Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guangzhou (Canton) and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Guangzhou (Canton): $924 a month against $1,387 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Guangzhou (Canton)
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Guangzhou (Canton) Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Guangzhou (Canton)

🇨🇳 China

$924

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,387

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $924 per month in Guangzhou (Canton) vs $1,387 in Almaty, rent included.

Guangzhou (Canton) $924
Almaty $1,387

A couple spends around $1,438 per month in Guangzhou (Canton) vs $2,135 in Almaty, rent included.

Guangzhou (Canton) $1,438
Almaty $2,135

A family of three spends $1,953 per month in Guangzhou (Canton) vs $2,883 in Almaty, rent included.

Guangzhou (Canton) $1,953
Almaty $2,883

Guangzhou (Canton) is about 33% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Guangzhou (Canton) sits 31% below the global median, while Almaty is 3% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.02 ¥20.21

$13.31 ₸6,034

-77.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.67 ¥198

$43.37 ₸19.7K

-31.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.32 ¥35.53

$8.80 ₸3,988

-39.55%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.83

$3.30 ₸1,497

-10.00%

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

$0.58 ¥3.89

$1.37 ₸620

-57.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$0.90 ₸409

-58.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.79

$3.13 ₸1,419

-62.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ¥18.41

$4.10 ₸1,860

-32.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 ¥12.75

$1.66 ₸754

15.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 ¥12.23

$0.90 ₸406

103.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.30

$2.06 ₸933

-47.09%

Eggs

$1.52 ¥10.14

$2.37 ₸1,074

-35.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.76 ¥112

$12.64 ₸5,730

32.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.95 ¥33.07

$6.62 ₸3,000

-25.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.20 ¥81.5

$10.87 ₸4,928

12.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥15.04

$1.86 ₸845

20.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 ¥8.19

$2.37 ₸1,075

-48.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.82

$2.99 ₸1,358

-50.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 ¥11.89

$2.83 ₸1,282

-37.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.86

$0.77 ₸347

33.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥7.84

$0.58 ₸264

101.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 ¥5.56

$1.59 ₸723

-47.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 ¥4.33

$0.99 ₸449

-34.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 ¥25.93

$2.54 ₸1,153

52.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.85 ¥72.5

$11.04 ₸5,005

-1.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ¥7.05

$1.21 ₸550

-13.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ¥12.61

$2.41 ₸1,093

-21.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ¥3.11

$0.25 ₸113

88.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.21 ¥148

$21.84 ₸9,901

1.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 ¥12.23

$1.28 ₸581

42.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 ¥2.69

$0.64 ₸291

-37.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.02 ¥46.90

$10.74 ₸4,870

-34.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.75

$0.69 ₸314

89.86%

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

$19.2K ¥128.2K

$22.3K ₸10.1M

-13.85%

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

$17.6K ¥117.5K

$29.3K ₸13.3M

-40.04%

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

$60.0 ¥401

$87.8 ₸39.8K

-31.59%

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

$16.00 ¥107

$10.83 ₸4,909

47.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.46 ¥96.6

$17.40 ₸7,887

-16.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ¥460

$69.7 ₸31.6K

-1.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.04 ¥80.4

$26.58 ₸12.1K

-54.70%

Cinema Ticket

$6.57 ¥43.94

$6.68 ₸3,031

-1.65%

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

$1,471 ¥9,831

$446 ₸202.2K

229.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K ¥161.5K

$11.9K ₸5.4M

103.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.75 ¥326

$93.7 ₸42.5K

-47.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.61 ¥278

$46.91 ₸21.3K

-11.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.5 ¥545

$143 ₸64.7K

-42.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.4 ¥471

$133 ₸60.5K

-47.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 ¥3,623

$773 ₸350.6K

-29.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$276 ¥1,842

$497 ₸225.5K

-44.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,343 ¥8,974

$1,390 ₸630.4K

-3.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$472 ¥3,157

$880 ₸398.9K

-46.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,553 ¥57.2K

$2,546 ₸1.2M

235.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,459 ¥23.1K

$1,506 ₸683.0K

129.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,265 ¥8,452

$834 ₸377.9K

51.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

20.65

-83.54%

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

Last update for Guangzhou (Canton): October 4, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guangzhou (Canton)

$276 30.1%

Almaty

$497 36.4% 80.5% $222

Groceries & Markets

Guangzhou (Canton)

$240 26.2%

Almaty

$251 18.4% 4.6% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Guangzhou (Canton)

$109 11.9%

Almaty

$188 13.7% 72% $79

Eating Out

Guangzhou (Canton)

$91 9.9%

Almaty

$205 15% 126% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guangzhou (Canton)

$90 9.9%

Almaty

$116 8.5% 28.2% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Guangzhou (Canton)

$82 9%

Almaty

$83 6.1% 1.3% $1

Getting Around

Guangzhou (Canton)

$28 3.1%

Almaty

$27 2% 2.1% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $542 in Guangzhou (Canton) 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.

Salaries run about 52% higher in Guangzhou (Canton), 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 $30.00 in Guangzhou (Canton) versus $43.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $240 vs $251 – making Guangzhou (Canton) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Guangzhou (Canton)

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

13:33 1:33 PM

11:33 11:33 AM

2 h behind Guangzhou (Canton)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,043,500

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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 453 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 509 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Guangzhou (Canton) Almaty 4,000 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Guangzhou (Canton)
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

Guangzhou (Canton) vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 50%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,385 per month in Guangzhou (Canton) 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 Guangzhou (Canton), 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 $30.00 in Guangzhou (Canton) 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 $924 in Guangzhou (Canton) and $1,387 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 50%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Guangzhou (Canton), where all-in costs run around $924, than in Almaty at $1,387. In Guangzhou (Canton) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Guangzhou (Canton) – 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 Guangzhou (Canton). 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.