Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Shenzhen: $1,134 a month against $1,387 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,387

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,134

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Shenzhen

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

A single person spends $1,387 per month in Almaty vs $1,134 in Shenzhen, rent included.

Almaty $1,387
Shenzhen $1,134

A couple spends around $2,135 per month in Almaty vs $1,734 in Shenzhen, rent included.

Almaty $2,135
Shenzhen $1,734

A family of three spends $2,883 per month in Almaty vs $2,333 in Shenzhen, rent included.

Almaty $2,883
Shenzhen $2,333

Almaty costs about 22% more than Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 3% above the global median, while Shenzhen is 15% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.31 ₸5,991

$3.64 ¥24.37

265.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 ₸19.5K

$29.70 ¥199

46.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 ₸3,959

$5.12 ¥34.24

71.88%

Cappuccino

$3.30 ₸1,486

$3.21 ¥21.50

2.80%

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

$1.37 ₸616

$0.59 ¥3.92

132.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₸406

$0.33 ¥2.19

172.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 ₸1,409

$1.48 ¥9.90

111.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 ₸1,847

$2.24 ¥15.00

83.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₸749

$1.55 ¥10.40

7.10%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 ₸403

$1.64 ¥10.98

-45.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 ₸927

$1.09 ¥7.30

88.99%

Eggs

$2.37 ₸1,067

$1.76 ¥11.80

34.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.64 ₸5,689

$20.95 ¥140

-39.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 ₸2,978

$3.38 ¥22.65

95.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.87 ₸4,893

$14.38 ¥96.2

-24.41%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₸839

$2.31 ¥15.49

-19.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 ₸1,067

$1.60 ¥10.72

48.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 ₸1,348

$1.89 ¥12.63

58.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.83 ₸1,273

$1.41 ¥9.45

100.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ₸345

$1.07 ¥7.17

-28.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 ₸262

$1.24 ¥8.29

-53.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 ₸718

$0.59 ¥3.96

169.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₸446

$0.59 ¥3.97

67.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.54 ₸1,145

$4.54 ¥30.40

-44.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.04 ₸4,969

$11.82 ¥79.1

-6.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸546

$0.92 ¥6.17

31.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 ₸1,085

$1.76 ¥11.78

36.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₸113

$0.59 ¥3.93

-57.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.84 ₸9,831

$21.95 ¥147

-0.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₸577

$1.46 ¥9.76

-12.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸289

$0.38 ¥2.55

68.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.74 ₸4,836

$7.13 ¥47.75

50.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.69 ₸312

$1.35 ¥9.07

-48.89%

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

$22.3K ₸10.0M

$19.3K ¥129.5K

15.13%

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

$29.3K ₸13.2M

$18.6K ¥124.4K

57.90%

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

$87.8 ₸39.5K

$63.8 ¥427

37.58%

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

$10.83 ₸4,874

$10.04 ¥67.2

7.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.40 ₸7,831

$16.28 ¥109

6.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 ₸31.4K

$50.3 ¥336

38.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.58 ₸12.0K

$17.02 ¥114

56.17%

Cinema Ticket

$6.68 ₸3,009

$7.28 ¥48.71

-8.24%

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

$446 ₸200.8K

$523 ¥3,502

-14.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₸5.4M

$23.8K ¥159.4K

-50.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.7 ₸42.2K

$55.1 ¥369

69.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.91 ₸21.1K

$40.53 ¥271

15.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 ₸64.3K

$72.0 ¥482

98.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.1K

$92.4 ¥618

44.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$773 ₸348.1K

$764 ¥5,111

1.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$497 ₸223.9K

$485 ¥3,243

2.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 ₸625.9K

$1,941 ¥13.0K

-28.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$880 ₸396.0K

$845 ¥5,659

4.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,546 ₸1.1M

$14.0K ¥93.8K

-81.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,506 ₸678.2K

$6,137 ¥41.1K

-75.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$834 ₸375.2K

$1,693 ¥11.3K

-50.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

3.35

516.42%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 5, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$497 36.4%

Shenzhen

$484 42.8% 2.6% $13

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$251 18.4%

Shenzhen

$249 22% 0.9% $2.3

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 15%

Shenzhen

$99 8.7% 52% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$188 13.7%

Shenzhen

$117 10.3% 37.6% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$116 8.5%

Shenzhen

$90 8% 22.3% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$83 6.1%

Shenzhen

$65 5.7% 22% $18

Getting Around

Almaty

$27 2%

Shenzhen

$28 2.4% 1.2% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $773 in Almaty versus $764 in Shenzhen. 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 103% higher in Shenzhen, 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 Shenzhen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $249 – making Shenzhen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

16:10 4:10 PM

18:10 6:10 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

12,528,300

💱 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 = 504 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 = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

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Almaty Shenzhen 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 Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 22%, 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 $1,701 in Shenzhen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shenzhen, 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 Shenzhen. 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 $1,134 in Shenzhen. That's a gap of about 22%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Shenzhen, where all-in costs run around $1,134, than in Almaty at $1,387. In Shenzhen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shenzhen – 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 Shenzhen. 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.