ₸1,827
$2.57 NT$83.4
57.20%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Almaty
New Taipei City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.69 ₸762
$3.13 NT$102
-46.01%
White Bread (500g)
$0.86 ₸390
$1.81 NT$58.6
-52.49%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.03 ₸917
$2.17 NT$70.5
-6.45%
Eggs
$2.43 ₸1,100
$2.20 NT$71.3
10.45%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.46 ₸5,632
$24.39 NT$791
-48.91%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.71 ₸3,033
$10.58 NT$343
-36.58%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.85 ₸4,905
$19.26 NT$625
-43.67%
Apples (1kg)
$1.80 ₸813
$3.99 NT$129
-54.89%
Banana (1kg)
$2.25 ₸1,018
$2.54 NT$82.4
-11.42%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.91 ₸1,314
$2.68 NT$86.8
8.58%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.75 ₸1,243
$3.98 NT$129
-30.90%
Potato (1kg)
$0.75 ₸337
$4.06 NT$132
-81.53%
Onion (1kg)
$0.55 ₸248
$2.06 NT$66.7
-73.30%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.62 ₸732
$1.61 NT$52.4
0.62%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.05 ₸474
$1.08 NT$35.18
-2.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.58 ₸1,167
$4.33 NT$140
-40.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.15 ₸5,042
$9.14 NT$296
21.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.21 ₸547
$1.39 NT$45.09
-12.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.44 ₸1,104
$2.42 NT$78.4
0.83%
🚌 Getting Around
Almaty
New Taipei City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.26 ₸117
$0.82 NT$26.53
-68.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.03 ₸9,957
$36.86 NT$1,195
-40.23%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.35 ₸611
$2.82 NT$91.4
-52.13%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.64 ₸288
$0.92 NT$29.96
-30.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.16 ₸5,044
$9.46 NT$307
17.97%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.72 ₸324
$1.00 NT$32.44
-28.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.5K ₸10.2M
$33.3K NT$1.1M
-32.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.3K ₸13.7M
$24.5K NT$793.2K
23.76%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Almaty
New Taipei City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$91.8 ₸41.5K
$114 NT$3,682
-19.13%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.66 ₸4,820
$16.72 NT$542
-36.24%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.86 ₸8,072
$23.01 NT$746
-22.38%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Almaty
New Taipei City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$70.3 ₸31.8K
$38.40 NT$1,245
83.15%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.60 ₸12.5K
$8.04 NT$261
243.28%
Cinema Ticket
$6.78 ₸3,064
$12.49 NT$405
-45.72%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Almaty
New Taipei City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$449 ₸202.9K
$639 NT$20.7K
-29.74%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.1K ₸5.5M
$21.5K NT$696.7K
-43.66%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Almaty
New Taipei City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$89.9 ₸40.7K
$35.61 NT$1,155
152.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.02 ₸21.3K
$30.90 NT$1,002
52.17%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$142 ₸64.1K
$92.5 NT$3,000
53.27%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$133 ₸60.0K
$100 NT$3,247
32.60%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Almaty
New Taipei City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$805 ₸363.7K
$641 NT$20.8K
25.48%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$500 ₸225.9K
$348 NT$11.3K
43.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,429 ₸645.9K
$1,406 NT$45.6K
1.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$904 ₸408.8K
$927 NT$30.0K
-2.39%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,503 ₸1.1M
$12.4K NT$402.0K
-79.81%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,559 ₸704.7K
$7,282 NT$236.1K
-78.59%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Almaty
New Taipei City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$870 ₸393.3K
$1,418 NT$46.0K
-38.64%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
20.65
2.81
634.88%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for New Taipei City: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Almaty
$500
New Taipei City
$348 30.3% $152
Groceries & Markets
Almaty
$250
New Taipei City
$382 52.7% $132
Eating Out
Almaty
$205
New Taipei City
$99 51.6% $106
Clothing & Footwear
Almaty
$185
New Taipei City
$117 37% $69
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Almaty
$120
New Taipei City
$153 27.4% $33
Sport & Entertainment
Almaty
$84
New Taipei City
$63 24.4% $20
Getting Around
Almaty
$28
New Taipei City
$48 72.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $641 in New Taipei City. 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 63% higher in New Taipei City, 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 $31.00 in New Taipei City. Groceries tell a different story – $250 in Almaty vs $382 in New Taipei City – so Almaty wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇰🇿 Almaty
🇹🇼 New Taipei City
🕒 Local time
05:40 5:40 AM
07:40 7:40 AM
2 h ahead of Almaty
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,475,400
4,004,367
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

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).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Almaty New Taipei City 4,500 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Almaty
  • New Taipei City

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 New Taipei City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is New Taipei City cheaper than Almaty?
Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,058 per month in Almaty and $1,816 in New Taipei City. 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 New Taipei City, 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 New Taipei City?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Almaty and $31.00 in New Taipei City. 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 New Taipei City?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,372 in Almaty and $1,211 in New Taipei City. That's a gap of about 13%.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Almaty or in New Taipei City?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in New Taipei City, where all-in costs run around $1,211, than in Almaty at $1,372. In New Taipei City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Almaty or New Taipei City more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward New Taipei City – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Almaty or New Taipei City?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with New Taipei City. 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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