Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Zhubei City

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhubei City: $1,055 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Zhubei City
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Zhubei City Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Zhubei City

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,055

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Zhubei 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 Zhubei City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $1,055 in Zhubei City, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Zhubei City $1,055

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,841 in Zhubei City, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Zhubei City $1,841

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $2,627 in Zhubei City, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Zhubei City $2,627

Almaty costs about 30% more than Zhubei City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Zhubei City is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$4.83 NT$157

172.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$28.00 NT$908

60.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$5.07 NT$164

75.54%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$2.89 NT$93.8

12.46%

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

$1.41 ₸639

$0.91 NT$29.41

54.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.59 NT$19.02

49.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

$1.93 NT$62.5

73.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$2.33 NT$75.6

73.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$2.79 NT$90.4

-39.43%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.87 NT$60.7

-54.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$4.59 NT$149

-55.77%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$2.85 NT$92.5

-14.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

$24.76 NT$803

-49.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$8.37 NT$271

-19.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$25.93 NT$841

-58.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$4.04 NT$131

-55.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$2.42 NT$78.5

-7.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$2.69 NT$87.3

8.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$3.27 NT$106

-15.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$3.02 NT$97.9

-75.17%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$2.02 NT$65.5

-72.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$2.06 NT$66.9

-21.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$1.33 NT$43.25

-21.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$3.88 NT$126

-33.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

$9.23 NT$299

20.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$1.43 NT$46.36

-15.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

$2.33 NT$75.4

4.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.61 NT$19.85

-57.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$3.10 NT$101

-56.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.64 NT$20.76

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

$9.25 NT$300

20.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$0.99 NT$32.17

-27.27%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$33.5K NT$1.1M

-32.71%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$24.8K NT$805.7K

21.84%

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

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$103 NT$3,331

-10.61%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$18.96 NT$615

-43.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$22.80 NT$739

-21.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$31.40 NT$1,018

123.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$9.99 NT$324

-32.13%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

$646 NT$20.9K

-30.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$16.5K NT$533.8K

-26.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$57.7 NT$1,870

55.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$31.13 NT$1,010

51.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$90.8 NT$2,946

56.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$99.0 NT$3,209

34.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

$501 NT$16.2K

60.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

$217 NT$7,032

130.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

$1,100 NT$35.7K

29.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

$768 NT$24.9K

17.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$16.2K NT$525.9K

-84.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

$9,751 NT$316.2K

-84.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

$2,391 NT$77.5K

-63.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

2.4

760.42%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Zhubei City: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Zhubei City

$217 20.6% 56.6% $283

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Zhubei City

$400 37.9% 59.7% $149

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Zhubei City

$109 10.3% 46.9% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Zhubei City

$125 11.9% 32.3% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Zhubei City

$144 13.7% 20.1% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Zhubei City

$51 4.9% 38.8% $33

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Zhubei City

$8.8 * 0.8% 68.3% $19

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 $501 in Zhubei 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 175% higher in Zhubei 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 $28.00 in Zhubei City. Groceries tell a different story – $250 in Almaty vs $400 in Zhubei City – so Almaty wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇹🇼 Zhubei City

🕒 Local time

06:13 6:13 AM

08:13 8:13 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

211,746

💱 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 Zhubei City 4,480 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Zhubei 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 Zhubei City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 30%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,058 per month in Almaty and $1,583 in Zhubei City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zhubei City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,372 in Almaty and $1,055 in Zhubei City. That's a gap of about 30%.

Kindergarten costs $449 per month in Almaty and $646 in Zhubei City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Zhubei City, where all-in costs run around $1,055, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Zhubei City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zhubei 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 Zhubei 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.