Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chaozhou and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaozhou: $642 a month against $1,363 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Chaozhou
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Chaozhou Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Chaozhou

🇨🇳 China

$642

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,363

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $642 per month in Chaozhou vs $1,363 in Almaty, rent included.

Chaozhou $642
Almaty $1,363

A couple spends around $1,047 per month in Chaozhou vs $2,131 in Almaty, rent included.

Chaozhou $1,047
Almaty $2,131

A family of three spends $1,451 per month in Chaozhou vs $2,900 in Almaty, rent included.

Chaozhou $1,451
Almaty $2,900

Chaozhou is about 53% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chaozhou sits 53% below the global median, while Almaty is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ¥15.10

$13.05 ₸5,899

-82.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.63 ¥158

$43.44 ₸19.6K

-45.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.54 ¥23.65

$8.76 ₸3,962

-59.59%

Cappuccino

$1.52 ¥10.18

$3.32 ₸1,501

-54.22%

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

$0.49 ¥3.29

$1.34 ₸607

-63.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.83 ₸374

-65.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.83

$3.36 ₸1,518

-65.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ¥19.20

$4.02 ₸1,818

-28.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ¥10.19

$1.65 ₸747

-7.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 ¥9.88

$0.93 ₸421

59.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.87

$2.05 ₸927

-64.39%

Eggs

$1.16 ¥7.74

$2.46 ₸1,113

-52.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.61 ¥64.2

$12.49 ₸5,646

-23.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.52 ¥16.85

$6.71 ₸3,035

-62.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 ¥80.1

$10.85 ₸4,905

10.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 ¥14.74

$1.78 ₸807

23.60%

Banana (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.29

$2.25 ₸1,018

-58.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.16

$2.87 ₸1,299

-67.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 ¥11.77

$2.71 ₸1,227

-35.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 ¥4.15

$0.80 ₸362

-22.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 ¥3.15

$0.55 ₸249

-14.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$1.62 ₸732

-73.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$1.00 ₸453

-69.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.95 ¥19.76

$2.58 ₸1,167

14.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 ¥73.8

$11.15 ₸5,039

-1.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ¥4.84

$1.26 ₸572

-42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 ¥7.84

$2.48 ₸1,120

-52.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.28 ₸128

3.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.02 ¥121

$22.05 ₸9,970

-18.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 ¥6.71

$1.34 ₸607

-25.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.64 ₸288

-54.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.03 ¥47.02

$11.04 ₸4,993

-36.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ¥8.26

$0.72 ₸326

72.22%

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

$19.4K ¥129.6K

$28.1K ₸12.7M

-31.13%

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

$17.7K ¥118.1K

$31.8K ₸14.4M

-44.46%

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

$43.79 ¥293

$90.5 ₸40.9K

-51.62%

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

$4.32 ¥28.86

$10.63 ₸4,805

-59.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.32 ¥75.7

$18.12 ₸8,190

-37.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.24 ¥276

$69.0 ₸31.2K

-40.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.04 ¥101

$26.98 ₸12.2K

-44.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.36 ¥42.53

$6.77 ₸3,062

-6.06%

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

$483 ¥3,231

$444 ₸200.6K

8.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.7K ¥165.0K

$12.0K ₸5.4M

106.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.41 ¥89.7

$91.9 ₸41.5K

-85.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.46 ¥190

$47.80 ₸21.6K

-40.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.1 ¥589

$139 ₸63.0K

-36.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 ¥401

$131 ₸59.4K

-54.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$300 ¥2,003

$777 ₸351.2K

-61.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$179 ¥1,200

$494 ₸223.4K

-63.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 ¥4,169

$1,439 ₸650.4K

-56.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$376 ¥2,513

$905 ₸409.2K

-58.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,524 ¥23.6K

$2,470 ₸1.1M

42.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,951 ¥13.0K

$1,517 ₸685.7K

28.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ¥3,279

$857 ₸387.2K

-42.75%

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 Chaozhou: October 18, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chaozhou

$180 28.1%

Almaty

$251 18.4% 38.9% $70

Accommodation & Living

Chaozhou

$179 28%

Almaty

$494 36.3% 175% $315

Clothing & Footwear

Chaozhou

$85 13.3%

Almaty

$185 13.6% 116% $99

Eating Out

Chaozhou

$62 9.6%

Almaty

$204 15% 231% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chaozhou

$59 9.3%

Almaty

$119 8.8% 101% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Chaozhou

$54 8.4%

Almaty

$83 6.1% 53% $29

Getting Around

Chaozhou

$22 3.4%

Almaty

$28 2% 28.2% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $300 in Chaozhou versus $777 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 75% 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 $24.00 in Chaozhou versus $43.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $180 vs $251 – making Chaozhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chaozhou

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

08:00 8:00 AM

06:00 6:00 AM

2 h behind Chaozhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,568,387

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 23, 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 23, 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

Chaozhou Almaty 4,220 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chaozhou
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

Chaozhou vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 112%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $963 per month in Chaozhou and $2,044 in Almaty. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chaozhou, 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 $24.00 in Chaozhou 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 $642 in Chaozhou and $1,363 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 112%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Chaozhou, where all-in costs run around $642, than in Almaty at $1,363. In Chaozhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chaozhou – 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 Chaozhou. 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.