Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Beijing (Pekin): $1,178 a month against $1,387 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Beijing (Pekin)
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Beijing (Pekin) Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,178

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,387

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,178 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,387 in Almaty, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,178
Almaty $1,387

A couple spends around $1,895 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $2,135 in Almaty, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,895
Almaty $2,135

A family of three spends $2,612 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $2,883 in Almaty, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,612
Almaty $2,883

Beijing (Pekin) is about 15% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Beijing (Pekin) sits 12% below the global median, while Almaty is 3% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.54 ¥30.39

$13.31 ₸5,991

-65.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.25 ¥196

$43.37 ₸19.5K

-32.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.32 ¥35.59

$8.80 ₸3,959

-39.55%

Cappuccino

$3.52 ¥23.57

$3.30 ₸1,486

6.67%

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

$0.53 ¥3.56

$1.37 ₸616

-61.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.88

$0.90 ₸406

-68.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ¥8.18

$3.13 ₸1,409

-61.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 ¥11.15

$4.10 ₸1,847

-59.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ¥11.16

$1.66 ₸749

0.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 ¥11.81

$0.90 ₸403

96.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.62

$2.06 ₸927

-37.38%

Eggs

$2.04 ¥13.68

$2.37 ₸1,067

-13.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.52 ¥97.2

$12.64 ₸5,689

14.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.21 ¥21.46

$6.62 ₸2,978

-51.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.23 ¥75.2

$10.87 ₸4,893

3.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 ¥13.96

$1.86 ₸839

12.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ¥11.52

$2.37 ₸1,067

-27.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 ¥13.44

$2.99 ₸1,348

-32.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 ¥10.38

$2.83 ₸1,273

-45.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ¥4.52

$0.77 ₸345

-12.99%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 ¥5.70

$0.58 ₸262

46.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ¥4.96

$1.59 ₸718

-53.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ¥4.14

$0.99 ₸446

-37.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 ¥29.57

$2.54 ₸1,145

74.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.84 ¥92.7

$11.04 ₸4,969

25.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ¥6.88

$1.21 ₸546

-14.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥12.11

$2.41 ₸1,085

-24.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 ¥4.31

$0.25 ₸113

156.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.88 ¥234

$21.84 ₸9,831

59.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 ¥13.25

$1.28 ₸577

54.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$0.64 ₸289

-45.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.65 ¥51.2

$10.74 ₸4,836

-28.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.51

$0.69 ₸312

84.06%

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

$19.6K ¥131.2K

$22.3K ₸10.0M

-12.04%

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

$18.1K ¥121.4K

$29.3K ₸13.2M

-38.20%

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

$59.0 ¥395

$87.8 ₸39.5K

-32.77%

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

$8.94 ¥59.9

$10.83 ₸4,874

-17.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.15 ¥94.7

$17.40 ₸7,831

-18.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥273

$69.7 ₸31.4K

-41.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.56 ¥164

$26.58 ₸12.0K

-7.60%

Cinema Ticket

$7.38 ¥49.37

$6.68 ₸3,009

10.48%

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

$650 ¥4,353

$446 ₸200.8K

45.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥163.8K

$11.9K ₸5.4M

105.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.4 ¥471

$93.7 ₸42.2K

-24.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.51 ¥271

$46.91 ₸21.1K

-13.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.6 ¥586

$143 ₸64.3K

-38.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 ¥830

$133 ₸60.1K

-7.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$933 ¥6,246

$773 ₸348.1K

20.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$518 ¥3,469

$497 ₸223.9K

4.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,387 ¥16.0K

$1,390 ₸625.9K

71.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 ¥7,654

$880 ₸396.0K

29.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.6K ¥84.1K

$2,546 ₸1.1M

393.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,393 ¥42.8K

$1,506 ₸678.2K

324.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,710 ¥11.4K

$834 ₸375.2K

105.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.21

20.65

-84.46%

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

Last update for Beijing (Pekin): October 5, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$518 44%

Almaty

$497 36.4% 4% $21

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$228 19.4%

Almaty

$251 18.4% 10.2% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$145 12.3%

Almaty

$188 13.7% 29.2% $42

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$107 9.1%

Almaty

$205 15% 91.6% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 7%

Almaty

$116 8.5% 41.3% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$56 4.7%

Almaty

$83 6.1% 49.6% $28

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5%

Almaty

$27 2% 33.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $933 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $773 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 105% higher in Beijing (Pekin), 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 $29.00 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $43.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $228 vs $251 – making Beijing (Pekin) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

11:58 11:58 AM

09:58 9:58 AM

2 h behind Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

1,475,400

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.149 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 450 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Beijing (Pekin) Almaty 3,270 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Beijing (Pekin)
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

Beijing (Pekin) vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 18%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,768 per month in Beijing (Pekin) and $2,080 in Almaty. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Beijing (Pekin), 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 $29.00 in Beijing (Pekin) 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 $1,178 in Beijing (Pekin) and $1,387 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 18%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Beijing (Pekin), where all-in costs run around $1,178, than in Almaty at $1,387. In Beijing (Pekin) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Beijing (Pekin) – 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 Beijing (Pekin). 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.