Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,250 a month against $1,387 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. The total is higher in Almaty despite lower rent and utilities.

66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,387

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,250

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Shanghai

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

A single person spends $1,387 per month in Almaty vs $1,250 in Shanghai, rent included.

Almaty $1,387
Shanghai $1,250

A couple spends around $2,135 per month in Almaty vs $2,019 in Shanghai, rent included.

Almaty $2,135
Shanghai $2,019

A family of three spends $2,883 per month in Almaty vs $2,789 in Shanghai, rent included.

Almaty $2,883
Shanghai $2,789

Almaty costs about 11% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 3% above the global median, while Shanghai is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.31 ₸5,991

$4.55 ¥30.45

192.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 ₸19.5K

$29.52 ¥198

46.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 ₸3,959

$5.10 ¥34.13

72.55%

Cappuccino

$3.30 ₸1,486

$3.42 ¥22.92

-3.51%

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

$1.37 ₸616

$0.61 ¥4.12

124.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₸406

$0.36 ¥2.41

150.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 ₸1,409

$1.21 ¥8.08

158.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 ₸1,847

$2.29 ¥15.33

79.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₸749

$1.86 ¥12.48

-10.75%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 ₸403

$2.01 ¥13.47

-55.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 ₸927

$1.02 ¥6.84

101.96%

Eggs

$2.37 ₸1,067

$1.72 ¥11.48

37.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.64 ₸5,689

$17.19 ¥115

-26.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 ₸2,978

$3.35 ¥22.43

97.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.87 ₸4,893

$12.80 ¥85.7

-15.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₸839

$2.17 ¥14.54

-14.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 ₸1,067

$1.74 ¥11.67

36.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 ₸1,348

$1.94 ¥12.99

54.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.83 ₸1,273

$1.68 ¥11.25

68.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ₸345

$0.77 ¥5.18

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 ₸262

$0.93 ¥6.22

-37.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 ₸718

$0.62 ¥4.17

156.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₸446

$0.58 ¥3.88

70.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.54 ₸1,145

$3.83 ¥25.64

-33.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.04 ₸4,969

$10.94 ¥73.2

0.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸546

$0.84 ¥5.60

44.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 ₸1,085

$1.60 ¥10.73

50.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₸113

$0.59 ¥3.92

-57.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.84 ₸9,831

$30.27 ¥203

-27.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₸577

$2.06 ¥13.79

-37.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸289

$0.47 ¥3.13

36.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.74 ₸4,836

$8.80 ¥58.9

22.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.69 ₸312

$1.27 ¥8.53

-45.67%

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

$22.3K ₸10.0M

$19.6K ¥131.2K

13.66%

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

$29.3K ₸13.2M

$18.6K ¥124.4K

57.91%

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

$87.8 ₸39.5K

$57.2 ¥383

53.35%

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

$10.83 ₸4,874

$8.06 ¥53.9

34.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.40 ₸7,831

$10.52 ¥70.4

65.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 ₸31.4K

$64.6 ¥433

7.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.58 ₸12.0K

$17.63 ¥118

50.77%

Cinema Ticket

$6.68 ₸3,009

$8.84 ¥59.1

-24.43%

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

$446 ₸200.8K

$1,437 ¥9,620

-68.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₸5.4M

$28.1K ¥187.9K

-57.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.7 ₸42.2K

$54.7 ¥366

71.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.91 ₸21.1K

$36.43 ¥244

28.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 ₸64.3K

$75.4 ¥504

89.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.1K

$104 ¥696

28.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$773 ₸348.1K

$1,039 ¥6,956

-25.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$497 ₸223.9K

$589 ¥3,940

-15.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 ₸625.9K

$2,487 ¥16.6K

-44.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$880 ₸396.0K

$1,237 ¥8,282

-28.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,546 ₸1.1M

$13.6K ¥90.9K

-81.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,506 ₸678.2K

$6,191 ¥41.4K

-75.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$834 ₸375.2K

$1,715 ¥11.5K

-51.40%

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 5, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$497 36.4%

Shanghai

$589 47.1% 18.3% $91

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$251 18.4%

Shanghai

$237 19% 5.7% $14

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 15%

Shanghai

$107 8.6% 47.8% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$188 13.7%

Shanghai

$122 9.7% 35.1% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$116 8.5%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 34.6% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$83 6.1%

Shanghai

$82 6.6% 0.9% $0.8

Getting Around

Almaty

$27 2%

Shanghai

$37 3% 35.4% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $773 in Almaty versus $1,039 in Shanghai. 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 106% higher in Shanghai, 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 $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $237 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

07:56 7:56 AM

09:56 9:56 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

24,870,895

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

1 CNY = 0.149 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 450 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

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Between locations

Almaty Shanghai 4,110 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 Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,080 per month in Almaty and $1,874 in Shanghai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shanghai, 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 $30.00 in Shanghai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,387 in Almaty and $1,250 in Shanghai. That's a gap of about 11%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,250, than in Almaty at $1,387. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shanghai – 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 Shanghai. 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.