Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Almaty

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

Jump to prices
🇨🇳 China
$784
/mo nomad
Almaty
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
$1,387
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: China is 36.1% cheaper than Almaty without rent, and 43.5% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: China is 38% cheaper than Almaty without rent, and 39.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
China
Almaty
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.90 ¥19.39
$13.31 ₸6,034
-78.21%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.02 ¥147
$43.37 ₸19.7K
-49.23%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.20 ¥34.74
$8.80 ₸3,988
-40.91%
Cappuccino
$3.04 ¥20.31
$3.30 ₸1,497
-7.88%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.52 ¥3.45
$1.37 ₸620
-62.04%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.28 ¥1.85
$0.90 ₸409
-68.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.01 ¥6.75
$3.13 ₸1,419
-67.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.19 ¥14.64
$4.10 ₸1,860
-46.59%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
China
Almaty
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.75 ¥11.71
$1.66 ₸754
5.42%
White Bread (500g)
$1.64 ¥10.96
$0.90 ₸406
82.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.92 ¥6.12
$2.06 ₸933
-55.34%
Eggs
$1.59 ¥10.66
$2.37 ₸1,074
-32.91%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.99 ¥86.8
$12.64 ₸5,730
2.77%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.35 ¥22.38
$6.62 ₸3,000
-49.40%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.18 ¥74.7
$10.87 ₸4,928
2.85%
Apples (1kg)
$1.80 ¥12.02
$1.86 ₸845
-3.23%
Banana (1kg)
$1.31 ¥8.78
$2.37 ₸1,075
-44.73%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.47 ¥9.80
$2.99 ₸1,358
-50.84%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.32 ¥8.79
$2.83 ₸1,282
-53.36%
Potato (1kg)
$0.76 ¥5.07
$0.77 ₸347
-1.30%
Onion (1kg)
$0.92 ¥6.15
$0.58 ₸264
58.62%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.59 ¥3.94
$1.59 ₸723
-62.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 ¥3.63
$0.99 ₸449
-45.45%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.79 ¥25.34
$2.54 ₸1,153
49.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.14 ¥81.1
$11.04 ₸5,005
9.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.82 ¥5.48
$1.21 ₸550
-32.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.63 ¥10.92
$2.41 ₸1,093
-32.37%
🚌 Getting Around
China
Almaty
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.29 ¥1.93
$0.25 ₸113
16.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.33 ¥149
$21.84 ₸9,901
2.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.53 ¥10.24
$1.28 ₸581
19.53%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 ¥2.31
$0.64 ₸291
-45.31%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.00 ¥46.79
$10.74 ₸4,870
-34.82%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 ¥8.77
$0.69 ₸314
89.86%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.0K ¥127.1K
$22.3K ₸10.1M
-14.60%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.0K ¥113.7K
$29.3K ₸13.3M
-42.00%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
China
Almaty
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$54.1 ¥362
$87.8 ₸39.8K
-38.32%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.42 ¥56.3
$10.83 ₸4,909
-22.25%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$10.72 ¥71.6
$17.40 ₸7,887
-38.39%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
China
Almaty
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.72 ¥272
$69.7 ₸31.6K
-41.57%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.58 ¥97.4
$26.58 ₸12.1K
-45.15%
Cinema Ticket
$6.76 ¥45.15
$6.68 ₸3,031
1.20%
🧸 Childcare & Education
China
Almaty
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$462 ¥3,089
$446 ₸202.2K
3.65%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$19.6K ¥131.0K
$11.9K ₸5.4M
64.83%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
China
Almaty
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.57 ¥305
$93.7 ₸42.5K
-51.36%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.05 ¥241
$46.91 ₸21.3K
-23.15%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.4 ¥504
$143 ₸64.7K
-47.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.0 ¥528
$133 ₸60.5K
-40.77%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
China
Almaty
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$386 ¥2,577
$773 ₸350.6K
-50.14%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$240 ¥1,601
$497 ₸225.5K
-51.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$843 ¥5,637
$1,390 ₸630.4K
-39.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$461 ¥3,083
$880 ₸398.9K
-47.56%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,590 ¥30.7K
$2,546 ₸1.2M
80.29%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,279 ¥15.2K
$1,506 ₸683.0K
51.30%
💵 Salaries & Financials
China
Almaty
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,060 ¥7,082
$834 ₸377.9K
27.12%
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 China: October 4, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
China
$240
Almaty
$497 108% $258
Groceries & Markets
China
$207
Almaty
$251 21.3% $44
Clothing & Footwear
China
$106
Almaty
$188 76.5% $81
Eating Out
China
$88
Almaty
$205 134% $118
Monthly Utilities & Internet
China
$73
Almaty
$116 58.3% $43
Sport & Entertainment
China
$54
Almaty
$83 53.2% $29
Getting Around
China
$27
Almaty
$27 2.2% $0.6
Good to know
🇨🇳 China
🇰🇿 Almaty
🕒 Local time
13:13 1:13 PM
11:13 11:13 AM
2 h behind China
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,442,965,000
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

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 →
On the map
Between locations
  • China Almaty 3,270 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • China
  • 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

China vs other spots: cost of living compared

🇨🇳 China
$784
/mo nomad
🇺🇸 United States
$2,785
/mo nomad
🇨🇳 China
$784
/mo nomad
🇮🇳 India
$380
/mo nomad
🇨🇳 China
$784
/mo nomad
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,199
/mo nomad
🇨🇳 China
$784
/mo nomad
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$481
/mo nomad
Show more

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