Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dongguan and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Dongguan: $813 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Dongguan
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Dongguan Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
Learn more

Almaty Living Index

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Dongguan

🇨🇳 China

$813

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $813 per month in Dongguan vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Dongguan $813
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,291 per month in Dongguan vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Dongguan $1,291
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,768 per month in Dongguan vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Dongguan $1,768
Almaty $2,913

Dongguan is about 41% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dongguan sits 40% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.57 ¥17.18

$13.16 ₸5,939

-80.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.04 ¥147

$44.86 ₸20.2K

-50.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.26 ¥35.16

$8.90 ₸4,015

-40.90%

Cappuccino

$2.56 ¥17.14

$3.25 ₸1,466

-21.23%

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

$0.47 ¥3.15

$1.41 ₸638

-66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.88 ₸398

-67.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.92 ¥6.18

$3.35 ₸1,510

-72.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.80

$4.04 ₸1,824

-45.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ¥10.69

$1.69 ₸761

-5.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 ¥10.42

$0.86 ₸390

81.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.90

$2.03 ₸916

-49.26%

Eggs

$1.66 ¥11.12

$2.43 ₸1,098

-31.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.79 ¥139

$12.46 ₸5,623

66.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.44 ¥22.99

$6.71 ₸3,028

-48.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.23 ¥95.2

$10.85 ₸4,896

31.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 ¥15.17

$1.80 ₸812

26.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ¥10.51

$2.25 ₸1,017

-30.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.95

$2.91 ₸1,312

-33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.47

$2.75 ₸1,241

-48.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.19

$0.75 ₸337

44.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 ¥8.32

$0.55 ₸248

125.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.72

$1.62 ₸731

-65.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.68

$1.05 ₸473

-47.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.49 ¥30.04

$2.58 ₸1,165

74.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.89 ¥79.5

$11.15 ₸5,034

6.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥5.76

$1.21 ₸546

-28.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ¥11.68

$2.44 ₸1,102

-28.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$0.26 ₸117

34.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.79 ¥152

$22.03 ₸9,940

3.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ¥7.91

$1.35 ₸610

-12.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ¥2.59

$0.64 ₸288

-39.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 ¥29.14

$11.16 ₸5,036

-60.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ¥8.53

$0.72 ₸323

77.78%

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

$19.5K ¥130.7K

$22.5K ₸10.2M

-13.21%

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

$18.6K ¥124.6K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-38.47%

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

$63.8 ¥426

$91.8 ₸41.4K

-30.55%

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

$9.24 ¥61.8

$10.66 ₸4,812

-13.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.08 ¥87.5

$17.86 ₸8,058

-26.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.1 ¥341

$70.3 ₸31.7K

-27.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 ¥107

$27.60 ₸12.5K

-41.99%

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ¥51.3

$6.78 ₸3,059

13.13%

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

$533 ¥3,566

$449 ₸202.5K

18.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K ¥161.6K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

99.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.76 ¥313

$89.9 ₸40.6K

-48.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.41 ¥270

$47.02 ₸21.2K

-14.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.3 ¥490

$142 ₸64.0K

-48.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.10 ¥262

$133 ₸59.9K

-70.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$372 ¥2,490

$805 ₸363.1K

-53.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$218 ¥1,459

$500 ₸225.5K

-56.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$662 ¥4,427

$1,429 ₸644.8K

-53.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$431 ¥2,883

$904 ₸408.2K

-52.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,714 ¥38.2K

$2,503 ₸1.1M

128.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,066 ¥20.5K

$1,559 ₸703.5K

96.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$858 ¥5,736

$870 ₸392.6K

-1.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

20.65

-83.78%

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

Last update for Dongguan: October 10, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dongguan

$246 30.3%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 1.6% $4

Accommodation & Living

Dongguan

$218 26.8%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 129% $282

Clothing & Footwear

Dongguan

$90 11%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 106% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dongguan

$86 10.6%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 39.8% $34

Eating Out

Dongguan

$79 9.7%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 159% $126

Sport & Entertainment

Dongguan

$66 8.2%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 26.3% $17

Getting Around

Dongguan

$27 3.4%

Almaty

$28 2% 1% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $372 in Dongguan versus $805 in Almaty. 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 1% higher in Almaty, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Dongguan versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $246 vs $250 – making Dongguan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Dongguan

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

13:07 1:07 PM

11:07 11:07 AM

2 h behind Dongguan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,254,100

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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 451 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dongguan Almaty 4,050 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dongguan
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

Dongguan vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 69%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,220 per month in Dongguan and $2,058 in Almaty. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dongguan, 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 Dongguan and $45.00 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 $813 in Dongguan and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 69%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Dongguan, where all-in costs run around $813, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Dongguan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Dongguan – 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 Dongguan. 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.