Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Changshu and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Changshu: $707 a month against $1,387 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Changshu
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Changshu Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
Learn more

Almaty Living Index

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Changshu

🇨🇳 China

$707

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,387

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $707 per month in Changshu vs $1,387 in Almaty, rent included.

Changshu $707
Almaty $1,387

A couple spends around $1,120 per month in Changshu vs $2,135 in Almaty, rent included.

Changshu $1,120
Almaty $2,135

A family of three spends $1,532 per month in Changshu vs $2,883 in Almaty, rent included.

Changshu $1,532
Almaty $2,883

Changshu is about 49% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Changshu sits 47% below the global median, while Almaty is 3% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.71 ¥18.12

$13.31 ₸6,005

-79.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.35 ¥143

$43.37 ₸19.6K

-50.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.98 ¥33.30

$8.80 ₸3,969

-43.41%

Cappuccino

$3.09 ¥20.67

$3.30 ₸1,490

-6.36%

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

$0.43 ¥2.88

$1.37 ₸617

-68.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$0.90 ₸407

-70.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ¥6.27

$3.13 ₸1,412

-69.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ¥13.78

$4.10 ₸1,851

-49.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ¥12.49

$1.66 ₸750

12.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 ¥10.44

$0.90 ₸404

73.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.90 ¥6.03

$2.06 ₸929

-56.31%

Eggs

$1.54 ¥10.31

$2.37 ₸1,069

-35.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.88 ¥86.1

$12.64 ₸5,702

1.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.17 ¥21.16

$6.62 ₸2,985

-52.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.11 ¥67.5

$10.87 ₸4,904

-6.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.19

$1.86 ₸841

-2.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.33

$2.37 ₸1,070

-47.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.29

$2.99 ₸1,351

-48.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.64

$2.83 ₸1,276

-59.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.60

$0.77 ₸346

-10.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.98

$0.58 ₸263

53.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$1.59 ₸719

-64.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ¥3.37

$0.99 ₸447

-49.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 ¥20.35

$2.54 ₸1,147

19.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.65 ¥71.2

$11.04 ₸4,981

-3.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥4.97

$1.21 ₸548

-38.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.91

$2.41 ₸1,087

-32.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 ¥1.78

$0.25 ₸113

8.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.85 ¥113

$21.84 ₸9,854

-22.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.37 ¥9.16

$1.28 ₸578

7.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$0.64 ₸290

-45.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.82 ¥45.56

$10.74 ₸4,847

-36.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 ¥7.61

$0.69 ₸313

65.22%

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

$19.4K ¥129.4K

$22.3K ₸10.1M

-13.11%

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

$16.9K ¥113.2K

$29.3K ₸13.2M

-42.28%

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

$44.92 ¥300

$87.8 ₸39.6K

-48.81%

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

$9.95 ¥66.5

$10.83 ₸4,886

-8.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.63 ¥77.7

$17.40 ₸7,850

-33.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.26 ¥282

$69.7 ₸31.4K

-39.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.67 ¥91.3

$26.58 ₸12.0K

-48.57%

Cinema Ticket

$5.88 ¥39.29

$6.68 ₸3,016

-11.98%

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

$340 ¥2,272

$446 ₸201.2K

-23.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ¥114.4K

$11.9K ₸5.4M

44.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 ¥290

$93.7 ₸42.3K

-53.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.09 ¥201

$46.91 ₸21.2K

-35.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.8 ¥473

$143 ₸64.4K

-50.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 ¥490

$133 ₸60.2K

-45.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$277 ¥1,853

$773 ₸349.0K

-64.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ¥1,281

$497 ₸224.4K

-61.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$596 ¥3,986

$1,390 ₸627.4K

-57.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$355 ¥2,370

$880 ₸397.0K

-59.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,056 ¥20.4K

$2,546 ₸1.1M

20.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 ¥13.4K

$1,506 ₸679.8K

33.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$834 ₸376.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

20.65

-81.16%

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

Last update for Changshu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Changshu

$198 27.7%

Almaty

$251 18.4% 27% $53

Accommodation & Living

Changshu

$192 26.8%

Almaty

$497 36.4% 159% $306

Clothing & Footwear

Changshu

$98 13.7%

Almaty

$188 13.7% 91.6% $90

Eating Out

Changshu

$85 12%

Almaty

$205 15% 141% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Changshu

$67 9.3%

Almaty

$116 8.5% 74.4% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Changshu

$54 7.6%

Almaty

$83 6.1% 53.8% $29

Getting Around

Changshu

$21 3%

Almaty

$27 2% 29.9% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $277 in Changshu 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21.00 in Changshu versus $43.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $198 vs $251 – making Changshu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Changshu

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

14:43 2:43 PM

12:43 12:43 PM

2 h behind Changshu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,677,050

1,475,400

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 451 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Changshu Almaty 4,020 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Changshu
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

Changshu vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 96%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,061 per month in Changshu 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 Changshu, 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 $21.00 in Changshu 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 $707 in Changshu and $1,387 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 96%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Changshu, where all-in costs run around $707, than in Almaty at $1,387. In Changshu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Changshu – 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 Changshu. 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.