Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Datong and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Datong: $715 a month against $1,363 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Datong
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Datong Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Datong

🇨🇳 China

$715

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,363

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $715 per month in Datong vs $1,363 in Almaty, rent included.

Datong $715
Almaty $1,363

A couple spends around $1,133 per month in Datong vs $2,131 in Almaty, rent included.

Datong $1,133
Almaty $2,131

A family of three spends $1,551 per month in Datong vs $2,900 in Almaty, rent included.

Datong $1,551
Almaty $2,900

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

Datong sits 47% below the global median, while Almaty is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.77 ¥18.50

$13.05 ₸5,899

-78.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.44 ¥143

$43.44 ₸19.6K

-50.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.93 ¥32.98

$8.76 ₸3,962

-43.72%

Cappuccino

$3.05 ¥20.42

$3.32 ₸1,501

-8.13%

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

$0.47 ¥3.11

$1.34 ₸607

-64.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$0.83 ₸374

-67.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ¥6.31

$3.36 ₸1,518

-72.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ¥13.76

$4.02 ₸1,818

-48.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 ¥12.16

$1.65 ₸747

10.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ¥10.80

$0.93 ₸421

74.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.92

$2.05 ₸927

-56.59%

Eggs

$1.55 ¥10.36

$2.46 ₸1,113

-36.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.59 ¥84.2

$12.49 ₸5,646

0.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.23 ¥21.62

$6.71 ₸3,035

-51.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.12 ¥67.7

$10.85 ₸4,905

-6.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ¥12.52

$1.78 ₸807

5.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ¥8.39

$2.25 ₸1,018

-44.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.83

$2.87 ₸1,299

-48.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 ¥7.68

$2.71 ₸1,227

-57.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.89

$0.80 ₸362

-8.75%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$0.55 ₸249

67.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.77

$1.62 ₸732

-65.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ¥3.44

$1.00 ₸453

-49.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.17 ¥21.22

$2.58 ₸1,167

22.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.71 ¥71.6

$11.15 ₸5,039

-3.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥5.29

$1.26 ₸572

-37.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.69

$2.48 ₸1,120

-35.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$0.28 ₸128

-3.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.82 ¥112

$22.05 ₸9,970

-23.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ¥9.48

$1.34 ₸607

5.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$0.64 ₸288

-48.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.87 ¥45.96

$11.04 ₸4,993

-37.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 ¥7.83

$0.72 ₸326

62.50%

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

$19.4K ¥129.6K

$28.1K ₸12.7M

-31.12%

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

$17.4K ¥116.3K

$31.8K ₸14.4M

-45.30%

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

$44.62 ¥298

$90.5 ₸40.9K

-50.71%

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

$9.53 ¥63.7

$10.63 ₸4,805

-10.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.92 ¥79.7

$18.12 ₸8,190

-34.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.32 ¥283

$69.0 ₸31.2K

-38.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.88 ¥92.8

$26.98 ₸12.2K

-48.55%

Cinema Ticket

$5.84 ¥39.05

$6.77 ₸3,062

-13.74%

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

$329 ¥2,198

$444 ₸200.6K

-25.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K ¥110.5K

$12.0K ₸5.4M

38.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.27 ¥296

$91.9 ₸41.5K

-51.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.48 ¥204

$47.80 ₸21.6K

-36.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ¥478

$139 ₸63.0K

-48.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.7 ¥473

$131 ₸59.4K

-46.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$283 ¥1,890

$777 ₸351.2K

-63.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$193 ¥1,289

$494 ₸223.4K

-60.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$598 ¥3,999

$1,439 ₸650.4K

-58.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$363 ¥2,424

$905 ₸409.2K

-59.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,069 ¥20.5K

$2,470 ₸1.1M

24.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,036 ¥13.6K

$1,517 ₸685.7K

34.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$857 ₸387.2K

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 Datong: 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

Datong

$198 27.7%

Almaty

$251 18.4% 26.6% $53

Accommodation & Living

Datong

$193 27%

Almaty

$494 36.3% 156% $301

Clothing & Footwear

Datong

$98 13.7%

Almaty

$185 13.6% 89.2% $87

Eating Out

Datong

$85 11.9%

Almaty

$204 15% 139% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Datong

$66 9.2%

Almaty

$119 8.8% 80.5% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Datong

$54 7.6%

Almaty

$83 6.1% 52.9% $29

Getting Around

Datong

$21 2.9%

Almaty

$28 2% 32.3% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $283 in Datong 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21.00 in Datong versus $43.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $198 vs $251 – making Datong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Datong

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

02:54 2:54 AM

00:54 12:54 AM

2 h behind Datong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,318,057

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 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

Datong Almaty 3,020 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Datong
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

Datong 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 $1,072 per month in Datong 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 Datong, 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 $21.00 in Datong 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 $715 in Datong and $1,363 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 91%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Datong, where all-in costs run around $715, than in Almaty at $1,363. In Datong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Datong – 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 Datong. 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.