Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Taiyuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Taiyuan: $589 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Taiyuan
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Taiyuan Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Taiyuan

🇨🇳 China

$589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Taiyuan

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $589 in Taiyuan, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Taiyuan $589

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $913 in Taiyuan, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Taiyuan $913

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,238 in Taiyuan, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Taiyuan $1,238

Almaty costs about 133% more than Taiyuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Taiyuan is 56% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$2.28 ¥15.21

477.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$14.73 ¥98.4

204.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$4.40 ¥29.37

102.27%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$2.64 ¥17.60

23.11%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$0.47 ¥3.11

200.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.29 ¥1.92

203.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

$1.22 ¥8.12

174.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$2.15 ¥14.36

87.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$0.83 ¥5.51

144.58%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$1.01 ¥6.75

140.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$13.02 ¥86.9

-16.67%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$1.87 ¥12.50

-3.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.38 ¥9.20

63.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$0.81 ¥5.40

259.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$1.16 ¥7.76

137.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$0.48 ¥3.20

56.25%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$0.29 ¥1.91

89.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.46 ¥3.07

128.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$2.95 ¥19.72

-12.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

$7.56 ¥50.5

47.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$0.87 ¥5.80

39.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

$1.45 ¥9.71

68.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.31 ¥2.08

-16.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

$13.65 ¥91.1

61.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$1.18 ¥7.89

14.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.23 ¥1.53

178.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

$3.73 ¥24.88

199.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$1.25 ¥8.32

-42.40%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$20.0K ¥133.4K

12.72%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$17.5K ¥117.1K

72.62%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$94.3 ¥630

-2.66%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$10.27 ¥68.6

3.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$12.74 ¥85.1

40.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$45.17 ¥302

55.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$8.76 ¥58.5

215.07%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$6.64 ¥44.31

2.11%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$27.60 ¥184

225.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$67.2 ¥449

-30.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$74.0 ¥494

91.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$59.4 ¥397

123.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

$223 ¥1,488

260.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

$114 ¥759

339.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

$556 ¥3,714

156.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

$259 ¥1,730

248.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$2,629 ¥17.6K

-4.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

$1,252 ¥8,356

24.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

$928 ¥6,194

-6.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

3.83

439.16%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Taiyuan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Taiyuan

$114 19.3% 77.2% $386

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Taiyuan

$103 * 17.5% 58.9% $147

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Taiyuan

$76 13% 62.7% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Taiyuan

$103 17.4% 44.6% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Taiyuan

$117 19.9% 2.5% $3

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Taiyuan

$58 9.9% 30.3% $25

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Taiyuan

$17 2.9% 37.6% $10

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $223 in Taiyuan. 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 7% higher in Taiyuan, 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 $15.00 in Taiyuan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $103 – making Taiyuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Taiyuan

🕒 Local time

18:11 6:11 PM

20:11 8:11 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

3,525,300

💱 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

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Almaty Taiyuan 3,040 km ≈ 4 h 15 min 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 Taiyuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 133%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,058 per month in Almaty and $883 in Taiyuan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taiyuan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,372 in Almaty and $589 in Taiyuan. That's a gap of about 133%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Almaty and $15.00 in Taiyuan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Taiyuan, where all-in costs run around $589, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Taiyuan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Taiyuan – 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 Taiyuan. 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.