Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chengdu and Shymkent

For one person, living is cheaper in Chengdu: $749 a month against $808 in Shymkent, rent and utilities included – about $710 less a year. The total is higher in Shymkent despite lower rent and utilities.

36

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
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Chengdu Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Shymkent
Learn more

Shymkent Living Index

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Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$749

/mo nomad

Shymkent

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$808

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chengdu and in Shymkent

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chengdu and in Shymkent actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $749 per month in Chengdu vs $808 in Shymkent, rent included.

Chengdu $749
Shymkent $808

A couple spends around $1,210 per month in Chengdu vs $1,390 in Shymkent, rent included.

Chengdu $1,210
Shymkent $1,390

A family of three spends $1,672 per month in Chengdu vs $1,971 in Shymkent, rent included.

Chengdu $1,672
Shymkent $1,971

Chengdu is about 7% cheaper than Shymkent, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chengdu and Shymkent are more affordable than the global median – Chengdu 45% lower, Shymkent 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.86 ¥19.11

$11.25 ₸5,086

-74.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.74 ¥152

$33.35 ₸15.1K

-31.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.83 ¥32.28

$6.50 ₸2,938

-25.69%

Cappuccino

$2.99 ¥19.99

$2.54 ₸1,147

17.72%

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

$0.48 ¥3.19

$1.03 ₸467

-53.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.88

$0.54 ₸246

-48.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 ¥10.21

$1.09 ₸492

40.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 ¥14.88

$1.35 ₸609

65.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 ¥12.10

$1.46 ₸661

23.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 ¥10.28

$0.41 ₸184

275.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$1.79 ₸811

-48.04%

Eggs

$1.55 ¥10.37

$1.73 ₸783

-10.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.37 ¥96.1

$10.04 ₸4,538

43.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.60 ¥24.05

$5.26 ₸2,376

-31.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ¥74.5

$8.98 ₸4,059

24.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.19

$1.19 ₸538

52.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 ¥8.94

$2.12 ₸957

-36.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.30

$2.58 ₸1,166

-57.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 ¥7.98

$1.35 ₸610

-11.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ¥4.99

$0.55 ₸250

36.36%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 ¥4.52

$0.41 ₸184

65.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.22

$0.88 ₸397

-28.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.58

$0.83 ₸376

-34.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.22

$2.46 ₸1,114

53.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.40 ¥29.41

$4.55 ₸2,057

-3.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.52

$1.03 ₸466

-19.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 ¥10.08

$1.51 ₸683

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ¥2.56

$0.14 ₸64.0

171.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.58 ¥164

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.37 ¥9.18

$0.87 ₸395

57.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.34 ₸156

-8.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.59 ¥30.71

$10.02 ₸4,532

-54.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.78

$0.64 ₸291

104.69%

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

$19.7K ¥131.5K

$27.2K ₸12.3M

-27.63%

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

$17.9K ¥119.3K

$29.0K ₸13.1M

-38.55%

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

$48.01 ¥321

$47.29 ₸21.4K

1.52%

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

$9.42 ¥63.0

$9.60 ₸4,338

-1.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.75 ¥85.2

$14.79 ₸6,685

-13.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.36 ¥183

$38.82 ₸17.5K

-29.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.25 ¥75.2

$8.82 ₸3,986

27.55%

Cinema Ticket

$5.87 ¥39.26

$5.68 ₸2,567

3.35%

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

$373 ¥2,494

$57.8 ₸26.1K

545.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K ¥98.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.03 ¥167

$37.55 ₸17.0K

-33.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.15 ¥188

$33.85 ₸15.3K

-16.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.0 ¥374

$187 ₸84.4K

-70.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.3 ¥343

$52.9 ₸23.9K

-2.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$465 ¥3,109

$338 ₸153.0K

37.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$256 ¥1,712

$203 ₸92.0K

25.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$833 ¥5,570

$698 ₸315.6K

19.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$539 ¥3,606

$545 ₸246.2K

-0.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,747 ¥25.1K

$1,104 ₸499.1K

239.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ¥12.8K

$986 ₸445.6K

94.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,254 ¥8,382

$442 ₸199.6K

183.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

18.25

-81.48%

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

Last update for Chengdu: October 17, 2026

Last update for Shymkent: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chengdu

$256 34.2%

Shymkent

$203 25.2% 20.5% $53

Groceries & Markets

Chengdu

$194 25.9%

Shymkent

$185 22.9% 4.5% $8.8

Eating Out

Chengdu

$88 11.8%

Shymkent

$154 19.1% 74.8% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Chengdu

$72 9.6%

Shymkent

$140 17.3% 93.8% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chengdu

$70 9.4%

Shymkent

$72 8.9% 2.1% $1.5

Sport & Entertainment

Chengdu

$39 5.2%

Shymkent

$50 6.2% 28.3% $11

Getting Around

Chengdu

$29 3.9%

Shymkent

$3.2 * 0.4% 89.1% $26

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $465 in Chengdu versus $338 in Shymkent. 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 184% higher in Chengdu, 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 $23.00 in Chengdu versus $33.00 in Shymkent. Groceries tell a different story – $194 in Chengdu vs $185 in Shymkent – so Shymkent wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🇰🇿 Shymkent

🕒 Local time

00:56 12:56 AM

22:56 10:56 PM

2 h behind Chengdu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,937,757

1,222,055

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

Chengdu Shymkent 3,310 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chengdu
Shymkent

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

Chengdu vs Shymkent: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $749 in Chengdu, $808 in Shymkent – roughly 8% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,123 per month in Chengdu and $1,212 in Shymkent. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chengdu, 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 $23.00 in Chengdu and $33.00 in Shymkent. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Shymkent – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $749 in Chengdu and $808 in Shymkent, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Chengdu – 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 Chengdu. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Shymkent makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.