Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Zhongshan

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhongshan: $700 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 Zhongshan
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Zhongshan Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Zhongshan

🇨🇳 China

$700

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Zhongshan

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $700 in Zhongshan, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Zhongshan $700

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,110 in Zhongshan, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Zhongshan $1,110

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,521 in Zhongshan, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Zhongshan $1,521

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,939

$2.91 ¥19.47

352.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.2K

$24.18 ¥162

85.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,015

$4.47 ¥29.86

99.11%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,466

$2.81 ¥18.80

15.66%

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

$1.41 ₸638

$0.47 ¥3.15

200.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸398

$0.29 ¥1.93

203.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,510

$0.78 ¥5.19

329.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,824

$1.81 ¥12.14

123.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸761

$1.55 ¥10.38

9.03%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.59 ¥10.61

-45.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸916

$0.64 ¥4.31

217.19%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,098

$1.20 ¥8.00

102.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,623

$20.77 ¥139

-40.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,028

$2.79 ¥18.63

140.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,896

$13.52 ¥90.4

-19.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸812

$2.04 ¥13.65

-11.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,017

$1.03 ¥6.88

118.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,312

$0.69 ¥4.60

321.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,241

$1.42 ¥9.50

93.66%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$0.53 ¥3.57

41.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$0.78 ¥5.19

-29.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸731

$0.43 ¥2.88

276.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸473

$0.54 ¥3.60

94.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,165

$2.96 ¥19.79

-12.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,034

$12.02 ¥80.4

-7.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸546

$0.69 ¥4.63

75.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,102

$1.80 ¥12.01

35.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.29 ¥1.92

-10.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,940

$15.18 ¥102

45.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸610

$1.48 ¥9.88

-8.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.42 ¥2.78

52.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,036

$7.11 ¥47.58

56.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸323

$1.29 ¥8.65

-44.19%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$19.1K ¥128.0K

17.63%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$18.0K ¥120.7K

67.73%

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

$91.8 ₸41.4K

$41.21 ¥276

122.79%

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

$10.66 ₸4,812

$9.85 ¥65.9

8.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,058

$12.75 ¥85.3

40.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.7K

$67.8 ¥454

3.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$7.33 ¥49.00

276.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,059

$6.04 ¥40.42

12.25%

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

$449 ₸202.5K

$324 ¥2,164

38.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$13.6K ¥90.9K

-10.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.6K

$49.30 ¥330

82.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.2K

$40.39 ¥270

16.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.0K

$59.9 ¥400

136.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸59.9K

$76.0 ¥508

74.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.1K

$208 ¥1,391

286.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.5K

$129 ¥864

286.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸644.8K

$371 ¥2,483

284.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.2K

$215 ¥1,437

320.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$2,447 ¥16.4K

2.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸703.5K

$1,515 ¥10.1K

2.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸392.6K

$956 ¥6,396

-9.03%

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 Zhongshan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Zhongshan

$129 18.5% 74.1% $370

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Zhongshan

$224 32.1% 10.4% $26

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Zhongshan

$81 11.6% 60.5% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Zhongshan

$101 14.5% 45.2% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Zhongshan

$64 9.1% 47% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Zhongshan

$80 11.4% 4.7% $3.9

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Zhongshan

$20 2.8% 27.9% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $208 in Zhongshan. 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 10% higher in Zhongshan, 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 $24.00 in Zhongshan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $224 – making Zhongshan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Zhongshan

🕒 Local time

16:21 4:21 PM

18:21 6:21 PM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

3,209,600

💱 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 Zhongshan 4,060 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Zhongshan

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 Zhongshan: 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 Zhongshan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zhongshan, 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 $24.00 in Zhongshan. 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 $700 in Zhongshan. That's a gap of about 96%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Zhongshan, where all-in costs run around $700, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Zhongshan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zhongshan – 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 Zhongshan. 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.