Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Wuxi

For one person, living is cheaper in Wuxi: $760 a month against $1,387 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Wuxi
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Wuxi Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,387

/mo nomad

Wuxi

🇨🇳 China

$760

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Wuxi

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

A single person spends $1,387 per month in Almaty vs $760 in Wuxi, rent included.

Almaty $1,387
Wuxi $760

A couple spends around $2,135 per month in Almaty vs $1,177 in Wuxi, rent included.

Almaty $2,135
Wuxi $1,177

A family of three spends $2,883 per month in Almaty vs $1,594 in Wuxi, rent included.

Almaty $2,883
Wuxi $1,594

Almaty costs about 82% more than Wuxi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Almaty sits 3% above the global median, while Wuxi is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.31 ₸6,034

$3.75 ¥25.07

254.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 ₸19.7K

$23.92 ¥160

81.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 ₸3,988

$4.39 ¥29.34

100.46%

Cappuccino

$3.30 ₸1,497

$3.05 ¥20.38

8.20%

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

$1.37 ₸620

$0.49 ¥3.25

179.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₸409

$0.30 ¥2.00

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 ₸1,419

$1.46 ¥9.75

114.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 ₸1,860

$3.02 ¥20.21

35.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₸754

$1.87 ¥12.51

-11.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 ₸406

$2.17 ¥14.52

-58.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 ₸933

$1.09 ¥7.28

88.99%

Eggs

$2.37 ₸1,074

$1.85 ¥12.36

28.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.64 ₸5,730

$13.32 ¥89.0

-5.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 ₸3,000

$3.38 ¥22.61

95.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.87 ₸4,928

$11.07 ¥74.0

-1.81%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₸845

$2.67 ¥17.81

-30.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 ₸1,075

$1.30 ¥8.70

82.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 ₸1,358

$1.66 ¥11.10

80.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.83 ₸1,282

$1.17 ¥7.83

141.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ₸347

$0.68 ¥4.56

13.24%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 ₸264

$0.80 ¥5.35

-27.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 ₸723

$0.59 ¥3.95

169.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₸449

$0.56 ¥3.73

76.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.54 ₸1,153

$5.26 ¥35.13

-51.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.04 ₸5,005

$11.74 ¥78.5

-5.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸550

$0.90 ¥6.03

34.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 ₸1,093

$2.18 ¥14.58

10.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₸113

$0.47 ¥3.15

-46.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.84 ₸9,901

$18.61 ¥124

17.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₸581

$1.51 ¥10.07

-15.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸291

$0.39 ¥2.63

64.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.74 ₸4,870

$9.15 ¥61.2

17.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.69 ₸314

$1.31 ¥8.78

-47.33%

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

$22.3K ₸10.1M

$19.6K ¥131.1K

13.58%

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

$29.3K ₸13.3M

$19.1K ¥127.7K

53.54%

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

$87.8 ₸39.8K

$37.03 ¥247

137.00%

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

$10.83 ₸4,909

$11.63 ¥77.7

-6.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.40 ₸7,887

$27.41 ¥183

-36.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 ₸31.6K

$47.20 ¥315

47.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.58 ₸12.1K

$7.00 ¥46.75

279.71%

Cinema Ticket

$6.68 ₸3,031

$5.85 ¥39.09

14.19%

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

$446 ₸202.2K

$431 ¥2,882

3.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₸5.4M

$16.6K ¥110.8K

-28.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.7 ₸42.5K

$35.65 ¥238

162.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.91 ₸21.3K

$21.86 ¥146

114.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 ₸64.7K

$65.6 ¥438

117.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.5K

$45.45 ¥304

193.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$773 ₸350.6K

$334 ¥2,231

131.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$497 ₸225.5K

$205 ¥1,367

143.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 ₸630.4K

$584 ¥3,906

137.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$880 ₸398.9K

$368 ¥2,462

138.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,546 ₸1.2M

$3,654 ¥24.4K

-30.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,506 ₸683.0K

$1,955 ¥13.1K

-22.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$834 ₸377.9K

$1,053 ¥7,035

-20.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

3.13

559.74%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 5, 2026

Last update for Wuxi: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$497 36.4%

Wuxi

$205 27% 58.9% $293

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$251 18.4%

Wuxi

$221 29.2% 12% $30

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 15%

Wuxi

$96 12.7% 53.1% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$188 13.7%

Wuxi

$76 10% 59.6% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$116 8.5%

Wuxi

$76 10.1% 34.4% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$83 6.1%

Wuxi

$59 7.8% 29.1% $24

Getting Around

Almaty

$27 2%

Wuxi

$24 3.2% 12.3% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $773 in Almaty versus $334 in Wuxi. 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 26% higher in Wuxi, 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 $24.00 in Wuxi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $221 – making Wuxi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Wuxi

🕒 Local time

16:22 4:22 PM

18:22 6:22 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

7,462,135

💱 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 = 0.134 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 453 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

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Almaty Wuxi 3,990 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
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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 Wuxi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 82%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,080 per month in Almaty and $1,140 in Wuxi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Wuxi, 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 $24.00 in Wuxi. 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 $760 in Wuxi. That's a gap of about 82%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Wuxi, where all-in costs run around $760, than in Almaty at $1,387. In Wuxi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Wuxi – 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 Wuxi. 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.