Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bortala and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Bortala: $758 a month against $1,362 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Bortala
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Bortala Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Bortala

🇨🇳 China

$758

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,362

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $758 per month in Bortala vs $1,362 in Almaty, rent included.

Bortala $758
Almaty $1,362

A couple spends around $1,168 per month in Bortala vs $2,151 in Almaty, rent included.

Bortala $1,168
Almaty $2,151

A family of three spends $1,577 per month in Bortala vs $2,940 in Almaty, rent included.

Bortala $1,577
Almaty $2,940

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.99 ¥19.91

$13.32 ₸6,064

-77.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ¥152

$44.80 ₸20.4K

-49.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.86 ¥32.39

$8.94 ₸4,070

-45.64%

Cappuccino

$2.79 ¥18.57

$3.37 ₸1,536

-17.21%

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

$0.48 ¥3.19

$1.32 ₸602

-63.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ¥2.11

$0.87 ₸398

-63.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.11 ¥7.40

$3.15 ₸1,434

-64.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 ¥14.37

$3.95 ₸1,801

-45.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ¥12.48

$1.66 ₸755

12.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 ¥10.60

$0.86 ₸393

84.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.31

$2.01 ₸913

-52.74%

Eggs

$1.60 ¥10.69

$2.47 ₸1,127

-35.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.42 ¥89.5

$12.58 ₸5,727

6.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.36 ¥22.41

$6.57 ₸2,992

-48.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.29 ¥75.3

$10.61 ₸4,831

6.41%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.57

$1.79 ₸815

5.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 ¥8.90

$2.30 ₸1,046

-41.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 ¥10.04

$2.96 ₸1,349

-48.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ¥8.37

$2.86 ₸1,300

-55.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ¥5.00

$0.81 ₸367

-7.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.51

$0.59 ₸268

66.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.96

$1.58 ₸721

-62.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.90

$0.99 ₸453

-40.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 ¥24.75

$2.74 ₸1,247

35.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.52 ¥76.8

$11.30 ₸5,146

1.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥5.89

$1.22 ₸558

-27.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ¥10.32

$2.46 ₸1,122

-36.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ¥1.87

$0.26 ₸117

7.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.99 ¥107

$21.98 ₸10.0K

-27.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ¥10.49

$1.35 ₸616

16.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 ¥2.15

$0.70 ₸320

-54.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.15 ¥47.68

$11.12 ₸5,064

-35.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 ¥7.82

$0.72 ₸329

62.50%

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

$19.4K ¥129.3K

$28.4K ₸12.9M

-31.68%

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

$15.2K ¥101.1K

$31.8K ₸14.5M

-52.29%

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

$57.1 ¥381

$91.3 ₸41.6K

-37.43%

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

$8.48 ¥56.6

$10.60 ₸4,826

-20.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.13 ¥74.2

$17.89 ₸8,146

-37.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.95 ¥280

$65.3 ₸29.7K

-35.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.98 ¥99.8

$27.76 ₸12.6K

-46.04%

Cinema Ticket

$6.53 ¥43.50

$6.47 ₸2,945

0.93%

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

$453 ¥3,021

$473 ₸215.3K

-4.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.3K ¥128.8K

$12.3K ₸5.6M

57.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.79 ¥285

$93.1 ₸42.4K

-54.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.92 ¥206

$47.67 ₸21.7K

-35.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.6 ¥504

$143 ₸65.0K

-47.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 ¥455

$134 ₸61.2K

-49.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$291 ¥1,937

$780 ₸355.4K

-62.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$214 ¥1,424

$492 ₸224.1K

-56.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$582 ¥3,881

$1,419 ₸646.3K

-58.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 ¥2,286

$934 ₸425.4K

-63.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,687 ¥24.6K

$2,462 ₸1.1M

49.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,825 ¥12.2K

$1,591 ₸724.8K

14.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$625 ¥4,167

$873 ₸397.3K

-28.35%

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 Bortala: October 26, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bortala

$214 28.2%

Almaty

$492 36.1% 130% $279

Groceries & Markets

Bortala

$210 27.7%

Almaty

$250 18.4% 19.2% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Bortala

$98 12.9%

Almaty

$188 13.8% 92.1% $90

Eating Out

Bortala

$85 11.2%

Almaty

$206 15.1% 143% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bortala

$77 10.1%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 56.1% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Bortala

$55 7.3%

Almaty

$78 5.7% 42.2% $23

Getting Around

Bortala

$20 2.7%

Almaty

$28 2.1% 37.3% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $291 in Bortala versus $780 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 40% 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 in Bortala versus $45 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $210 vs $250 – making Bortala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Bortala

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

20:56 8:56 PM

17:56 5:56 PM

3 h behind Bortala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

246,706

1,475,400

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.2 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 455 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD). 1 EUR = 507 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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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

Bortala vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 80%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,137 per month in Bortala and $2,043 in Almaty. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bortala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $291 there versus $780 in Almaty.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23 in Bortala and $45 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 $758 in Bortala and $1,362 in Almaty. That’s a gap of about 80%.

Families tend to lean toward Bortala – 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 Bortala. 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.