Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Putian

For one person, living is cheaper in Putian: $518 a month against $1,363 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Putian
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Putian Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,363

/mo nomad

Putian

🇨🇳 China

$518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Putian

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

A single person spends $1,363 per month in Almaty vs $518 in Putian, rent included.

Almaty $1,363
Putian $518

A couple spends around $2,131 per month in Almaty vs $854 in Putian, rent included.

Almaty $2,131
Putian $854

A family of three spends $2,900 per month in Almaty vs $1,190 in Putian, rent included.

Almaty $2,900
Putian $1,190

Almaty costs about 163% more than Putian, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 1% above the global median, while Putian is 62% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.05 ₸5,899

$2.21 ¥14.79

490.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.44 ₸19.6K

$23.26 ¥156

86.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ₸3,962

$5.17 ¥34.57

69.44%

Cappuccino

$3.32 ₸1,501

$2.44 ¥16.32

36.07%

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

$1.34 ₸607

$0.43 ¥2.88

211.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₸374

$0.29 ¥1.92

186.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 ₸1,518

$0.77 ¥5.16

336.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 ₸1,818

$2.93 ¥19.58

37.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ₸747

$1.47 ¥9.82

12.24%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 ₸421

$2.25 ¥15.07

-58.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 ₸927

$0.93 ¥6.19

120.43%

Eggs

$2.46 ₸1,113

$1.58 ¥10.58

55.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.49 ₸5,646

$11.73 ¥78.4

6.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,035

$2.43 ¥16.22

176.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$12.18 ¥81.4

-10.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 ₸807

$2.55 ¥17.03

-30.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.42 ¥9.49

58.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 ₸1,299

$1.70 ¥11.34

68.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 ₸1,227

$1.98 ¥13.25

36.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 ₸362

$1.02 ¥6.79

-21.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸249

$1.77 ¥11.86

-68.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$0.93 ¥6.19

74.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ₸453

$0.50 ¥3.36

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$3.04 ¥20.31

-15.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,039

$11.18 ¥74.8

-0.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₸572

$0.83 ¥5.58

51.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₸1,120

$1.71 ¥11.44

45.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₸128

$0.74 ¥4.92

-62.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.05 ₸9,970

$22.38 ¥150

-1.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 ₸607

$1.52 ¥10.16

-11.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.29 ¥1.94

120.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.04 ₸4,993

$7.02 ¥46.94

57.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸326

$1.31 ¥8.76

-45.04%

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

$28.1K ₸12.7M

$19.4K ¥129.8K

44.97%

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

$31.8K ₸14.4M

$17.8K ¥118.8K

79.00%

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

$90.5 ₸40.9K

$44.03 ¥294

105.59%

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

$10.63 ₸4,805

$8.87 ¥59.3

19.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.12 ₸8,190

$10.55 ¥70.6

71.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 ₸31.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.98 ₸12.2K

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 ₸3,062

$10.08 ¥67.4

-32.84%

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

$444 ₸200.6K

$492 ¥3,286

-9.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K ₸5.4M

$24.5K ¥163.6K

-51.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.9 ₸41.5K

$39.10 ¥261

134.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.80 ₸21.6K

$29.11 ¥195

64.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 ₸63.0K

$103 ¥691

34.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₸59.4K

$85.7 ¥573

53.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$777 ₸351.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$494 ₸223.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 ₸650.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$905 ₸409.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,470 ₸1.1M

$2,637 ¥17.6K

-6.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,517 ₸685.7K

$1,115 ¥7,452

36.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$857 ₸387.2K

$480 ¥3,211

78.35%

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 18, 2026

Last update for Putian: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$494 36.3%

Putian

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$251 18.4%

Putian

$215 41.6% 14.1% $35

Eating Out

Almaty

$204 15%

Putian

$75 14.5% 63.2% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.6%

Putian

$116 22.4% 37.3% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$119 8.8%

Putian

$63 12.3% 46.8% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$83 6.1%

Putian

$20 * 3.9% 75.6% $62

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Putian

$28 5.5% 2.1% $0.6

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 78% 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 $43.00 in Almaty versus $23.00 in Putian. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $215 – making Putian the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Putian

🕒 Local time

03:24 3:24 AM

05:24 5:24 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

1,954,000

💱 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 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).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Almaty Putian 4,280 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Putian

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 Putian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 163%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,044 per month in Almaty and $777 in Putian. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Almaty and $23.00 in Putian. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,363 in Almaty and $518 in Putian. That's a gap of about 163%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Putian, where all-in costs run around $518, than in Almaty at $1,363. In Putian it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Putian – 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 Putian. 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.