Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Haikou and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Haikou: $806 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Haikou
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Haikou Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Haikou

🇨🇳 China

$806

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $806 per month in Haikou vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Haikou $806
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,152 per month in Haikou vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Haikou $1,152
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,497 per month in Haikou vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Haikou $1,497
Almaty $2,913

Haikou is about 41% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ¥29.45

$13.16 ₸5,949

-66.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.72 ¥98.4

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-67.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.02 ¥40.26

$8.90 ₸4,022

-32.36%

Cappuccino

$2.43 ¥16.25

$3.25 ₸1,469

-25.23%

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

$0.86 ¥5.74

$1.41 ₸639

-39.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ¥2.27

$0.88 ₸399

-61.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 ¥10.06

$3.35 ₸1,513

-54.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 ¥18.18

$4.04 ₸1,827

-32.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 ¥14.26

$1.69 ₸762

26.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 ¥9.90

$0.86 ₸390

72.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 ¥4.40

$2.03 ₸917

-67.49%

Eggs

$1.36 ¥9.07

$2.43 ₸1,100

-44.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.92 ¥26.23

$6.71 ₸3,033

-41.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.42 ¥103

$10.85 ₸4,905

42.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.69 ¥11.30

$1.80 ₸813

-6.11%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 ¥5.80

$2.25 ₸1,018

-61.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 ¥7.40

$2.91 ₸1,314

-61.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.24

$2.75 ₸1,243

-66.18%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.95

$0.75 ₸337

18.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.85

$0.55 ₸248

32.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 ¥3.12

$1.62 ₸732

-70.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ¥3.83

$1.05 ₸474

-45.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.09 ¥20.68

$2.58 ₸1,167

19.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.76 ¥58.6

$11.15 ₸5,042

-21.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ¥3.84

$1.21 ₸547

-52.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$2.44 ₸1,104

-49.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 ¥6.17

$0.26 ₸117

253.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ¥356

$22.03 ₸9,957

141.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.19 ¥14.66

$1.35 ₸611

62.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.86

$0.64 ₸288

-32.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ¥8.15

$0.72 ₸324

69.44%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

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

$35.41 ¥237

$91.8 ₸41.5K

-61.43%

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

$13.21 ¥88.3

$10.66 ₸4,820

23.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.38 ¥89.4

$17.86 ₸8,072

-25.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.67 ¥305

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-35.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.33 ¥42.35

$27.60 ₸12.5K

-77.07%

Cinema Ticket

$4.50 ¥30.10

$6.78 ₸3,064

-33.63%

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

$862 ¥5,762

$449 ₸202.9K

92.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K ¥130.4K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

61.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.00 ¥181

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-69.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 ¥233

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-25.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.76 ¥299

$142 ₸64.1K

-68.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.57 ¥251

$133 ₸60.0K

-71.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ¥2,523

$805 ₸363.7K

-53.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ¥1,966

$500 ₸225.9K

-41.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$570 ¥3,808

$1,429 ₸645.9K

-60.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$369 ¥2,469

$904 ₸408.8K

-59.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,154 ¥21.1K

$2,503 ₸1.1M

26.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,183 ¥14.6K

$1,559 ₸704.7K

40.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$727 ¥4,859

$870 ₸393.3K

-16.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

20.65

-81.36%

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

Last update for Haikou: October 12, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Haikou

$294 36.5%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 69.9% $206

Groceries & Markets

Haikou

$169 * 20.9%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 48.5% $82

Eating Out

Haikou

$100 12.4%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 105% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Haikou

$65 8.1%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 185% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Haikou

$62 7.7%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 94.1% $58

Getting Around

Haikou

$61 7.6%

Almaty

$28 2% 55% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Haikou

$55 6.8%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 53.4% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $377 in Haikou 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 20% 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 $15.00 in Haikou versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $169 vs $250 – making Haikou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Haikou

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

02:12 2:12 AM

00:12 12:12 AM

2 h behind Haikou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,873,358

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 17, 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 17, 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

Haikou Almaty 4,020 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Haikou
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

Haikou vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 70%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,209 per month in Haikou 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 Haikou, 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 $15.00 in Haikou 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 $806 in Haikou and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 70%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Haikou, where all-in costs run around $806, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Haikou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Haikou – 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 Haikou. 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.