Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Xianyang

For one person, living is cheaper in Xianyang: $618 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Xianyang
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Xianyang Living Index

Jump to prices

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Xianyang

🇨🇳 China

$618

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Xianyang

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $618 in Xianyang, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Xianyang $618

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $996 in Xianyang, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Xianyang $996

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,375 in Xianyang, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Xianyang $1,375

Almaty costs about 122% more than Xianyang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Xianyang is 54% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$2.19 ¥14.66

500.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$17.22 ¥115

160.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$4.50 ¥30.08

97.78%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$2.17 ¥14.48

49.77%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$0.38 ¥2.55

271.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.29 ¥1.96

203.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

$0.78 ¥5.20

329.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$1.53 ¥10.25

164.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$1.47 ¥9.85

14.97%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.07 ¥7.14

-19.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$0.76 ¥5.11

167.11%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$1.43 ¥9.58

69.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

$9.58 ¥64.1

30.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$1.83 ¥12.21

266.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$7.46 ¥49.87

45.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$1.21 ¥8.10

48.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.04 ¥6.95

116.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$1.28 ¥8.58

127.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$0.58 ¥3.90

374.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$0.46 ¥3.09

63.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$0.62 ¥4.13

-11.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$0.63 ¥4.19

157.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.59 ¥3.91

77.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$2.95 ¥19.73

-12.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

$7.44 ¥49.76

49.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$0.46 ¥3.08

163.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

$1.74 ¥11.64

40.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.31 ¥2.10

-16.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

$15.94 ¥107

38.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$1.30 ¥8.71

3.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.29 ¥1.93

120.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

$4.54 ¥30.35

145.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$1.25 ¥8.34

-42.40%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$19.1K ¥127.7K

17.88%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$11.8K ¥78.6K

157.35%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$37.14 ¥248

147.20%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$6.13 ¥41.02

73.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$10.49 ¥70.1

70.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$42.04 ¥281

67.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$14.65 ¥98.0

88.40%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$5.91 ¥39.50

14.72%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

$335 ¥2,239

34.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$14.8K ¥98.7K

-17.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$38.41 ¥257

134.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$37.55 ¥251

25.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$75.0 ¥502

88.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$61.0 ¥408

117.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

$302 ¥2,018

166.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

$180 ¥1,206

177.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

$633 ¥4,235

125.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

$383 ¥2,561

136.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$3,529 ¥23.6K

-29.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

$732 ¥4,896

112.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

$600 ¥4,010

45.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

3.35

516.42%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Xianyang: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Xianyang

$180 29.2% 63.9% $319

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Xianyang

$148 23.9% 41% $103

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Xianyang

$67 10.8% 67.5% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Xianyang

$95 15.4% 48.5% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Xianyang

$54 8.7% 55.3% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Xianyang

$54 8.7% 35.8% $30

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Xianyang

$20 3.2% 27.7% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $302 in Xianyang. 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 45% higher in Almaty, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Almaty versus $17.00 in Xianyang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $148 – making Xianyang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Xianyang

🕒 Local time

01:54 1:54 AM

03:54 3:54 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

1,324,612

💱 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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

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Almaty Xianyang 2,910 km ≈ 4 h 15 min 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 Xianyang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 122%, 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 $926 in Xianyang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Xianyang, 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 $17.00 in Xianyang. 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 $618 in Xianyang. That's a gap of about 122%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Xianyang, where all-in costs run around $618, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Xianyang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Xianyang – 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 Xianyang. 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.