Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dongguan and Oskemen

For one person, living is cheaper in Dongguan: $815 a month against $904 in Oskemen, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in Oskemen despite lower rent and utilities.

39

Cost of Living Index in Dongguan
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Dongguan Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Oskemen
Learn more

Oskemen Living Index

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Dongguan

🇨🇳 China

$815

/mo nomad

Oskemen

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$904

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dongguan and in Oskemen

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 Oskemen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $815 in Dongguan versus $904 in Oskemen.

Dongguan $815
Oskemen $904

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,295 in Dongguan versus $1,517 in Oskemen.

Dongguan $1,295
Oskemen $1,517

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,775 in Dongguan versus $2,131 in Oskemen.

Dongguan $1,775
Oskemen $2,131

Living in Dongguan costs roughly 10% less than in Oskemen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dongguan 40% lower, Oskemen 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.64 ¥17.64

$13.29 ₸6,010

-80.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.83 ¥153

$26.05 ₸11.8K

-12.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.75

$3.90 ₸1,764

33.33%

Cappuccino

$2.61 ¥17.44

$3.42 ₸1,547

-23.68%

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

$0.48 ¥3.18

$0.98 ₸444

-51.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$0.55 ₸248

-43.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 ¥5.90

$1.58 ₸716

-44.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 ¥14.88

$1.69 ₸766

31.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ¥10.61

$1.45 ₸656

9.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.93

$0.49 ₸223

232.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.50

$1.37 ₸618

-29.20%

Eggs

$1.59 ¥10.66

$1.76 ₸795

-9.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.14 ¥141

$10.07 ₸4,554

109.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 ¥21.96

$5.93 ₸2,681

-44.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.27 ¥95.4

$8.02 ₸3,624

77.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥15.03

$1.17 ₸530

92.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 ¥10.45

$2.01 ₸907

-22.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 ¥12.39

$2.72 ₸1,230

-31.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.98

$2.52 ₸1,140

-40.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.95

$0.94 ₸425

10.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 ¥8.30

$0.52 ₸236

138.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.75

$0.32 ₸145

75.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.90

$1.05 ₸476

-44.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ¥29.79

$2.23 ₸1,006

99.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.18 ¥81.5

$4.87 ₸2,201

150.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.17

$1.45 ₸656

-36.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 ¥11.74

$1.62 ₸733

8.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 ¥2.37

$0.24 ₸108

45.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.38 ¥150

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ¥7.86

$1.13 ₸511

4.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.75

$0.32 ₸146

28.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.44 ¥29.68

$2.47 ₸1,119

79.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.77

$0.66 ₸297

98.48%

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

$19.3K ¥129.0K

$32.4K ₸14.7M

-40.48%

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

$17.6K ¥117.9K

$31.1K ₸14.1M

-43.30%

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

$63.1 ¥422

$46.60 ₸21.1K

35.30%

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

$9.11 ¥60.9

$11.54 ₸5,217

-21.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.96 ¥86.7

$22.44 ₸10.1K

-42.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 ¥345

$26.34 ₸11.9K

96.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.09 ¥108

$19.83 ₸8,964

-18.86%

Cinema Ticket

$7.53 ¥50.3

$5.09 ₸2,301

47.94%

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

$531 ¥3,550

$66.0 ₸29.8K

704.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.3K ¥162.8K

$2,835 ₸1.3M

758.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.78 ¥313

$112 ₸50.8K

-58.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.30 ¥269

$81.0 ₸36.6K

-50.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.5 ¥485

$97.9 ₸44.3K

-25.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.04 ¥261

$121 ₸54.7K

-67.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$380 ¥2,538

$339 ₸153.3K

11.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$219 ¥1,461

$226 ₸102.2K

-3.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$662 ¥4,423

$675 ₸305.0K

-1.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$431 ¥2,884

$572 ₸258.6K

-24.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,650 ¥37.8K

$1,107 ₸500.3K

410.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,075 ¥20.6K

$838 ₸378.8K

267.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$856 ¥5,725

$800 ₸361.6K

7.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

19.5

-82.82%

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

Last update for Dongguan: October 19, 2026

Last update for Oskemen: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dongguan

$248 30.4%

Oskemen

$195 21.6% 21.2% $53

Accommodation & Living

Dongguan

$219 26.8%

Oskemen

$226 25% 3.4% $7.5

Clothing & Footwear

Dongguan

$89 11%

Oskemen

$185 20.5% 108% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dongguan

$85 10.5%

Oskemen

$81 8.9% 5.3% $4.5

Eating Out

Dongguan

$80 9.8%

Oskemen

$177 19.5% 121% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Dongguan

$67 8.2%

Oskemen

$37 4% 45.2% $30

Getting Around

Dongguan

$27 3.3%

Oskemen

$3.7 * 0.4% 86.4% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $380 in Dongguan and $339 in Oskemen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dongguan pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $23.00 in Dongguan vs $26.00 in Oskemen. Groceries flip the comparison at $248 vs $195, with Oskemen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Dongguan

🇰🇿 Oskemen

🕒 Local time

18:49 6:49 PM

16:49 4:49 PM

2 h behind Dongguan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,254,100

354,770

💱 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 →

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Dongguan Oskemen 4,030 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dongguan
Oskemen

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 Oskemen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dongguan is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and utilities. The 11% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 7% higher in Dongguan, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $380 in Dongguan versus $339 in Oskemen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $531 in Dongguan versus $66.0 in Oskemen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Dongguan – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $26.00 in Oskemen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Dongguan gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Dongguan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Oskemen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.