Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benxi and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Benxi: $710 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Benxi
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Benxi Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

Jump to prices

Benxi

🇨🇳 China

$710

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $710 per month in Benxi vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Benxi $710
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,027 per month in Benxi vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Benxi $1,027
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,344 per month in Benxi vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Benxi $1,344
Almaty $2,913

Benxi is about 48% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Benxi sits 47% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.06 ¥20.47

$13.16 ₸5,949

-76.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.56 ¥151

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-49.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.83

$8.90 ₸4,022

-39.78%

Cappuccino

$2.42 ¥16.19

$3.25 ₸1,469

-25.54%

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

$0.47 ¥3.14

$1.41 ₸639

-66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$0.88 ₸399

-67.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.77 ¥5.16

$3.35 ₸1,513

-77.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ¥11.70

$4.04 ₸1,827

-56.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.58

$1.69 ₸762

11.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 ¥7.91

$0.86 ₸390

37.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.86 ¥5.73

$2.03 ₸917

-57.64%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.73

$2.43 ₸1,100

-33.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.96 ¥66.6

$12.46 ₸5,632

-20.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.98 ¥19.92

$6.71 ₸3,033

-55.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.87 ¥59.3

$10.85 ₸4,905

-18.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.74

$1.80 ₸813

-10.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 ¥9.33

$2.25 ₸1,018

-37.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.23

$2.91 ₸1,314

-42.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 ¥9.14

$2.75 ₸1,243

-50.18%

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 ¥4.15

$0.75 ₸337

-17.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 ¥12.32

$0.55 ₸248

234.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.11

$1.62 ₸732

-61.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ¥4.69

$1.05 ₸474

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.95 ¥19.73

$2.58 ₸1,167

14.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.36 ¥55.9

$11.15 ₸5,042

-25.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ¥4.21

$1.21 ₸547

-47.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ¥8.61

$2.44 ₸1,104

-47.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.26 ₸117

19.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.18 ¥81.4

$22.03 ₸9,957

-44.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$1.35 ₸611

-31.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$0.64 ₸288

-51.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ¥20.29

$11.16 ₸5,044

-72.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ¥7.55

$0.72 ₸324

56.94%

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

$19.1K ¥127.8K

$22.5K ₸10.2M

-15.14%

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

$17.6K ¥117.8K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-41.78%

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

$54.5 ¥364

$91.8 ₸41.5K

-40.69%

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

$6.90 ¥46.10

$10.66 ₸4,820

-35.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.40 ¥69.6

$17.86 ₸8,072

-41.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.7 ¥452

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-3.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.23 ¥55.1

$27.60 ₸12.5K

-70.18%

Cinema Ticket

$5.81 ¥38.82

$6.78 ₸3,064

-14.31%

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

$440 ¥2,941

$449 ₸202.9K

-1.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,949 ¥59.8K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

-26.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.00 ¥201

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-66.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$83.4 ¥558

$47.02 ₸21.3K

77.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.8 ¥399

$142 ₸64.1K

-57.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.0 ¥348

$133 ₸60.0K

-60.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$134 ¥899

$805 ₸363.7K

-83.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$181 ¥1,212

$500 ₸225.9K

-63.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$257 ¥1,718

$1,429 ₸645.9K

-82.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$149 ¥995

$904 ₸408.8K

-83.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,794 ¥25.4K

$2,503 ₸1.1M

51.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,967 ¥13.2K

$1,559 ₸704.7K

26.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$457 ¥3,055

$870 ₸393.3K

-47.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

-80.63%

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

Last update for Benxi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Benxi

$181 25.5%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 176% $318

Groceries & Markets

Benxi

$181 25.4%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 38.5% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Benxi

$101 14.3%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 82.8% $84

Eating Out

Benxi

$80 11.3%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 156% $125

Sport & Entertainment

Benxi

$79 11.2%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 5.8% $4.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Benxi

$72 10.1%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 67.7% $49

Getting Around

Benxi

$16 2.2%

Almaty

$28 2% 73.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $134 in Benxi 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.

Salaries run about 90% 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 Benxi versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $181 vs $250 – making Benxi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Benxi

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

17:04 5:04 PM

15:04 3:04 PM

2 h behind Benxi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

809,655

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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Between locations

Benxi Almaty 3,810 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Benxi
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

Benxi vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 93%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,065 per month in Benxi 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 Benxi, 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 Benxi 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 $710 in Benxi and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 93%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Benxi, where all-in costs run around $710, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Benxi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Benxi – 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 Benxi. 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.