Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Zhongli City

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhongli City: $993 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Zhongli City
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Zhongli City Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Zhongli City

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$993

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Zhongli City

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $993 in Zhongli City, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Zhongli City $993

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,675 in Zhongli City, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Zhongli City $1,675

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $2,357 in Zhongli City, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Zhongli City $2,357

Almaty costs about 38% more than Zhongli City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Zhongli City is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$4.62 NT$150

184.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$31.29 NT$1,015

43.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$4.77 NT$155

86.58%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$2.57 NT$83.4

26.46%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$1.03 NT$33.52

36.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.69 NT$22.35

27.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

$1.61 NT$52.2

108.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$2.75 NT$89.1

46.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$3.18 NT$103

-46.86%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.74 NT$56.3

-50.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$2.71 NT$87.9

-25.09%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$2.60 NT$84.3

-6.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

$12.77 NT$414

-2.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$7.09 NT$230

-5.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$15.39 NT$499

-29.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$3.74 NT$121

-51.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.97 NT$63.8

14.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$3.08 NT$99.9

-5.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$2.22 NT$72.1

23.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$1.23 NT$39.81

-39.02%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$1.90 NT$61.5

-71.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$2.44 NT$79.0

-33.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.85 NT$27.52

23.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$3.77 NT$122

-31.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

$15.45 NT$501

-27.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$1.55 NT$50.2

-21.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

$2.55 NT$82.8

-4.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.61 NT$19.90

-57.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

$37.64 NT$1,221

-41.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$2.68 NT$86.8

-49.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.58 NT$18.72

10.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

$9.61 NT$312

16.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$0.97 NT$31.60

-25.77%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$33.1K NT$1.1M

-31.89%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$23.3K NT$754.6K

30.08%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$106 NT$3,433

-13.28%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$14.76 NT$479

-27.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$17.14 NT$556

4.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$9.62 NT$312

-29.52%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

$344 NT$11.1K

30.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$16.9K NT$546.5K

-28.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$72.1 NT$2,338

24.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$36.46 NT$1,182

28.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$55.0 NT$1,782

158.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$108 NT$3,505

22.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

$448 NT$14.5K

79.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

$251 NT$8,125

99.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

$874 NT$28.3K

63.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

$716 NT$23.2K

26.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

$2,288 NT$74.2K

-61.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

2.1

883.33%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Zhongli City: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Zhongli City

$251 25.2% 49.9% $249

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Zhongli City

$315 31.8% 26% $65

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Zhongli City

$103 10.3% 50% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Zhongli City

$122 12.3% 34% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Zhongli City

$138 13.9% 14.5% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Zhongli City

$19 * 1.9% 77.1% $65

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Zhongli City

$46 4.6% 65.4% $18

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 $448 in Zhongli City. 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 163% higher in Zhongli City, 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 $31.00 in Zhongli City. Groceries tell a different story – $250 in Almaty vs $315 in Zhongli City – so Almaty wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇹🇼 Zhongli City

🕒 Local time

08:09 8:09 AM

10:09 10:09 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

396,453

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Almaty Zhongli City 4,490 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Zhongli City

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 Zhongli City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 38%, 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 $1,490 in Zhongli City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zhongli City, 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 $31.00 in Zhongli City. 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 $993 in Zhongli City. That's a gap of about 38%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Zhongli City, where all-in costs run around $993, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Zhongli City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zhongli City – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Zhongli City. 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.