Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Douliu and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Douliu: $1,138 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Almaty outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

55

Cost of Living Index in Douliu
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Douliu Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
Learn more

Almaty Living Index

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Douliu

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,138

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,138 per month in Douliu vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Douliu $1,138
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,894 per month in Douliu vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Douliu $1,894
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $2,650 per month in Douliu vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Douliu $2,650
Almaty $2,913

Douliu is about 17% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Douliu sits 16% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.85 NT$125

$13.16 ₸5,949

-70.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.40 NT$726

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-50.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.81 NT$189

$8.90 ₸4,022

-34.72%

Cappuccino

$3.40 NT$110

$3.25 ₸1,469

4.62%

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

$0.94 NT$30.58

$1.41 ₸639

-33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NT$21.86

$0.88 ₸399

-23.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.79 NT$90.4

$3.35 ₸1,513

-16.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 NT$121

$4.04 ₸1,827

-7.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.09 NT$100

$1.69 ₸762

82.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 NT$65.1

$0.86 ₸390

133.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.17 NT$103

$2.03 ₸917

56.16%

Eggs

$2.76 NT$89.4

$2.43 ₸1,100

13.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.44 NT$631

$12.46 ₸5,632

56.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.97 NT$323

$6.71 ₸3,033

48.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.44 NT$695

$10.85 ₸4,905

97.60%

Apples (1kg)

$4.79 NT$155

$1.80 ₸813

166.11%

Banana (1kg)

$3.29 NT$107

$2.25 ₸1,018

46.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 NT$99.9

$2.91 ₸1,314

5.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 NT$141

$2.75 ₸1,243

57.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 NT$91.3

$0.75 ₸337

276.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 NT$75.9

$0.55 ₸248

325.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 NT$55.6

$1.62 ₸732

5.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 NT$35.65

$1.05 ₸474

4.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.85 NT$125

$2.58 ₸1,167

49.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.46 NT$469

$11.15 ₸5,042

29.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 NT$52.9

$1.21 ₸547

34.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 NT$75.0

$2.44 ₸1,104

-5.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 NT$19.89

$0.26 ₸117

134.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.53 NT$1,152

$22.03 ₸9,957

61.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 NT$86.3

$1.35 ₸611

97.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 NT$24.82

$0.64 ₸288

20.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.46 NT$307

$11.16 ₸5,044

-15.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 NT$33.56

$0.72 ₸324

43.06%

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

$34.0K NT$1.1M

$22.5K ₸10.2M

50.93%

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

$24.0K NT$777.6K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-20.78%

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

$86.6 NT$2,807

$91.8 ₸41.5K

-5.73%

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

$17.15 NT$556

$10.66 ₸4,820

60.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.79 NT$901

$17.86 ₸8,072

55.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.37 NT$1,179

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-48.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

Cinema Ticket

$9.54 NT$309

$6.78 ₸3,064

40.71%

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

$663 NT$21.5K

$449 ₸202.9K

47.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K NT$550.7K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

40.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.5 NT$2,091

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-28.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.75 NT$1,321

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-13.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 NT$2,756

$142 ₸64.1K

-40.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 NT$3,408

$133 ₸60.0K

-20.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$404 NT$13.1K

$805 ₸363.7K

-49.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$257 NT$8,334

$500 ₸225.9K

-48.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$982 NT$31.8K

$1,429 ₸645.9K

-31.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$730 NT$23.7K

$904 ₸408.8K

-19.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 NT$254.1K

$2,503 ₸1.1M

213.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,924 NT$159.7K

$1,559 ₸704.7K

215.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,544 NT$82.5K

$870 ₸393.3K

192.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

20.65

-88.38%

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

Last update for Douliu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Douliu

$400 35.1%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 37.4% $149

Accommodation & Living

Douliu

$257 22.6%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 94.4% $243

Clothing & Footwear

Douliu

$133 11.7%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 39.4% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Douliu

$132 11.6%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 8.5% $11

Eating Out

Douliu

$117 10.3%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 75.4% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Douliu

$55 4.9%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 51.3% $28

Getting Around

Douliu

$44 3.9%

Almaty

$28 2% 37.9% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $404 in Douliu 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 192% higher in Douliu, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Douliu versus $45.00 in Almaty. Groceries tell a different story – $400 in Douliu vs $250 in Almaty – so Almaty wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Douliu

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

10:52 10:52 AM

08:52 8:52 AM

2 h behind Douliu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,401

1,475,400

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Douliu Almaty 4,520 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Douliu
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

Douliu vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 21%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,707 per month in Douliu 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 Douliu, 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 Douliu 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 $1,138 in Douliu and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 21%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Douliu, where all-in costs run around $1,138, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Douliu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Douliu – 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 Douliu. 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.