Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Changsha and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Changsha: $784 a month against $1,387 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Changsha
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Changsha Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Changsha

🇨🇳 China

$784

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,387

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $784 per month in Changsha vs $1,387 in Almaty, rent included.

Changsha $784
Almaty $1,387

A couple spends around $1,263 per month in Changsha vs $2,135 in Almaty, rent included.

Changsha $1,263
Almaty $2,135

A family of three spends $1,742 per month in Changsha vs $2,883 in Almaty, rent included.

Changsha $1,742
Almaty $2,883

Changsha is about 43% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Changsha sits 42% below the global median, while Almaty is 3% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.96 ¥19.80

$13.31 ₸6,034

-77.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.08 ¥148

$43.37 ₸19.7K

-49.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ¥33.35

$8.80 ₸3,988

-43.30%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.94

$3.30 ₸1,497

3.94%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$1.37 ₸620

-65.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ¥1.66

$0.90 ₸409

-72.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.25 ¥8.36

$3.13 ₸1,419

-60.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ¥13.15

$4.10 ₸1,860

-51.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 ¥13.09

$1.66 ₸754

18.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 ¥15.76

$0.90 ₸406

162.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.29

$2.06 ₸933

-54.37%

Eggs

$1.73 ¥11.56

$2.37 ₸1,074

-27.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.84 ¥85.8

$12.64 ₸5,730

1.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.91 ¥26.13

$6.62 ₸3,000

-40.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.63 ¥77.7

$10.87 ₸4,928

6.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 ¥19.52

$1.86 ₸845

56.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 ¥9.60

$2.37 ₸1,075

-39.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 ¥12.73

$2.99 ₸1,358

-36.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.96

$2.83 ₸1,282

-31.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.01 ¥6.76

$0.77 ₸347

31.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 ¥10.51

$0.58 ₸264

170.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ¥4.33

$1.59 ₸723

-59.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ¥3.18

$0.99 ₸449

-51.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.03 ¥20.22

$2.54 ₸1,153

19.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 ¥83.0

$11.04 ₸5,005

12.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 ¥7.16

$1.21 ₸550

-11.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ¥10.29

$2.41 ₸1,093

-36.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 ¥2.38

$0.25 ₸113

44.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.89 ¥99.5

$21.84 ₸9,901

-31.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 ¥9.84

$1.28 ₸581

14.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.64 ₸291

-54.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 ¥30.22

$10.74 ₸4,870

-57.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ¥8.60

$0.69 ₸314

86.96%

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

$19.5K ¥130.2K

$22.3K ₸10.1M

-12.56%

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

$17.4K ¥116.2K

$29.3K ₸13.3M

-40.73%

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

$56.9 ¥380

$87.8 ₸39.8K

-35.22%

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

$8.83 ¥59.0

$10.83 ₸4,909

-18.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.56 ¥90.6

$17.40 ₸7,887

-22.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.0 ¥367

$69.7 ₸31.6K

-21.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.39 ¥163

$26.58 ₸12.1K

-8.24%

Cinema Ticket

$6.44 ¥43.01

$6.68 ₸3,031

-3.59%

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

$325 ¥2,169

$446 ₸202.2K

-27.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K ¥112.2K

$11.9K ₸5.4M

41.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.8 ¥546

$93.7 ₸42.5K

-12.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.27 ¥229

$46.91 ₸21.3K

-26.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.2 ¥583

$143 ₸64.7K

-38.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.0 ¥395

$133 ₸60.5K

-55.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$265 ¥1,770

$773 ₸350.6K

-65.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 ¥1,122

$497 ₸225.5K

-66.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$569 ¥3,804

$1,390 ₸630.4K

-59.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$383 ¥2,561

$880 ₸398.9K

-56.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,477 ¥16.6K

$2,546 ₸1.2M

-2.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,393 ¥9,308

$1,506 ₸683.0K

-7.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,097 ¥7,331

$834 ₸377.9K

31.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

20.65

-83.24%

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

Last update for Changsha: October 4, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Changsha

$235 30.1%

Almaty

$251 18.4% 6.8% $16

Accommodation & Living

Changsha

$168 21.5%

Almaty

$497 36.4% 196% $329

Clothing & Footwear

Changsha

$118 15.1%

Almaty

$188 13.7% 58.9% $69

Eating Out

Changsha

$93 11.9%

Almaty

$205 15% 121% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Changsha

$79 10.2%

Almaty

$116 8.5% 46.4% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Changsha

$68 8.7%

Almaty

$83 6.1% 22.5% $15

Getting Around

Changsha

$19 2.5%

Almaty

$27 2% 42.2% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $265 in Changsha 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 32% higher in Changsha, 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 $22.00 in Changsha versus $43.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $251 – making Changsha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Changsha

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

11:15 11:15 AM

09:15 9:15 AM

2 h behind Changsha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,289,000

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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 453 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 509 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Changsha Almaty 3,610 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Changsha
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

Changsha vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 77%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,175 per month in Changsha 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 Changsha, 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 $22.00 in Changsha 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 $784 in Changsha and $1,387 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 77%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Changsha, where all-in costs run around $784, than in Almaty at $1,387. In Changsha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Changsha – 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 Changsha. 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.