Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Taichung

For one person, living is cheaper in Taichung: $1,143 a month against $1,387 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Taichung
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Taichung Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,387

/mo nomad

Taichung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,143

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Taichung

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

A single person spends $1,387 per month in Almaty vs $1,143 in Taichung, rent included.

Almaty $1,387
Taichung $1,143

A couple spends around $2,135 per month in Almaty vs $1,887 in Taichung, rent included.

Almaty $2,135
Taichung $1,887

A family of three spends $2,883 per month in Almaty vs $2,631 in Taichung, rent included.

Almaty $2,883
Taichung $2,631

Almaty costs about 21% more than Taichung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.31 ₸6,034

$4.68 NT$149

184.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 ₸19.7K

$32.12 NT$1,025

35.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 ₸3,988

$4.85 NT$155

81.44%

Cappuccino

$3.30 ₸1,497

$2.75 NT$87.6

20.00%

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

$1.37 ₸620

$1.03 NT$32.80

33.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₸409

$0.74 NT$23.56

21.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 ₸1,419

$1.56 NT$49.69

100.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 ₸1,860

$2.78 NT$88.7

47.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₸754

$3.27 NT$104

-49.24%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 ₸406

$1.76 NT$56.2

-48.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 ₸933

$2.66 NT$84.7

-22.56%

Eggs

$2.37 ₸1,074

$2.62 NT$83.7

-9.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.64 ₸5,730

$29.33 NT$936

-56.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 ₸3,000

$8.13 NT$259

-18.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.87 ₸4,928

$17.14 NT$547

-36.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₸845

$4.22 NT$135

-55.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 ₸1,075

$1.92 NT$61.3

23.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 ₸1,358

$2.99 NT$95.3

Tomato (1kg)

$2.83 ₸1,282

$2.15 NT$68.6

31.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ₸347

$1.20 NT$38.28

-35.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 ₸264

$1.97 NT$62.9

-70.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 ₸723

$2.40 NT$76.7

-33.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₸449

$0.90 NT$28.80

10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.54 ₸1,153

$3.75 NT$120

-32.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.04 ₸5,005

$15.53 NT$495

-28.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸550

$1.64 NT$52.3

-26.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 ₸1,093

$2.47 NT$78.8

-2.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₸113

$0.72 NT$23.05

-65.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.84 ₸9,901

$31.97 NT$1,020

-31.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₸581

$2.70 NT$86.1

-52.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸291

$0.92 NT$29.49

-30.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.74 ₸4,870

$9.61 NT$307

11.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.69 ₸314

$1.03 NT$32.76

-33.01%

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

$22.3K ₸10.1M

$33.0K NT$1.1M

-32.57%

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

$29.3K ₸13.3M

$22.7K NT$725.9K

28.96%

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

$87.8 ₸39.8K

$127 NT$4,037

-30.63%

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

$10.83 ₸4,909

$14.84 NT$474

-27.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.40 ₸7,887

$21.00 NT$670

-17.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 ₸31.6K

$32.96 NT$1,052

111.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.58 ₸12.1K

$11.63 NT$371

128.55%

Cinema Ticket

$6.68 ₸3,031

$10.02 NT$320

-33.33%

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

$446 ₸202.2K

$347 NT$11.1K

28.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₸5.4M

$16.8K NT$537.2K

-29.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.7 ₸42.5K

$72.5 NT$2,314

29.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.91 ₸21.3K

$35.93 NT$1,147

30.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 ₸64.7K

$85.8 NT$2,738

66.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.5K

$117 NT$3,727

14.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$773 ₸350.6K

$396 NT$12.6K

95.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$497 ₸225.5K

$273 NT$8,722

81.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 ₸630.4K

$1,217 NT$38.8K

14.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$880 ₸398.9K

$774 NT$24.7K

13.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,546 ₸1.2M

$8,642 NT$275.8K

-70.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,506 ₸683.0K

$5,368 NT$171.3K

-71.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$834 ₸377.9K

$1,432 NT$45.7K

-41.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

2.27

809.69%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 5, 2026

Last update for Taichung: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$497 36.4%

Taichung

$273 23.7% 45% $224

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$251 18.4%

Taichung

$379 32.8% 50.8% $128

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 15%

Taichung

$105 9.1% 48.7% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$188 13.7%

Taichung

$140 12.1% 25.4% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$116 8.5%

Taichung

$162 14.1% 40% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$83 6.1%

Taichung

$53 4.6% 36.2% $30

Getting Around

Almaty

$27 2%

Taichung

$42 3.7% 54.3% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $773 in Almaty versus $396 in Taichung. 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 72% higher in Taichung, 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 $32.00 in Taichung. Groceries tell a different story – $251 in Almaty vs $379 in Taichung – so Almaty wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇹🇼 Taichung

🕒 Local time

13:21 1:21 PM

15:21 3:21 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

2,767,239

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.79 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 453 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 509 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 31.91 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.79 TWD (100 TWD = 2.79 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Almaty Taichung 4,500 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Taichung

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 Taichung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 21%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,080 per month in Almaty and $1,714 in Taichung. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taichung, 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 $32.00 in Taichung. 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 $1,143 in Taichung. That's a gap of about 21%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Taichung, where all-in costs run around $1,143, than in Almaty at $1,387. In Taichung it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Taichung – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Taichung. 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.