Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Ningbo

For one person, living is cheaper in Ningbo: $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.

67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Ningbo
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Ningbo Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Ningbo

🇨🇳 China

$682

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Ningbo

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

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

Almaty $1,372
Ningbo $682

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,177 in Ningbo, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Ningbo $1,177

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,672 in Ningbo, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Ningbo $1,672

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

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Ningbo is 49% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$2.91 ¥19.46

352.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$29.60 ¥198

51.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$4.58 ¥30.62

94.32%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$3.43 ¥22.93

-5.25%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$0.47 ¥3.16

200.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.29 ¥1.92

203.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

$1.04 ¥6.93

222.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$3.45 ¥23.04

17.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$1.78 ¥11.88

-5.06%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.16 ¥7.78

-25.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$0.73 ¥4.86

178.08%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$1.62 ¥10.86

50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

$14.79 ¥98.9

-15.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$3.81 ¥25.45

76.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$8.83 ¥59.1

22.88%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$1.07 ¥7.18

68.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.52 ¥10.16

48.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$1.50 ¥10.06

94.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$1.18 ¥7.88

133.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$0.63 ¥4.21

19.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$0.75 ¥4.99

-26.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$0.64 ¥4.27

153.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.54 ¥3.59

94.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$4.39 ¥29.33

-41.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

$8.00 ¥53.5

39.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$0.75 ¥5.04

61.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

$1.42 ¥9.51

71.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.29 ¥1.93

-10.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

$16.16 ¥108

36.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$1.76 ¥11.78

-23.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.37 ¥2.49

72.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

$7.37 ¥49.29

51.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$1.28 ¥8.54

-43.75%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$19.6K ¥131.4K

14.63%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$17.7K ¥118.0K

71.47%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$51.9 ¥347

76.86%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$6.85 ¥45.78

55.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$7.93 ¥53.0

125.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$25.07 ¥168

180.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$14.69 ¥98.2

87.88%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$7.71 ¥51.6

-12.06%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

$929 ¥6,209

-51.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$15.8K ¥105.8K

-23.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$62.5 ¥418

43.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$27.09 ¥181

73.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$62.0 ¥414

128.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$52.4 ¥350

153.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

$358 ¥2,392

124.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

$179 ¥1,198

178.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

$772 ¥5,162

85.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

$482 ¥3,223

87.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$3,861 ¥25.8K

-35.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

$2,097 ¥14.0K

-25.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

$1,180 ¥7,892

-26.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

3.18

549.37%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ningbo: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Ningbo

$179 26.3% 64.2% $321

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Ningbo

$190 27.9% 24.1% $60

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Ningbo

$93 13.7% 54.5% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Ningbo

$92 13.5% 50.4% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Ningbo

$67 9.8% 44.6% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Ningbo

$41 5.9% 51.7% $43

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Ningbo

$21 3.1% 24.2% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $358 in Ningbo. 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 36% higher in Ningbo, 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 $30.00 in Ningbo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $190 – making Ningbo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Ningbo

🕒 Local time

18:26 6:26 PM

20:26 8:26 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

7,605,689

💱 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 Ningbo 4,200 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 Ningbo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 101%, 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 $1,024 in Ningbo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ningbo, 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 $30.00 in Ningbo. 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 $682 in Ningbo. That's a gap of about 101%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ningbo, where all-in costs run around $682, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Ningbo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ningbo – 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 Ningbo. 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.