Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beihai and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Beihai: $744 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Beihai
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Beihai Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Beihai

🇨🇳 China

$744

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $744 per month in Beihai vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Beihai $744
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,167 per month in Beihai vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Beihai $1,167
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,590 per month in Beihai vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Beihai $1,590
Almaty $2,913

Beihai is about 46% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Beihai sits 45% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.40 ¥22.73

$13.16 ₸5,962

-74.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.56 ¥131

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-56.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.58 ¥37.27

$8.90 ₸4,030

-37.30%

Cappuccino

$2.43 ¥16.26

$3.25 ₸1,472

-25.23%

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

$0.46 ¥3.09

$1.41 ₸641

-67.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥1.98

$0.88 ₸399

-65.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ¥8.13

$3.35 ₸1,516

-63.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ¥15.33

$4.04 ₸1,831

-43.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ¥12.67

$1.69 ₸764

12.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 ¥11.35

$0.86 ₸391

97.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.33

$2.03 ₸919

-45.81%

Eggs

$1.87 ¥12.52

$2.43 ₸1,102

-23.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.95 ¥93.2

$12.46 ₸5,644

11.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.92 ¥19.52

$6.71 ₸3,040

-56.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 ¥70.7

$10.85 ₸4,915

-2.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.10 ¥14.01

$1.80 ₸815

16.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 ¥9.90

$2.25 ₸1,020

-34.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.18

$2.91 ₸1,317

-47.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.47

$2.75 ₸1,246

-53.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.91

$0.75 ₸338

-1.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.45

$0.55 ₸249

76.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.47

$1.62 ₸734

-58.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ¥3.33

$1.05 ₸475

-52.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.39 ¥22.68

$2.58 ₸1,169

31.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.05 ¥80.5

$11.15 ₸5,053

8.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥4.95

$1.21 ₸548

-38.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 ¥11.09

$2.44 ₸1,106

-31.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 ¥2.02

$0.26 ₸117

15.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.17 ¥115

$22.03 ₸9,978

-22.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.56 ¥10.41

$1.35 ₸612

15.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.64 ₸289

-51.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.21 ¥41.49

$11.16 ₸5,055

-44.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 ¥9.30

$0.72 ₸324

93.06%

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

$18.2K ¥121.5K

$22.5K ₸10.2M

-19.26%

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

$18.2K ¥121.8K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-39.76%

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

$61.5 ¥411

$91.8 ₸41.6K

-32.98%

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

$9.42 ¥63.0

$10.66 ₸4,830

-11.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.09 ¥80.8

$17.86 ₸8,089

-32.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.99 ¥274

$70.3 ₸31.9K

-41.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.01 ¥93.6

$27.60 ₸12.5K

-49.24%

Cinema Ticket

$5.71 ¥38.16

$6.78 ₸3,070

-15.78%

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

$458 ¥3,062

$449 ₸203.3K

2.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K ¥122.5K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

51.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.58 ¥325

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-45.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.03 ¥254

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-19.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 ¥534

$142 ₸64.2K

-43.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 ¥528

$133 ₸60.1K

-40.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$279 ¥1,861

$805 ₸364.5K

-65.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$178 ¥1,189

$500 ₸226.4K

-64.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$718 ¥4,799

$1,429 ₸647.3K

-49.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 ¥2,219

$904 ₸409.7K

-63.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,665 ¥24.5K

$2,503 ₸1.1M

46.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,221 ¥14.8K

$1,559 ₸706.2K

42.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸394.1K

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 Beihai: 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

Beihai

$212 28.5%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 18.2% $39

Accommodation & Living

Beihai

$178 23.9%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 181% $322

Clothing & Footwear

Beihai

$110 14.9%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 67.6% $75

Eating Out

Beihai

$87 11.7%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 136% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beihai

$83 11.2%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 44.9% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Beihai

$52 7%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 60% $31

Getting Around

Beihai

$22 2.9%

Almaty

$28 2% 28.4% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $279 in Beihai 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 Beihai versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $212 vs $250 – making Beihai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beihai

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

15:12 3:12 PM

13:12 1:12 PM

2 h behind Beihai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,617,500

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 = 1.97 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 453 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

Beihai Almaty 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Beihai
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

Beihai vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 84%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,116 per month in Beihai 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 Beihai, 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 Beihai 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 $744 in Beihai and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 84%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Beihai, where all-in costs run around $744, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Beihai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Beihai – 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 Beihai. 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.