Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chang-hua and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Chang-hua: $864 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Chang-hua
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Chang-hua Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
Learn more

Almaty Living Index

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Chang-hua

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$864

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $864 per month in Chang-hua vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Chang-hua $864
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,343 per month in Chang-hua vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Chang-hua $1,343
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,822 per month in Chang-hua vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Chang-hua $1,822
Almaty $2,913

Chang-hua is about 37% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chang-hua sits 36% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.83 NT$124

$13.16 ₸5,949

-70.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.76 NT$1,062

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-26.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 NT$179

$8.90 ₸4,022

-37.87%

Cappuccino

$1.63 NT$52.7

$3.25 ₸1,469

-49.85%

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

$0.96 NT$30.99

$1.41 ₸639

-31.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 NT$18.01

$0.88 ₸399

-36.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.36 NT$44.21

$3.35 ₸1,513

-59.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 NT$70.3

$4.04 ₸1,827

-46.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 NT$77.1

$1.69 ₸762

40.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 NT$67.2

$0.86 ₸390

140.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 NT$95.5

$2.03 ₸917

44.83%

Eggs

$2.76 NT$89.5

$2.43 ₸1,100

13.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.19 NT$525

$12.46 ₸5,632

29.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.51 NT$308

$6.71 ₸3,033

41.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.23 NT$688

$10.85 ₸4,905

95.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.82 NT$156

$1.80 ₸813

167.78%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 NT$110

$2.25 ₸1,018

50.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 NT$95.1

$2.91 ₸1,314

0.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 NT$103

$2.75 ₸1,243

15.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 NT$89.8

$0.75 ₸337

269.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.11 NT$68.4

$0.55 ₸248

283.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 NT$54.9

$1.62 ₸732

4.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 NT$24.97

$1.05 ₸474

-26.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 NT$128

$2.58 ₸1,167

53.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.43 NT$306

$11.15 ₸5,042

-15.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 NT$44.70

$1.21 ₸547

14.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 NT$74.4

$2.44 ₸1,104

-6.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 NT$50.4

$0.26 ₸117

496.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.80 NT$1,129

$22.03 ₸9,957

57.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 NT$85.9

$1.35 ₸611

96.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 NT$24.71

$0.64 ₸288

18.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.29 NT$301

$11.16 ₸5,044

-16.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 NT$34.39

$0.72 ₸324

47.22%

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

$33.1K NT$1.1M

$22.5K ₸10.2M

47.15%

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

$24.3K NT$787.5K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-19.78%

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

$31.62 NT$1,025

$91.8 ₸41.5K

-65.56%

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

$16.99 NT$551

$10.66 ₸4,820

59.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.71 NT$607

$17.86 ₸8,072

4.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.75 NT$1,029

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-54.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

Cinema Ticket

$9.38 NT$304

$6.78 ₸3,064

38.35%

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

$636 NT$20.6K

$449 ₸202.9K

41.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,946 NT$257.7K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

-34.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.35 NT$1,600

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-45.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.47 NT$502

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-67.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.1 NT$2,534

$142 ₸64.1K

-44.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.57 NT$1,607

$133 ₸60.0K

-62.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$252 NT$8,160

$805 ₸363.7K

-68.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$170 NT$5,528

$500 ₸225.9K

-65.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$509 NT$16.5K

$1,429 ₸645.9K

-64.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$169 NT$5,480

$904 ₸408.8K

-81.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,959 NT$96.0K

$2,503 ₸1.1M

18.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,631 NT$52.9K

$1,559 ₸704.7K

4.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,011 NT$65.2K

$870 ₸393.3K

131.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.2

20.65

-89.35%

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

Last update for Chang-hua: October 12, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chang-hua

$358 41.4%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 30.1% $108

Accommodation & Living

Chang-hua

$170 19.7%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 193% $329

Clothing & Footwear

Chang-hua

$87 10%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 114% $99

Eating Out

Chang-hua

$84 9.7%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 144% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chang-hua

$67 7.8%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 78.7% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Chang-hua

$51 5.8%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 66.1% $33

Getting Around

Chang-hua

$47 5.5%

Almaty

$28 2% 41.9% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $252 in Chang-hua 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 131% higher in Chang-hua, 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 $33.00 in Chang-hua versus $45.00 in Almaty. Groceries tell a different story – $358 in Chang-hua vs $250 in Almaty – so Almaty wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Chang-hua

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

08:53 8:53 AM

06:53 6:53 AM

2 h behind Chang-hua

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

226,564

1,475,400

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chang-hua Almaty 4,500 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chang-hua
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

Chang-hua vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 59%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,296 per month in Chang-hua 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 Chang-hua, 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 $33.00 in Chang-hua 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 $864 in Chang-hua and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 59%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chang-hua, where all-in costs run around $864, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Chang-hua it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chang-hua – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chang-hua. 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.