Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ankang and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Ankang: $725 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Ankang
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Ankang Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Ankang

🇨🇳 China

$725

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ankang and in Almaty

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ankang and in Almaty actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $725 per month in Ankang vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Ankang $725
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,132 per month in Ankang vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Ankang $1,132
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,540 per month in Ankang vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Ankang $1,540
Almaty $2,913

Ankang is about 47% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ankang sits 46% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.47 ¥9.80

$13.16 ₸5,948

-88.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.99 ¥100

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-66.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.91 ¥19.45

$8.90 ₸4,021

-67.30%

Cappuccino

$2.15 ¥14.38

$3.25 ₸1,468

-33.85%

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

$0.43 ¥2.90

$1.41 ₸639

-69.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.79

$0.88 ₸398

-69.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.50 ¥10.02

$3.35 ₸1,512

-55.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ¥9.86

$4.04 ₸1,827

-63.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ¥9.84

$1.69 ₸762

-13.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 ¥11.36

$0.86 ₸390

97.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.90 ¥5.98

$2.03 ₸917

-55.67%

Eggs

$1.49 ¥9.97

$2.43 ₸1,100

-38.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.41 ¥76.2

$12.46 ₸5,631

-8.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 ¥27.51

$6.71 ₸3,033

-38.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.36 ¥69.2

$10.85 ₸4,904

-4.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.70 ¥11.34

$1.80 ₸813

-5.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 ¥7.66

$2.25 ₸1,018

-48.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 ¥8.32

$2.91 ₸1,314

-57.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ¥8.43

$2.75 ₸1,243

-54.18%

Potato (1kg)

$0.68 ¥4.51

$0.75 ₸337

-9.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.61

$0.55 ₸248

25.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 ¥3.84

$1.62 ₸732

-64.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.68

$1.05 ₸474

-47.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.31 ¥22.14

$2.58 ₸1,167

28.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.89 ¥66.1

$11.15 ₸5,041

-11.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥5.19

$1.21 ₸547

-35.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.22

$2.44 ₸1,104

-31.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 ¥2.12

$0.26 ₸117

23.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.21 ¥115

$22.03 ₸9,955

-21.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 ¥8.34

$1.35 ₸611

-7.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.64 ₸288

-54.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 ¥29.14

$11.16 ₸5,043

-60.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ¥9.07

$0.72 ₸324

88.89%

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

$19.3K ¥129.3K

$22.5K ₸10.2M

-14.10%

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

$17.5K ¥116.9K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-42.19%

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

$89.3 ¥597

$91.8 ₸41.5K

-2.69%

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

$3.26 ¥21.77

$10.66 ₸4,819

-69.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.61 ¥70.9

$17.86 ₸8,070

-40.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.85 ¥300

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-36.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.11 ¥87.6

$27.60 ₸12.5K

-52.50%

Cinema Ticket

$5.68 ¥37.96

$6.78 ₸3,063

-16.22%

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

$679 ¥4,537

$449 ₸202.8K

51.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K ¥115.2K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

42.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.44 ¥264

$89.9 ₸40.6K

-56.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.19 ¥248

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-20.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.4 ¥497

$142 ₸64.1K

-47.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.4 ¥618

$133 ₸60.0K

-30.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$299 ¥2,001

$805 ₸363.7K

-62.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 ¥1,219

$500 ₸225.8K

-63.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 ¥4,114

$1,429 ₸645.8K

-56.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,580

$904 ₸408.8K

-57.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,279 ¥21.9K

$2,503 ₸1.1M

30.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,225 ¥14.9K

$1,559 ₸704.6K

42.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

20.65

-83.78%

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

Last update for Ankang: October 10, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ankang

$193 26.6%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 29.6% $57

Accommodation & Living

Ankang

$182 25.2%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 174% $317

Clothing & Footwear

Ankang

$110 15.1%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 69% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ankang

$103 14.2%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 16.6% $17

Eating Out

Ankang

$60 8.2%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 244% $145

Sport & Entertainment

Ankang

$56 7.8%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 49.2% $28

Getting Around

Ankang

$21 2.9%

Almaty

$28 2% 30.4% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $299 in Ankang versus $805 in Almaty. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $15.00 in Ankang versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $250 – making Ankang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Ankang

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

13:06 1:06 PM

11:06 11:06 AM

2 h behind Ankang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

894,853

1,475,400

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.48 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ankang Almaty 3,020 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ankang
Almaty

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

Ankang vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 89%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,088 per month in Ankang and $2,058 in Almaty. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ankang, 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 $15.00 in Ankang and $45.00 in Almaty. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $725 in Ankang and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 89%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ankang, where all-in costs run around $725, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Ankang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ankang – 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 Ankang. 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.