CityCost App
Cost of living in 8000+ cities on the go.

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chengdu and Shymkent Cost of Living Comparison Between Chengdu and Shymkent

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Chengdu is 7.3% cheaper than Shymkent without rent, and 0.9% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Chengdu is 18.6% more expensive than Shymkent without rent, and 1.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Chengdu
Shymkent
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.85 ยฅ19.92
$9.79 โ‚ธ4,998
-70.89%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.68 ยฅ165
$19.71 โ‚ธ10.1K
20.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.78 ยฅ33.39
$6.82 โ‚ธ3,482
-29.91%
Cappuccino
$2.86 ยฅ19.97
$1.78 โ‚ธ908
60.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.43 ยฅ3.02
$0.95 โ‚ธ485
-54.74%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30 ยฅ2.11
$0.40 โ‚ธ204
-25.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.14 ยฅ7.95
$1.20 โ‚ธ613
-5.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.15 ยฅ14.99
$1.82 โ‚ธ929
18.13%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Chengdu
Shymkent
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.76 ยฅ12.28
$1.11 โ‚ธ566
58.56%
White Bread (500g)
$1.45 ยฅ10.15
$0.28 โ‚ธ143
417.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.90 ยฅ6.29
$1.63 โ‚ธ834
-44.79%
Eggs
$1.87 ยฅ13.08
$1.44 โ‚ธ735
29.86%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.71 ยฅ95.7
$7.97 โ‚ธ4,070
72.02%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.65 ยฅ25.48
$4.24 โ‚ธ2,165
-13.92%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.15 ยฅ77.8
$6.27 โ‚ธ3,201
77.83%
Apples (1kg)
$1.86 ยฅ12.97
$0.95 โ‚ธ486
95.79%
Banana (1kg)
$1.23 ยฅ8.55
$1.85 โ‚ธ943
-33.51%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.52 ยฅ10.62
$1.84 โ‚ธ941
-17.39%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.02 ยฅ7.15
$0.97 โ‚ธ497
5.15%
Potato (1kg)
$0.67 ยฅ4.66
$0.48 โ‚ธ243
39.58%
Onion (1kg)
$0.71 ยฅ4.94
$0.35 โ‚ธ178
102.86%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.61 ยฅ4.24
$0.82 โ‚ธ421
-25.61%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.60 ยฅ4.20
$0.68 โ‚ธ349
-11.76%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.43 ยฅ23.95
$1.97 โ‚ธ1,004
74.11%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.29 ยฅ50.9
$3.95 โ‚ธ2,016
84.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.93 ยฅ6.49
$1.01 โ‚ธ514
-7.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.81 ยฅ12.66
$1.33 โ‚ธ680
36.09%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Chengdu
Shymkent
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.40 ยฅ2.79
$0.14 โ‚ธ69.3
185.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.33 ยฅ191
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.22 ยฅ8.55
$0.91 โ‚ธ464
34.07%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.28 ยฅ1.97
$0.67 โ‚ธ342
-58.21%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.29 ยฅ29.93
$5.90 โ‚ธ3,015
-27.29%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.12 ยฅ7.85
$0.50 โ‚ธ255
124.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.4K ยฅ128.7K
$19.5K โ‚ธ10.0M
-5.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.6K ยฅ115.5K
$23.7K โ‚ธ12.1M
-30.13%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chengdu
Shymkent
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$44.46 ยฅ310
$50.8 โ‚ธ25.9K
-12.43%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.65 ยฅ81.3
$8.82 โ‚ธ4,504
32.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.49 ยฅ80.2
$12.48 โ‚ธ6,375
-7.93%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Chengdu
Shymkent
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$24.50 ยฅ171
$33.56 โ‚ธ17.1K
-27.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.27 ยฅ78.7
$7.59 โ‚ธ3,874
48.48%
Cinema Ticket
$5.58 ยฅ38.96
$5.00 โ‚ธ2,552
11.60%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Chengdu
Shymkent
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$339 ยฅ2,364
$49.39 โ‚ธ25.2K
585.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K ยฅ86.0K
$4,798 โ‚ธ2.5M
156.91%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Chengdu
Shymkent
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$37.09 ยฅ259
$32.47 โ‚ธ16.6K
14.23%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.29 ยฅ267
$29.76 โ‚ธ15.2K
28.66%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$65.6 ยฅ458
$119 โ‚ธ60.9K
-44.98%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$50.5 ยฅ353
$46.01 โ‚ธ23.5K
9.76%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Chengdu
Shymkent
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$316 ยฅ2,207
$301 โ‚ธ153.9K
4.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$179 ยฅ1,251
$174 โ‚ธ88.8K
3.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$611 ยฅ4,263
$469 โ‚ธ239.6K
30.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$334 ยฅ2,329
$360 โ‚ธ184.1K
-7.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,998 ยฅ27.9K
$974 โ‚ธ497.5K
310.33%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,015 ยฅ14.1K
$888 โ‚ธ453.7K
126.80%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Chengdu
Shymkent
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,110 ยฅ7,744
$372 โ‚ธ190.1K
198.02%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.21
19.5
-78.41%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Chengdu: January 12, 2026

Last update for Shymkent: January 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Join the CityCost newsletter โ€“ low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.