Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guiyang and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Guiyang: $716 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Guiyang
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Guiyang Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Guiyang

🇨🇳 China

$716

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $716 per month in Guiyang vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Guiyang $716
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,134 per month in Guiyang vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Guiyang $1,134
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,553 per month in Guiyang vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Guiyang $1,553
Almaty $2,913

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

Guiyang sits 47% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.84 ¥18.97

$13.16 ₸5,949

-78.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.82 ¥146

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-51.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.78 ¥31.98

$8.90 ₸4,022

-46.29%

Cappuccino

$2.95 ¥19.73

$3.25 ₸1,469

-9.23%

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

$0.44 ¥2.92

$1.41 ₸639

-68.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.96

$0.88 ₸399

-67.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.90 ¥6.01

$3.35 ₸1,513

-73.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 ¥13.86

$4.04 ₸1,827

-48.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 ¥12.10

$1.69 ₸762

7.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 ¥10.43

$0.86 ₸390

81.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.48

$2.03 ₸917

-52.22%

Eggs

$1.59 ¥10.65

$2.43 ₸1,100

-34.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.62 ¥84.4

$12.46 ₸5,632

1.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 ¥21.93

$6.71 ₸3,033

-51.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.06 ¥67.3

$10.85 ₸4,905

-7.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.14

$1.80 ₸813

1.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 ¥8.00

$2.25 ₸1,018

-46.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.99

$2.91 ₸1,314

-48.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.11 ¥7.39

$2.75 ₸1,243

-59.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.61

$0.75 ₸337

-8.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.06

$0.55 ₸248

65.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.71

$1.62 ₸732

-65.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ¥3.48

$1.05 ₸474

-50.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.16 ¥21.13

$2.58 ₸1,167

22.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.37 ¥69.3

$11.15 ₸5,042

-7.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥5.40

$1.21 ₸547

-33.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.90

$2.44 ₸1,104

-33.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.95

$0.26 ₸117

11.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.97 ¥113

$22.03 ₸9,957

-22.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ¥9.03

$1.35 ₸611

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.64 ₸288

-45.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.60 ¥44.10

$11.16 ₸5,044

-40.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ¥7.90

$0.72 ₸324

63.89%

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

$19.2K ¥128.1K

$22.5K ₸10.2M

-14.93%

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

$17.1K ¥114.6K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-43.38%

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

$45.97 ¥307

$91.8 ₸41.5K

-49.93%

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

$9.69 ¥64.8

$10.66 ₸4,820

-9.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.79 ¥78.8

$17.86 ₸8,072

-33.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.04 ¥274

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-41.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.92 ¥93.1

$27.60 ₸12.5K

-49.57%

Cinema Ticket

$6.08 ¥40.65

$6.78 ₸3,064

-10.32%

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

$331 ¥2,211

$449 ₸202.9K

-26.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K ¥111.6K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

37.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.28 ¥296

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-50.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.65 ¥205

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-34.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.0 ¥481

$142 ₸64.1K

-49.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.7 ¥473

$133 ₸60.0K

-46.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$278 ¥1,862

$805 ₸363.7K

-65.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 ¥1,307

$500 ₸225.9K

-60.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$581 ¥3,888

$1,429 ₸645.9K

-59.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 ¥2,451

$904 ₸408.8K

-59.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,040 ¥20.3K

$2,503 ₸1.1M

21.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,022 ¥13.5K

$1,559 ₸704.7K

29.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

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 Guiyang: 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

Guiyang

$197 27.5%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 27.4% $54

Accommodation & Living

Guiyang

$195 27.3%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 156% $304

Clothing & Footwear

Guiyang

$98 13.7%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 89.1% $87

Eating Out

Guiyang

$84 11.7%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 144% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guiyang

$67 9.4%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 78.4% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Guiyang

$53 7.4%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 57.7% $31

Getting Around

Guiyang

$21 3%

Almaty

$28 2% 29.9% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $278 in Guiyang 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Guiyang versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $250 – making Guiyang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Guiyang

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

13:24 1:24 PM

11:24 11:24 AM

2 h behind Guiyang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,324,561

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

Guiyang Almaty 3,250 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Guiyang
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

Guiyang vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 92%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,074 per month in Guiyang 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 Guiyang, 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 Guiyang 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 $716 in Guiyang and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 92%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Guiyang, where all-in costs run around $716, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Guiyang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Guiyang – 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 Guiyang. 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.