Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cixi and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Cixi: $725 a month against $1,387 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Cixi
Learn more

Cixi Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
Learn more

Almaty Living Index

Jump to prices

Cixi

🇨🇳 China

$725

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,387

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $725 per month in Cixi vs $1,387 in Almaty, rent included.

Cixi $725
Almaty $1,387

A couple spends around $1,145 per month in Cixi vs $2,135 in Almaty, rent included.

Cixi $1,145
Almaty $2,135

A family of three spends $1,564 per month in Cixi vs $2,883 in Almaty, rent included.

Cixi $1,564
Almaty $2,883

Cixi is about 48% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cixi sits 46% below the global median, while Almaty is 3% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.86 ¥19.14

$13.31 ₸6,005

-78.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.88 ¥146

$43.37 ₸19.6K

-49.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.73 ¥31.61

$8.80 ₸3,969

-46.25%

Cappuccino

$2.96 ¥19.77

$3.30 ₸1,490

-10.30%

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

$0.47 ¥3.14

$1.37 ₸617

-65.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.95

$0.90 ₸407

-67.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ¥6.28

$3.13 ₸1,412

-69.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 ¥13.64

$4.10 ₸1,851

-50.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.40

$1.66 ₸750

11.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 ¥10.68

$0.90 ₸404

77.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.37

$2.06 ₸929

-53.88%

Eggs

$1.54 ¥10.28

$2.37 ₸1,069

-35.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 ¥85.1

$12.64 ₸5,702

0.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 ¥21.11

$6.62 ₸2,985

-52.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.37 ¥69.3

$10.87 ₸4,904

-4.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ¥12.42

$1.86 ₸841

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.37

$2.37 ₸1,070

-47.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 ¥9.89

$2.99 ₸1,351

-50.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.11 ¥7.41

$2.83 ₸1,276

-60.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.93

$0.77 ₸346

-3.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 ¥6.01

$0.58 ₸263

55.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.71

$1.59 ₸719

-64.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.63

$0.99 ₸447

-45.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.15 ¥21.04

$2.54 ₸1,147

24.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.77 ¥72.0

$11.04 ₸4,981

-2.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥5.22

$1.21 ₸548

-35.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥11.00

$2.41 ₸1,087

-31.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.95

$0.25 ₸113

16.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.62 ¥111

$21.84 ₸9,854

-23.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ¥9.48

$1.28 ₸578

10.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.64 ₸290

-43.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.71 ¥44.85

$10.74 ₸4,847

-37.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ¥7.55

$0.69 ₸313

63.77%

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

$19.7K ¥132.0K

$22.3K ₸10.1M

-11.36%

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

$17.1K ¥114.4K

$29.3K ₸13.2M

-41.63%

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

$44.63 ¥298

$87.8 ₸39.6K

-49.15%

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

$9.55 ¥63.8

$10.83 ₸4,886

-11.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.71 ¥78.3

$17.40 ₸7,850

-32.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 ¥283

$69.7 ₸31.4K

-39.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.18 ¥94.7

$26.58 ₸12.0K

-46.65%

Cinema Ticket

$6.06 ¥40.49

$6.68 ₸3,016

-9.28%

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

$333 ¥2,227

$446 ₸201.2K

-25.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ¥114.4K

$11.9K ₸5.4M

43.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.43 ¥290

$93.7 ₸42.3K

-53.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.82 ¥199

$46.91 ₸21.2K

-36.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 ¥486

$143 ₸64.4K

-49.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.7 ¥486

$133 ₸60.2K

-45.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$283 ¥1,894

$773 ₸349.0K

-63.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ¥1,281

$497 ₸224.4K

-61.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$588 ¥3,929

$1,390 ₸627.4K

-57.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 ¥2,448

$880 ₸397.0K

-58.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,000 ¥20.0K

$2,546 ₸1.1M

17.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,998 ¥13.4K

$1,506 ₸679.8K

32.61%

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 Cixi: October 4, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cixi

$199 27.9%

Almaty

$251 18.4% 26% $52

Accommodation & Living

Cixi

$192 26.8%

Almaty

$497 36.4% 159% $306

Clothing & Footwear

Cixi

$98 13.8%

Almaty

$188 13.7% 90.5% $89

Eating Out

Cixi

$84 11.8%

Almaty

$205 15% 143% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cixi

$66 9.2%

Almaty

$116 8.5% 76% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Cixi

$54 7.6%

Almaty

$83 6.1% 52.5% $29

Getting Around

Cixi

$21 2.9%

Almaty

$27 2% 30.2% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $283 in Cixi 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 $22.00 in Cixi versus $43.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $199 vs $251 – making Cixi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Cixi

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

12:17 12:17 PM

10:17 10:17 AM

2 h behind Cixi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,829,488

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cixi Almaty 4,150 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cixi
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

Cixi vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 91%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,088 per month in Cixi 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 Cixi, 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 $22.00 in Cixi 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 $725 in Cixi and $1,387 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 91%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cixi, where all-in costs run around $725, than in Almaty at $1,387. In Cixi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cixi – 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 Cixi. 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.