Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baotou and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Baotou: $768 a month against $1,363 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Baotou
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Baotou Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

Jump to prices

Baotou

🇨🇳 China

$768

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,363

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $768 per month in Baotou vs $1,363 in Almaty, rent included.

Baotou $768
Almaty $1,363

A couple spends around $1,248 per month in Baotou vs $2,131 in Almaty, rent included.

Baotou $1,248
Almaty $2,131

A family of three spends $1,728 per month in Baotou vs $2,900 in Almaty, rent included.

Baotou $1,728
Almaty $2,900

Baotou is about 44% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Baotou sits 43% below the global median, while Almaty is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.26 ¥35.18

$13.05 ₸5,899

-59.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.87 ¥153

$43.44 ₸19.6K

-47.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 ¥63.5

$8.76 ₸3,962

8.45%

Cappuccino

$2.78 ¥18.56

$3.32 ₸1,501

-16.27%

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

$0.47 ¥3.17

$1.34 ₸607

-64.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$0.83 ₸374

-62.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.13 ¥7.59

$3.36 ₸1,518

-66.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 ¥12.77

$4.02 ₸1,818

-52.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ¥12.49

$1.65 ₸747

13.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 ¥10.65

$0.93 ₸421

70.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.65 ¥4.35

$2.05 ₸927

-68.29%

Eggs

$2.48 ¥16.55

$2.46 ₸1,113

0.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.77 ¥92.1

$12.49 ₸5,646

10.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.87 ¥25.86

$6.71 ₸3,035

-42.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.26 ¥82.0

$10.85 ₸4,905

13.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ¥12.70

$1.78 ₸807

6.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 ¥8.87

$2.25 ₸1,018

-40.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 ¥10.01

$2.87 ₸1,299

-47.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.52

$2.71 ₸1,227

-53.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ¥5.01

$0.80 ₸362

-6.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 ¥6.76

$0.55 ₸249

83.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$1.62 ₸732

-64.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.93

$1.00 ₸453

-41.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 ¥28.59

$2.58 ₸1,167

65.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.83 ¥72.4

$11.15 ₸5,039

-2.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥5.77

$1.26 ₸572

-31.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ¥10.34

$2.48 ₸1,120

-37.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.28 ₸128

10.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.41 ¥110

$22.05 ₸9,970

-25.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 ¥6.85

$1.34 ₸607

-23.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$0.64 ₸288

-45.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.09 ¥47.38

$11.04 ₸4,993

-35.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ¥7.77

$0.72 ₸326

61.11%

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

$21.1K ¥141.2K

$28.1K ₸12.7M

-24.95%

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

$20.1K ¥134.6K

$31.8K ₸14.4M

-36.70%

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

$58.0 ¥388

$90.5 ₸40.9K

-35.88%

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

$8.15 ¥54.5

$10.63 ₸4,805

-23.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.65 ¥64.5

$18.12 ₸8,190

-46.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.39 ¥317

$69.0 ₸31.2K

-31.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.49 ¥104

$26.98 ₸12.2K

-42.59%

Cinema Ticket

$5.08 ¥34.00

$6.77 ₸3,062

-24.96%

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

$371 ¥2,483

$444 ₸200.6K

-16.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K ¥131.8K

$12.0K ₸5.4M

64.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.80 ¥286

$91.9 ₸41.5K

-53.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.08 ¥241

$47.80 ₸21.6K

-24.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.6 ¥492

$139 ₸63.0K

-47.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 ¥591

$131 ₸59.4K

-32.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$263 ¥1,758

$777 ₸351.2K

-66.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$173 ¥1,154

$494 ₸223.4K

-65.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$605 ¥4,042

$1,439 ₸650.4K

-57.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$380 ¥2,543

$905 ₸409.2K

-57.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,121 ¥20.9K

$2,470 ₸1.1M

26.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,040 ¥13.6K

$1,517 ₸685.7K

34.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$666 ¥4,454

$857 ₸387.2K

-22.24%

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 Baotou: October 20, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Baotou

$217 28.3%

Almaty

$251 18.4% 15.4% $33

Accommodation & Living

Baotou

$173 22.5%

Almaty

$494 36.3% 186% $321

Eating Out

Baotou

$117 15.2%

Almaty

$204 15% 75.1% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Baotou

$108 14.1%

Almaty

$185 13.6% 70.4% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baotou

$76 9.9%

Almaty

$119 8.8% 57.3% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Baotou

$58 7.5%

Almaty

$83 6.1% 43.4% $25

Getting Around

Baotou

$20 2.7%

Almaty

$28 2% 35.6% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $263 in Baotou versus $777 in Almaty. 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 29% 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 $23.00 in Baotou versus $43.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $217 vs $251 – making Baotou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Baotou

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

08:49 8:49 AM

06:49 6:49 AM

2 h behind Baotou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,709,378

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 21, 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 21, 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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Between locations

Baotou Almaty 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Baotou
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

Baotou vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 77%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,153 per month in Baotou and $2,044 in Almaty. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Baotou, 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 $23.00 in Baotou and $43.00 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 $768 in Baotou and $1,363 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 77%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Baotou, where all-in costs run around $768, than in Almaty at $1,363. In Baotou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Baotou – 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 Baotou. 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.