Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Shaoxing

For one person, living is cheaper in Shaoxing: $750 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Shaoxing
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Shaoxing Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Shaoxing

🇨🇳 China

$750

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Shaoxing

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $750 in Shaoxing, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Shaoxing $750

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,202 in Shaoxing, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Shaoxing $1,202

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,655 in Shaoxing, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Shaoxing $1,655

Almaty costs about 83% more than Shaoxing, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Shaoxing is 44% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$3.64 ¥24.31

261.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$22.73 ¥152

97.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$5.38 ¥35.97

65.43%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$2.56 ¥17.11

26.95%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$0.57 ¥3.84

147.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.36 ¥2.38

144.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

$1.10 ¥7.35

204.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$2.19 ¥14.62

84.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$1.77 ¥11.84

-4.52%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$2.03 ¥13.55

-57.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$0.79 ¥5.26

156.96%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$1.67 ¥11.16

45.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

$11.66 ¥78.0

6.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$3.24 ¥21.66

107.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$10.25 ¥68.6

5.85%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$1.72 ¥11.52

4.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.65 ¥11.06

36.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$1.64 ¥10.97

77.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$1.05 ¥7.02

161.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$0.82 ¥5.45

-8.54%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$0.89 ¥5.95

-38.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$0.61 ¥4.11

165.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.60 ¥3.99

75.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$3.39 ¥22.67

-23.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

$10.42 ¥69.7

7.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$0.75 ¥4.98

61.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

$1.60 ¥10.67

52.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.21 ¥1.40

23.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

$19.93 ¥133

10.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$1.90 ¥12.68

-28.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.43 ¥2.87

48.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

$8.87 ¥59.3

25.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$1.35 ¥9.01

-46.67%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$19.5K ¥130.1K

15.71%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$18.9K ¥126.3K

60.23%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$46.75 ¥313

96.39%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$7.90 ¥52.8

34.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$9.08 ¥60.7

96.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$15.75 ¥105

346.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$6.91 ¥46.21

299.42%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$6.87 ¥45.92

-1.31%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

$834 ¥5,574

-46.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$24.8K ¥165.6K

-51.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$39.20 ¥262

129.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$30.88 ¥206

52.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$76.5 ¥511

85.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$108 ¥721

23.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

$428 ¥2,861

88.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

$226 ¥1,512

121.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

$609 ¥4,069

134.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

$456 ¥3,047

98.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$6,275 ¥42.0K

-60.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

$3,564 ¥23.8K

-56.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

$898 ¥6,005

-3.12%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Shaoxing: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Shaoxing

$226 30.2% 54.8% $274

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Shaoxing

$202 26.9% 19.4% $49

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Shaoxing

$90 11.9% 56.3% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Shaoxing

$114 15.3% 38.2% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Shaoxing

$64 8.5% 47% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Shaoxing

$29 3.9% 64.9% $54

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Shaoxing

$25 3.3% 10.1% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $428 in Shaoxing. 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 3% higher in Shaoxing, 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 $23.00 in Shaoxing. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $202 – making Shaoxing the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Shaoxing

🕒 Local time

12:25 12:25 PM

14:25 2:25 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

4,912,239

💱 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 Shaoxing 4,110 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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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 Shaoxing: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 83%, 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 $1,125 in Shaoxing. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shaoxing, 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 $23.00 in Shaoxing. 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 $750 in Shaoxing. That's a gap of about 83%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shaoxing, where all-in costs run around $750, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Shaoxing it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shaoxing – 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 Shaoxing. 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.