Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baiquan and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Baiquan: $729 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Baiquan
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Baiquan Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

Jump to prices

Baiquan

🇨🇳 China

$729

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $729 per month in Baiquan vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Baiquan $729
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,151 per month in Baiquan vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Baiquan $1,151
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,574 per month in Baiquan vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Baiquan $1,574
Almaty $2,913

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.84 ¥18.96

$13.16 ₸5,949

-78.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.15 ¥135

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-55.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ¥33.35

$8.90 ₸4,022

-43.93%

Cappuccino

$2.76 ¥18.48

$3.25 ₸1,469

-15.08%

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

$0.50 ¥3.35

$1.41 ₸639

-64.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$0.88 ₸399

-64.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.07 ¥7.13

$3.35 ₸1,513

-68.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 ¥13.93

$4.04 ₸1,827

-48.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 ¥11.94

$1.69 ₸762

5.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 ¥9.99

$0.86 ₸390

73.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.50

$2.03 ₸917

-52.22%

Eggs

$1.76 ¥11.75

$2.43 ₸1,100

-27.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.56 ¥90.7

$12.46 ₸5,632

8.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.92 ¥19.55

$6.71 ₸3,033

-56.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.54 ¥63.8

$10.85 ₸4,905

-12.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 ¥14.21

$1.80 ₸813

17.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ¥9.69

$2.25 ₸1,018

-35.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.79

$2.91 ₸1,314

-54.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ¥8.69

$2.75 ₸1,243

-52.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ¥4.37

$0.75 ₸337

-13.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$0.55 ₸248

67.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.93

$1.62 ₸732

-63.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ¥4.21

$1.05 ₸474

-40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 ¥21.67

$2.58 ₸1,167

25.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.19 ¥74.8

$11.15 ₸5,042

0.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥5.20

$1.21 ₸547

-35.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 ¥10.48

$2.44 ₸1,104

-35.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.26 ₸117

11.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.29 ¥116

$22.03 ₸9,957

-21.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.65 ¥11.02

$1.35 ₸611

22.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.33

$0.64 ₸288

-45.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.38 ¥49.36

$11.16 ₸5,044

-33.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.34

$0.72 ₸324

73.61%

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

$18.2K ¥121.5K

$22.5K ₸10.2M

-19.30%

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

$15.5K ¥103.4K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-48.93%

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

$54.4 ¥363

$91.8 ₸41.5K

-40.79%

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

$9.68 ¥64.7

$10.66 ₸4,820

-9.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.50 ¥70.2

$17.86 ₸8,072

-41.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.83 ¥246

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-47.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.25 ¥109

$27.60 ₸12.5K

-41.12%

Cinema Ticket

$6.03 ¥40.35

$6.78 ₸3,064

-11.06%

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

$450 ¥3,008

$449 ₸202.9K

0.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K ¥112.4K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

38.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.80 ¥326

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-45.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.35 ¥250

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-20.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.3 ¥537

$142 ₸64.1K

-43.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 ¥531

$133 ₸60.0K

-40.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$295 ¥1,971

$805 ₸363.7K

-63.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$187 ¥1,252

$500 ₸225.9K

-62.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$697 ¥4,660

$1,429 ₸645.9K

-51.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 ¥2,379

$904 ₸408.8K

-60.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,812 ¥25.5K

$2,503 ₸1.1M

52.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,827 ¥12.2K

$1,559 ₸704.7K

17.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

20.65

-83.73%

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

Last update for Baiquan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Baiquan

$202 27.7%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 24% $49

Accommodation & Living

Baiquan

$187 25.7%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 167% $312

Clothing & Footwear

Baiquan

$111 15.2%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 67.4% $75

Eating Out

Baiquan

$84 11.5%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 145% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baiquan

$75 10.2%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 61.5% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Baiquan

$49 6.7%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 71.5% $35

Getting Around

Baiquan

$22 3%

Almaty

$28 2% 26.4% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $295 in Baiquan 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 $20.00 in Baiquan versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $202 vs $250 – making Baiquan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Baiquan

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

16:36 4:36 PM

14:36 2:36 PM

2 h behind Baiquan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Baiquan Almaty 3,250 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Baiquan
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

Baiquan vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 88%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,093 per month in Baiquan 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 Baiquan, 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 $20.00 in Baiquan 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 $729 in Baiquan and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 88%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Baiquan, where all-in costs run around $729, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Baiquan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Baiquan – 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 Baiquan. 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.