Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Taizhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Taizhou: $774 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Taizhou
Learn more

Taizhou Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Taizhou

🇨🇳 China

$774

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Taizhou

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $774 in Taizhou, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Taizhou $774

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,257 in Taizhou, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Taizhou $1,257

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,740 in Taizhou, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Taizhou $1,740

Almaty costs about 77% more than Taizhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Taizhou is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,939

$3.65 ¥24.42

260.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.2K

$25.57 ¥171

75.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,015

$4.51 ¥30.17

97.34%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,466

$3.47 ¥23.23

-6.34%

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

$1.41 ₸638

$0.54 ¥3.59

161.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸398

$0.29 ¥1.92

203.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,510

$1.23 ¥8.24

172.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,824

$2.21 ¥14.78

82.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸761

$1.82 ¥12.18

-7.14%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.62 ¥10.82

-46.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸916

$0.54 ¥3.59

275.93%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,098

$1.23 ¥8.26

97.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,623

$19.41 ¥130

-35.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,028

$3.81 ¥25.50

76.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,896

$10.27 ¥68.7

5.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸812

$1.20 ¥8.00

50.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,017

$1.35 ¥9.03

66.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,312

$1.45 ¥9.73

100.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,241

$1.55 ¥10.37

77.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$0.81 ¥5.40

-7.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$0.97 ¥6.51

-43.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸731

$0.68 ¥4.52

138.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸473

$0.55 ¥3.65

90.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,165

$4.04 ¥27.00

-36.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,034

$13.26 ¥88.7

-15.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸546

$0.44 ¥2.92

175.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,102

$1.73 ¥11.60

41.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.31 ¥2.08

-16.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,940

$19.77 ¥132

11.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸610

$1.18 ¥7.89

14.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.36 ¥2.38

77.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,036

$7.35 ¥49.16

51.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸323

$1.27 ¥8.50

-43.31%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$19.4K ¥129.9K

15.96%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$16.3K ¥108.7K

86.25%

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

$91.8 ₸41.4K

$48.17 ¥322

90.60%

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

$10.66 ₸4,812

$8.88 ¥59.4

20.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,058

$11.36 ¥76.0

57.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.7K

$42.64 ¥285

64.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$16.36 ¥109

68.70%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,059

$7.57 ¥50.7

-10.44%

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

$449 ₸202.5K

$574 ¥3,841

-21.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$36.7K ¥245.3K

-66.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.6K

$32.68 ¥219

175.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.2K

$41.93 ¥280

12.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.0K

$86.0 ¥575

64.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸59.9K

$109 ¥730

21.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.1K

$297 ¥1,983

171.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.5K

$181 ¥1,209

176.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸644.8K

$699 ¥4,675

104.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.2K

$377 ¥2,519

140.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$3,544 ¥23.7K

-29.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸703.5K

$1,971 ¥13.2K

-20.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸392.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

3.5

490.00%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Taizhou: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Taizhou

$181 23.4% 63.8% $319

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Taizhou

$223 28.8% 10.9% $27

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Taizhou

$98 12.7% 52% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Taizhou

$121 15.7% 34.4% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Taizhou

$68 8.8% 43.1% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Taizhou

$58 7.5% 31.1% $26

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Taizhou

$24 3.1% 13.2% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $297 in Taizhou. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Almaty versus $26.00 in Taizhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $223 – making Taizhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Taizhou

🕒 Local time

15:31 3:31 PM

17:31 5:31 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

615,000

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.22 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 = 451 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Almaty Taizhou 4,260 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Taizhou

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 Taizhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 77%, 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 $1,161 in Taizhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taizhou, 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 $26.00 in Taizhou. 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 $774 in Taizhou. That's a gap of about 77%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Taizhou, where all-in costs run around $774, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Taizhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Taizhou – 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 Taizhou. 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.