Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Zhenjiang

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhenjiang: $699 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Zhenjiang
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Zhenjiang Living Index

Jump to prices

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Zhenjiang

🇨🇳 China

$699

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Zhenjiang

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $699 in Zhenjiang, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Zhenjiang $699

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,189 in Zhenjiang, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Zhenjiang $1,189

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,678 in Zhenjiang, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Zhenjiang $1,678

Almaty costs about 96% more than Zhenjiang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Zhenjiang is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,956

$3.05 ¥20.41

331.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$30.22 ¥202

48.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,026

$4.41 ¥29.43

101.81%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,470

$2.64 ¥17.66

23.11%

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

$1.41 ₸640

$0.61 ¥4.09

131.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.35 ¥2.37

151.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,514

$1.23 ¥8.22

172.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,829

$2.18 ¥14.56

85.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸763

$1.77 ¥11.86

-4.52%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸391

$1.45 ¥9.71

-40.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸918

$0.93 ¥6.20

118.28%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,101

$1.66 ¥11.10

46.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,639

$14.39 ¥96.1

-13.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,037

$3.07 ¥20.53

118.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,910

$12.91 ¥86.2

-15.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸814

$1.81 ¥12.08

-0.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,019

$1.72 ¥11.50

30.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,315

$1.75 ¥11.71

66.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,245

$1.69 ¥11.28

62.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸338

$0.81 ¥5.41

-7.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$0.99 ¥6.59

-44.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸733

$0.47 ¥3.14

244.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.58 ¥3.89

81.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,168

$3.70 ¥24.74

-30.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,048

$10.68 ¥71.3

4.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$0.88 ¥5.88

37.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,105

$1.62 ¥10.86

50.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.15 ¥0.98

73.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,968

$7.49 ¥50.0

194.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸612

$1.47 ¥9.83

-8.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.47 ¥3.13

36.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,050

$4.38 ¥29.27

154.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$1.21 ¥8.11

-40.50%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$17.8K ¥118.9K

26.55%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$17.9K ¥119.6K

69.10%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$57.4 ¥383

60.03%

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

$10.66 ₸4,826

$8.18 ¥54.7

30.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,081

$7.65 ¥51.1

133.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$45.06 ¥301

56.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$30.32 ¥203

-8.97%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,067

$9.05 ¥60.5

-25.08%

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

$449 ₸203.1K

$440 ¥2,939

2.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$28.1K ¥187.5K

-56.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$44.54 ¥298

101.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$30.24 ¥202

55.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.2K

$68.2 ¥456

107.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.1K

$83.7 ¥559

58.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸364.2K

$228 ¥1,526

252.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸226.1K

$148 ¥990

237.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸646.6K

$515 ¥3,440

177.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸409.3K

$368 ¥2,461

145.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$2,037 ¥13.6K

22.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸705.5K

$914 ¥6,104

70.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.7K

$970 ¥6,483

-10.33%

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 Zhenjiang: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Zhenjiang

$148 21.2% 70.3% $352

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Zhenjiang

$217 31% 13.3% $33

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Zhenjiang

$84 12% 59.1% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Zhenjiang

$102 14.6% 44.9% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Zhenjiang

$73 10.5% 39.2% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Zhenjiang

$63 9% 24.7% $21

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Zhenjiang

$12 1.7% 57% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $228 in Zhenjiang. 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 12% higher in Zhenjiang, 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 $45.00 in Almaty versus $30.00 in Zhenjiang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $217 – making Zhenjiang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Zhenjiang

🕒 Local time

17:05 5:05 PM

19:05 7:05 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

3,210,418

💱 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 16, 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

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Almaty Zhenjiang 3,890 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

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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 Zhenjiang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 96%, 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 $1,049 in Zhenjiang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zhenjiang, 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 $30.00 in Zhenjiang. 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 $699 in Zhenjiang. That's a gap of about 96%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Zhenjiang, where all-in costs run around $699, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Zhenjiang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zhenjiang – 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 Zhenjiang. 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.