Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Taoyuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Taoyuan: $1,200 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
Learn more

Almaty Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Taoyuan
Learn more

Taoyuan Living Index

Jump to prices

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Taoyuan

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,200

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Taoyuan

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $1,200 in Taoyuan, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Taoyuan $1,200

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,816 in Taoyuan, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Taoyuan $1,816

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $2,433 in Taoyuan, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Taoyuan $2,433

Almaty costs about 14% more than Taoyuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Taoyuan is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$4.23 NT$137

211.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$24.93 NT$808

79.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$5.74 NT$186

55.05%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$2.97 NT$96.2

9.43%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$1.02 NT$33.18

38.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.71 NT$22.97

23.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

$1.84 NT$59.8

82.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$2.30 NT$74.6

75.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$2.84 NT$92.2

-40.49%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.22 NT$39.64

-29.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$2.67 NT$86.5

-23.97%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$2.17 NT$70.4

11.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

$9.22 NT$299

35.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$7.55 NT$245

-11.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$21.09 NT$684

-48.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$3.83 NT$124

-53.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$2.06 NT$66.8

9.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$3.11 NT$101

-6.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$3.10 NT$101

-11.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$2.47 NT$80.2

-69.64%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$2.03 NT$65.9

-72.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$2.33 NT$75.6

-30.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.88 NT$28.53

19.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$5.02 NT$163

-48.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

$10.89 NT$353

2.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$1.43 NT$46.45

-15.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

$2.16 NT$69.9

12.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.55 NT$17.81

-52.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

$38.07 NT$1,234

-42.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$2.74 NT$88.8

-50.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.76 NT$24.51

-15.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

$6.99 NT$227

59.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$1.00 NT$32.37

-28.00%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$32.8K NT$1.1M

-31.41%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$23.3K NT$755.7K

29.89%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$69.5 NT$2,252

32.18%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$17.72 NT$574

-39.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$21.93 NT$711

-18.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$33.59 NT$1,089

109.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$7.07 NT$229

290.38%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$10.94 NT$355

-38.03%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

$517 NT$16.8K

-13.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$31.3K NT$1.0M

-61.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$91.3 NT$2,959

-1.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$24.83 NT$805

89.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$81.9 NT$2,655

73.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$96.2 NT$3,119

38.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

$646 NT$20.9K

24.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

$436 NT$14.1K

14.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

$964 NT$31.2K

48.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

$729 NT$23.6K

24.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$7,498 NT$243.2K

-66.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

$4,782 NT$155.1K

-67.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

$1,549 NT$50.2K

-43.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

2.38

767.65%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Taoyuan: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Taoyuan

$436 36.3% 12.7% $64

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Taoyuan

$313 26.1% 25% $62

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Taoyuan

$107 9% 47.6% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Taoyuan

$132 11% 28.5% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Taoyuan

$109 9.1% 9.3% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Taoyuan

$55 4.6% 33.9% $28

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Taoyuan

$47 3.9% 69.5% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $646 in Taoyuan. 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 78% higher in Taoyuan, 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 $25.00 in Taoyuan. Groceries tell a different story – $250 in Almaty vs $313 in Taoyuan – so Almaty wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇹🇼 Taoyuan

🕒 Local time

07:24 7:24 AM

09:24 9:24 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

2,147,763

💱 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 = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Almaty Taoyuan 4,490 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Taoyuan

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 Taoyuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 14%, 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 $1,800 in Taoyuan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taoyuan, 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 $25.00 in Taoyuan. 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 $1,200 in Taoyuan. That's a gap of about 14%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Taoyuan, where all-in costs run around $1,200, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Taoyuan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Taoyuan – 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 Taoyuan. 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.