Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Shijiazhuang

For one person, living is cheaper in Shijiazhuang: $678 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Shijiazhuang
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Shijiazhuang Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Shijiazhuang

🇨🇳 China

$678

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Shijiazhuang

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $678 in Shijiazhuang, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Shijiazhuang $678

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,015 in Shijiazhuang, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Shijiazhuang $1,015

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,353 in Shijiazhuang, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Shijiazhuang $1,353

Almaty costs about 102% more than Shijiazhuang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Shijiazhuang is 50% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,948

$1.78 ¥11.89

639.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$18.80 ¥126

138.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,021

$5.46 ¥36.47

63.00%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,468

$3.22 ¥21.49

0.93%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$0.47 ¥3.14

200.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸398

$0.27 ¥1.82

225.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,512

$0.80 ¥5.33

318.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$1.70 ¥11.34

137.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$1.32 ¥8.85

28.03%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.14 ¥7.58

-24.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$0.70 ¥4.65

190.00%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$1.23 ¥8.25

97.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,631

$16.09 ¥108

-22.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$2.76 ¥18.44

143.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,904

$9.42 ¥63.0

15.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$1.63 ¥10.89

10.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.24 ¥8.26

81.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$0.77 ¥5.18

277.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$1.22 ¥8.14

125.41%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$0.59 ¥3.91

27.12%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$0.58 ¥3.89

-5.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$0.63 ¥4.23

157.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.46 ¥3.08

128.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$3.81 ¥25.44

-32.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,041

$3.68 ¥24.61

202.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$0.72 ¥4.83

68.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

$0.73 ¥4.86

234.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.31 ¥2.10

-16.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,955

$17.78 ¥119

23.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$1.17 ¥7.80

15.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.35 ¥2.33

82.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,043

$3.49 ¥23.34

219.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$1.24 ¥8.29

-41.94%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$19.7K ¥131.7K

14.29%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$17.0K ¥113.8K

77.79%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$93.9 ¥627

-2.24%

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

$10.66 ₸4,819

$4.40 ¥29.43

142.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,070

$6.63 ¥44.31

169.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$13.96 ¥93.3

403.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$14.76 ¥98.6

86.99%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,063

$5.52 ¥36.90

22.83%

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

$449 ₸202.8K

$377 ¥2,517

19.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$5,226 ¥34.9K

131.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.6K

$49.51 ¥331

81.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$26.52 ¥177

77.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$75.5 ¥504

87.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$54.8 ¥366

142.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

$302 ¥2,018

166.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.8K

$183 ¥1,221

173.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.8K

$408 ¥2,727

250.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

$276 ¥1,846

227.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$2,499 ¥16.7K

0.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.6K

$1,670 ¥11.2K

-6.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.2K

$801 ¥5,352

8.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

3.31

523.87%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Shijiazhuang: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Shijiazhuang

$183 27% 63.4% $317

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Shijiazhuang

$171 25.2% 31.8% $80

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Shijiazhuang

$80 11.7% 61.2% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Shijiazhuang

$93 13.7% 49.9% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Shijiazhuang

$105 15.5% 12.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Shijiazhuang

$25 3.7% 70.2% $59

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Shijiazhuang

$22 3.2% 20.5% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $302 in Shijiazhuang. 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 9% 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 $45.00 in Almaty versus $19.00 in Shijiazhuang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $171 – making Shijiazhuang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Shijiazhuang

🕒 Local time

09:42 9:42 AM

11:42 11:42 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

11,235,086

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.48 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Almaty Shijiazhuang 3,190 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Shijiazhuang

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 Shijiazhuang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 102%, 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 $1,017 in Shijiazhuang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shijiazhuang, 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 $19.00 in Shijiazhuang. 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 $678 in Shijiazhuang. That's a gap of about 102%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Shijiazhuang, where all-in costs run around $678, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Shijiazhuang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shijiazhuang – 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 Shijiazhuang. 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.