Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Sanya

For one person, living is cheaper in Sanya: $776 a month against $1,363 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Sanya
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Sanya Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,363

/mo nomad

Sanya

🇨🇳 China

$776

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Sanya

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

A single person spends $1,363 per month in Almaty vs $776 in Sanya, rent included.

Almaty $1,363
Sanya $776

A couple spends around $2,131 per month in Almaty vs $1,250 in Sanya, rent included.

Almaty $2,131
Sanya $1,250

A family of three spends $2,900 per month in Almaty vs $1,723 in Sanya, rent included.

Almaty $2,900
Sanya $1,723

Almaty costs about 76% more than Sanya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 1% above the global median, while Sanya is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.05 ₸5,899

$3.33 ¥22.29

291.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.44 ₸19.6K

$22.31 ¥149

94.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ₸3,962

$6.19 ¥41.37

41.52%

Cappuccino

$3.32 ₸1,501

$2.15 ¥14.37

54.42%

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

$1.34 ₸607

$0.53 ¥3.56

152.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₸374

$0.43 ¥2.87

93.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 ₸1,518

$1.31 ¥8.75

156.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 ₸1,818

$1.74 ¥11.61

131.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ₸747

$2.14 ¥14.33

-22.90%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 ₸421

$1.36 ¥9.12

-31.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 ₸927

$1.53 ¥10.22

33.99%

Eggs

$2.46 ₸1,113

$1.68 ¥11.21

46.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.49 ₸5,646

$23.02 ¥154

-45.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,035

$4.57 ¥30.59

46.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$11.46 ¥76.6

-5.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 ₸807

$2.27 ¥15.17

-21.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.53 ¥10.24

47.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 ₸1,299

$2.46 ¥16.44

16.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 ₸1,227

$1.99 ¥13.31

36.18%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 ₸362

$0.91 ¥6.11

-12.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸249

$0.73 ¥4.87

-24.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$0.55 ¥3.65

194.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ₸453

$0.59 ¥3.92

69.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$3.65 ¥24.42

-29.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,039

$7.67 ¥51.3

45.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₸572

$0.87 ¥5.83

44.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₸1,120

$1.60 ¥10.69

55.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₸128

$0.31 ¥2.05

-9.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.05 ₸9,970

$18.12 ¥121

21.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 ₸607

$1.46 ¥9.76

-8.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.35 ¥2.32

82.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.04 ₸4,993

$7.51 ¥50.2

47.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸326

$1.25 ¥8.34

-42.40%

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

$28.1K ₸12.7M

$22.0K ¥147.2K

27.80%

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

$31.8K ₸14.4M

$17.2K ¥114.9K

85.02%

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

$90.5 ₸40.9K

$56.0 ¥374

61.64%

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

$10.63 ₸4,805

$6.60 ¥44.16

61.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.12 ₸8,190

$4.41 ¥29.52

310.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 ₸31.2K

$40.87 ¥273

68.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.98 ₸12.2K

$14.90 ¥99.6

81.07%

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 ₸3,062

$6.25 ¥41.80

8.32%

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

$444 ₸200.6K

$403 ¥2,695

10.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K ₸5.4M

$17.0K ¥113.9K

-29.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.9 ₸41.5K

$43.83 ¥293

109.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.80 ₸21.6K

$33.64 ¥225

42.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 ₸63.0K

$73.6 ¥492

89.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₸59.4K

$85.9 ¥574

53.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$777 ₸351.2K

$298 ¥1,994

160.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$494 ₸223.4K

$191 ¥1,276

158.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 ₸650.4K

$624 ¥4,173

130.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$905 ₸409.2K

$381 ¥2,547

137.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,470 ₸1.1M

$3,393 ¥22.7K

-27.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,517 ₸685.7K

$1,946 ¥13.0K

-22.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$857 ₸387.2K

$903 ¥6,038

-5.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

3.36

514.58%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 18, 2026

Last update for Sanya: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$494 36.3%

Sanya

$191 24.6% 61.4% $303

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$251 18.4%

Sanya

$251 32.3% 0.1% $0.3

Eating Out

Almaty

$204 15%

Sanya

$85 10.9% 58.4% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.6%

Sanya

$107 13.7% 42.3% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$119 8.8%

Sanya

$67 8.6% 43.8% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$83 6.1%

Sanya

$53 6.9% 35.3% $29

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Sanya

$23 2.9% 18.7% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $777 in Almaty versus $298 in Sanya. 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 5% higher in Sanya, 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 $43.00 in Almaty versus $22.00 in Sanya. Groceries tell a different story – $251 in Almaty vs $251 in Sanya – so Almaty wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Sanya

🕒 Local time

19:18 7:18 PM

21:18 9:18 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

1,031,396

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Almaty Sanya 4,120 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Sanya

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 Sanya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 76%, 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 $1,164 in Sanya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sanya, 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 $43.00 in Almaty and $22.00 in Sanya. 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 $776 in Sanya. That's a gap of about 76%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sanya, where all-in costs run around $776, than in Almaty at $1,363. In Sanya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sanya – 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 Sanya. 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.