Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Xiamen

For one person, living is cheaper in Xiamen: $842 a month against $1,387 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Xiamen
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Xiamen Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,387

/mo nomad

Xiamen

🇨🇳 China

$842

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Xiamen

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

A single person spends $1,387 per month in Almaty vs $842 in Xiamen, rent included.

Almaty $1,387
Xiamen $842

A couple spends around $2,135 per month in Almaty vs $1,338 in Xiamen, rent included.

Almaty $2,135
Xiamen $1,338

A family of three spends $2,883 per month in Almaty vs $1,835 in Xiamen, rent included.

Almaty $2,883
Xiamen $1,835

Almaty costs about 65% more than Xiamen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 3% above the global median, while Xiamen is 37% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.31 ₸6,034

$3.01 ¥20.10

342.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 ₸19.7K

$23.67 ¥158

83.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 ₸3,988

$5.36 ¥35.85

64.18%

Cappuccino

$3.30 ₸1,497

$2.51 ¥16.78

31.47%

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

$1.37 ₸620

$0.47 ¥3.14

191.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₸409

$0.35 ¥2.37

157.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 ₸1,419

$1.47 ¥9.86

112.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 ₸1,860

$2.99 ¥19.97

37.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₸754

$1.46 ¥9.78

13.70%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 ₸406

$2.27 ¥15.20

-60.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 ₸933

$0.98 ¥6.55

110.20%

Eggs

$2.37 ₸1,074

$1.63 ¥10.92

45.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.64 ₸5,730

$11.95 ¥79.9

5.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 ₸3,000

$2.52 ¥16.83

162.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.87 ₸4,928

$11.73 ¥78.4

-7.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₸845

$2.55 ¥17.05

-27.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 ₸1,075

$1.47 ¥9.85

61.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 ₸1,358

$1.66 ¥11.09

80.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.83 ₸1,282

$1.97 ¥13.19

43.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ₸347

$1.03 ¥6.86

-25.24%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 ₸264

$1.82 ¥12.18

-68.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 ₸723

$0.91 ¥6.05

74.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₸449

$0.49 ¥3.31

102.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.54 ₸1,153

$3.06 ¥20.47

-16.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.04 ₸5,005

$11.22 ¥75.0

-1.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸550

$0.81 ¥5.40

49.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 ₸1,093

$1.70 ¥11.37

41.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₸113

$0.16 ¥1.07

56.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.84 ₸9,901

$12.10 ¥80.9

80.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₸581

$1.47 ¥9.82

-12.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸291

$0.29 ¥1.92

120.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.74 ₸4,870

$7.34 ¥49.07

46.32%

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

$19.3K ¥128.8K

15.61%

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

$29.3K ₸13.3M

$17.3K ¥115.4K

69.90%

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

$87.8 ₸39.8K

$44.42 ¥297

97.57%

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

$10.83 ₸4,909

$8.81 ¥58.9

22.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.40 ₸7,887

$10.23 ¥68.3

70.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 ₸31.6K

$48.22 ¥322

44.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.58 ₸12.1K

$10.59 ¥70.8

150.99%

Cinema Ticket

$6.68 ₸3,031

$10.22 ¥68.3

-34.64%

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

$446 ₸202.2K

$488 ¥3,264

-8.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₸5.4M

$24.1K ¥161.3K

-50.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.7 ₸42.5K

$38.84 ¥260

141.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.91 ₸21.3K

$28.49 ¥190

64.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 ₸64.7K

$105 ¥703

35.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.5K

$84.5 ¥565

57.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$773 ₸350.6K

$342 ¥2,283

126.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$497 ₸225.5K

$269 ¥1,798

84.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 ₸630.4K

$825 ¥5,511

68.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$880 ₸398.9K

$547 ¥3,655

60.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,546 ₸1.2M

$8,597 ¥57.5K

-70.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,506 ₸683.0K

$4,684 ¥31.3K

-67.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$834 ₸377.9K

$1,138 ¥7,607

-26.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

3.46

496.82%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 5, 2026

Last update for Xiamen: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$497 36.4%

Xiamen

$269 32.2% 45.9% $228

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$251 18.4%

Xiamen

$216 25.8% 14.1% $36

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 15%

Xiamen

$87 10.4% 57.7% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$188 13.7%

Xiamen

$116 13.9% 38.3% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$116 8.5%

Xiamen

$63 7.6% 45.3% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$83 6.1%

Xiamen

$69 8.2% 17.3% $14

Getting Around

Almaty

$27 2%

Xiamen

$16 1.9% 42.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $773 in Almaty versus $342 in Xiamen. 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 37% higher in Xiamen, 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 Xiamen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $216 – making Xiamen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Xiamen

🕒 Local time

13:22 1:22 PM

15:22 3:22 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

3,531,000

💱 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 453 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 509 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 = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Almaty Xiamen 4,270 km ≈ 6 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 Xiamen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 65%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,080 per month in Almaty and $1,263 in Xiamen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Xiamen, 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 Xiamen. 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 $842 in Xiamen. That's a gap of about 65%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Xiamen, where all-in costs run around $842, than in Almaty at $1,387. In Xiamen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Xiamen – 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 Xiamen. 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.