Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Yiwu

For one person, living is cheaper in Yiwu: $550 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 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
27

Cost of Living Index in Yiwu
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Yiwu Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Yiwu

🇨🇳 China

$550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Yiwu

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $550 in Yiwu, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Yiwu $550

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,286 in Yiwu, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Yiwu $1,286

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $2,022 in Yiwu, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Yiwu $2,022

Almaty costs about 150% more than Yiwu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Yiwu is 59% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,939

$2.92 ¥19.54

350.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.2K

$29.38 ¥196

52.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,015

$5.13 ¥34.31

73.49%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,466

$3.29 ¥22.01

-1.22%

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

$1.41 ₸638

$0.62 ¥4.15

127.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸398

$0.38 ¥2.55

131.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,510

$1.22 ¥8.19

174.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,824

$2.28 ¥15.22

77.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸761

$1.85 ¥12.40

-8.65%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.96 ¥13.09

-56.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸916

$0.98 ¥6.58

107.14%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,098

$1.68 ¥11.26

44.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,623

$17.54 ¥117

-28.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,028

$3.35 ¥22.38

100.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,896

$13.14 ¥87.9

-17.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸812

$2.14 ¥14.29

-15.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,017

$1.75 ¥11.68

28.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,312

$1.95 ¥13.05

49.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,241

$1.66 ¥11.08

65.66%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$0.82 ¥5.51

-8.54%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$0.94 ¥6.28

-41.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸731

$0.62 ¥4.17

161.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸473

$0.59 ¥3.96

77.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,165

$3.75 ¥25.10

-31.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,034

$10.78 ¥72.1

3.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸546

$0.83 ¥5.56

45.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,102

$1.60 ¥10.67

52.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.43 ¥2.90

-39.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,940

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸610

$1.30 ¥8.73

3.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.43 ¥2.89

48.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,036

$8.89 ¥59.4

25.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸323

$1.27 ¥8.49

-43.31%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$19.6K ¥130.9K

15.10%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$18.6K ¥124.3K

62.89%

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

$91.8 ₸41.4K

$57.4 ¥384

59.89%

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

$10.66 ₸4,812

$8.10 ¥54.2

31.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,058

$10.41 ¥69.6

71.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.7K

$14.73 ¥98.5

377.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$11.34 ¥75.8

143.39%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,059

$7.22 ¥48.25

-6.09%

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

$449 ₸202.5K

$1,430 ¥9,566

-68.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$27.3K ¥182.5K

-55.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.6K

$53.9 ¥361

66.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.2K

$37.73 ¥252

24.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.0K

$76.8 ¥514

84.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸59.9K

$73.5 ¥491

80.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.1K

$446 ¥2,985

80.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸644.8K

$1,053 ¥7,041

35.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.2K

$733 ¥4,901

23.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$11.8K ¥78.7K

-78.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸703.5K

$2,921 ¥19.5K

-46.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸392.6K

$748 ¥5,000

16.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

3.36

514.58%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Yiwu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Yiwu

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Yiwu

$238 43.2% 5.1% $13

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Yiwu

$93 16.9% 54.7% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Yiwu

$109 19.8% 41.2% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Yiwu

$76 13.8% 36.9% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Yiwu

$29 5.3% 65.2% $55

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Yiwu

$5.2 * 1% 81.2% $22

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $446 in Yiwu. 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 16% 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 $29.00 in Yiwu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $238 – making Yiwu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Yiwu

🕒 Local time

14:50 2:50 PM

16:50 4:50 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

1,234,015

💱 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 Yiwu 4,110 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Yiwu

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 Yiwu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 150%, 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 $825 in Yiwu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Yiwu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,372 in Almaty and $550 in Yiwu. That's a gap of about 150%.

Kindergarten costs $449 per month in Almaty and $1,430 in Yiwu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Yiwu, where all-in costs run around $550, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Yiwu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Yiwu – 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 Yiwu. 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.