Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Zhoushan

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhoushan: $620 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Zhoushan
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Zhoushan Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Zhoushan

🇨🇳 China

$620

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Zhoushan

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $620 in Zhoushan, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Zhoushan $620

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,005 in Zhoushan, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Zhoushan $1,005

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,390 in Zhoushan, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Zhoushan $1,390

Almaty costs about 121% more than Zhoushan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Zhoushan is 54% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$3.39 ¥22.63

288.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$19.03 ¥127

135.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$4.07 ¥27.24

118.67%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$2.95 ¥19.74

10.17%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$0.46 ¥3.10

206.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.25 ¥1.66

252.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

$0.77 ¥5.15

335.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$1.84 ¥12.32

119.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$1.83 ¥12.26

-7.65%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$2.07 ¥13.87

-58.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$0.89 ¥5.95

128.09%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$1.06 ¥7.07

129.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

$13.35 ¥89.2

-6.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$3.51 ¥23.45

91.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$10.96 ¥73.3

-1.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$1.53 ¥10.26

17.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.22 ¥8.17

84.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$1.45 ¥9.72

100.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$1.22 ¥8.13

125.41%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$0.58 ¥3.88

29.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$0.81 ¥5.42

-32.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$0.63 ¥4.23

157.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.58 ¥3.90

81.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$5.30 ¥35.45

-51.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

$11.80 ¥78.9

-5.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$0.88 ¥5.89

37.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

$2.14 ¥14.34

14.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.31 ¥2.10

-16.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

$15.13 ¥101

45.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$1.45 ¥9.71

-6.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.42 ¥2.81

52.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

$8.91 ¥59.6

25.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$1.22 ¥8.13

-40.98%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$19.4K ¥129.8K

16.05%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$16.4K ¥109.7K

84.51%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$36.17 ¥242

153.83%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$11.52 ¥77.0

-7.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$27.25 ¥182

-34.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$25.31 ¥169

177.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$7.45 ¥49.79

270.47%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$5.85 ¥39.10

15.90%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

$440 ¥2,942

2.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$16.3K ¥108.7K

-25.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$34.64 ¥232

159.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$21.10 ¥141

122.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$65.4 ¥437

116.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$44.10 ¥295

201.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

$329 ¥2,197

144.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

$119 ¥797

319.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

$745 ¥4,979

91.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

$273 ¥1,827

230.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$2,953 ¥19.7K

-15.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

$2,009 ¥13.4K

-22.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

$589 ¥3,935

47.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

3.13

559.74%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Zhoushan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Zhoushan

$119 19.2% 76.1% $380

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Zhoushan

$209 33.8% 16.4% $41

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Zhoushan

$85 13.7% 58.5% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Zhoushan

$74 12% 59.9% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Zhoushan

$75 12.1% 37.7% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Zhoushan

$37 6% 55.9% $47

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Zhoushan

$20 3.2% 27.7% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $329 in Zhoushan. 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 48% 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 $19.00 in Zhoushan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $209 – making Zhoushan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇨🇳 Zhoushan

🕒 Local time

07:18 7:18 AM

09:18 9:18 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

1,157,817

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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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Almaty Zhoushan 4,240 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Zhoushan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 121%, 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 $930 in Zhoushan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zhoushan, 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 $19.00 in Zhoushan. 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 $620 in Zhoushan. That's a gap of about 121%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Zhoushan, where all-in costs run around $620, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Zhoushan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zhoushan – 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 Zhoushan. 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.