Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Yulin

For one person, living is cheaper in Yulin: $716 a month against $1,363 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Yulin
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Yulin Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,363

/mo nomad

Yulin

🇨🇳 China

$716

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Yulin

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

A single person spends $1,363 per month in Almaty vs $716 in Yulin, rent included.

Almaty $1,363
Yulin $716

A couple spends around $2,131 per month in Almaty vs $1,122 in Yulin, rent included.

Almaty $2,131
Yulin $1,122

A family of three spends $2,900 per month in Almaty vs $1,529 in Yulin, rent included.

Almaty $2,900
Yulin $1,529

Almaty costs about 90% more than Yulin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 1% above the global median, while Yulin is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.05 ₸5,899

$2.20 ¥14.71

493.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.44 ₸19.6K

$16.38 ¥110

165.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ₸3,962

$4.91 ¥32.81

78.41%

Cappuccino

$3.32 ₸1,501

$2.06 ¥13.74

61.17%

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

$1.34 ₸607

$0.41 ¥2.71

226.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₸374

$0.26 ¥1.75

219.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 ₸1,518

$1.63 ¥10.87

106.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 ₸1,818

$2.28 ¥15.21

76.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ₸747

$1.85 ¥12.40

-10.81%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 ₸421

$1.66 ¥11.11

-43.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 ₸927

$0.86 ¥5.73

138.37%

Eggs

$2.46 ₸1,113

$1.81 ¥12.12

35.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.49 ₸5,646

$15.47 ¥103

-19.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,035

$3.35 ¥22.40

100.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$10.67 ¥71.4

1.69%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 ₸807

$1.69 ¥11.30

5.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.35 ¥9.00

66.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 ₸1,299

$1.46 ¥9.79

96.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 ₸1,227

$1.32 ¥8.80

105.30%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 ₸362

$0.61 ¥4.09

31.15%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸249

$1.00 ¥6.69

-45.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$0.61 ¥4.11

165.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ₸453

$0.55 ¥3.71

81.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$3.43 ¥22.91

-24.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,039

$10.02 ¥67.0

11.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₸572

$0.72 ¥4.85

75.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₸1,120

$1.45 ¥9.66

71.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₸128

$0.33 ¥2.21

-15.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.05 ₸9,970

$17.06 ¥114

29.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 ₸607

$1.44 ¥9.60

-6.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.32 ¥2.16

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.04 ₸4,993

$8.16 ¥54.6

35.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸326

$1.38 ¥9.25

-47.83%

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

$28.1K ₸12.7M

$18.3K ¥122.5K

53.66%

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

$31.8K ₸14.4M

$19.2K ¥128.7K

65.22%

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

$90.5 ₸40.9K

$56.3 ¥376

60.81%

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

$10.63 ₸4,805

$8.59 ¥57.5

23.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.12 ₸8,190

$11.75 ¥78.6

54.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 ₸31.2K

$43.10 ¥288

60.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.98 ₸12.2K

$15.68 ¥105

72.07%

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 ₸3,062

$6.50 ¥43.48

4.15%

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

$444 ₸200.6K

$368 ¥2,459

20.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K ₸5.4M

$19.3K ¥128.9K

-37.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.9 ₸41.5K

$43.38 ¥290

111.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.80 ₸21.6K

$32.95 ¥220

45.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 ₸63.0K

$74.5 ¥498

86.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₸59.4K

$75.1 ¥502

74.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$777 ₸351.2K

$288 ¥1,928

169.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$494 ₸223.4K

$178 ¥1,190

177.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 ₸650.4K

$651 ¥4,353

121.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$905 ₸409.2K

$339 ¥2,264

167.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,470 ₸1.1M

$3,372 ¥22.5K

-26.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,517 ₸685.7K

$1,949 ¥13.0K

-22.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$857 ₸387.2K

$592 ¥3,956

44.77%

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 18, 2026

Last update for Yulin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$494 36.3%

Yulin

$178 24.9% 64% $316

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$251 18.4%

Yulin

$209 29.3% 16.4% $41

Eating Out

Almaty

$204 15%

Yulin

$72 10.1% 64.5% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.6%

Yulin

$102 14.2% 44.9% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$119 8.8%

Yulin

$77 10.7% 35.7% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$83 6.1%

Yulin

$56 7.8% 32% $26

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Yulin

$21 3% 22.6% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $777 in Almaty versus $288 in Yulin. 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 $43.00 in Almaty versus $16.00 in Yulin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $209 – making Yulin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Yulin

🕒 Local time

08:26 8:26 AM

10:26 10:26 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

3,700,000

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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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Between locations

Almaty Yulin 2,800 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Yulin

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 Yulin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 90%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,044 per month in Almaty and $1,074 in Yulin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Yulin, 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 $16.00 in Yulin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,363 in Almaty and $716 in Yulin. That's a gap of about 90%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Yulin, where all-in costs run around $716, than in Almaty at $1,363. In Yulin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Yulin – 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 Yulin. 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.