Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harbin and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Harbin: $1,156 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Harbin
Learn more

Harbin Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
Learn more

Almaty Living Index

Jump to prices

Harbin

🇨🇳 China

$1,156

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,156 per month in Harbin vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Harbin $1,156
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,617 per month in Harbin vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Harbin $1,617
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $2,077 per month in Harbin vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Harbin $2,077
Almaty $2,913

Harbin is about 16% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Harbin sits 14% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.21 ¥14.77

$13.16 ₸5,949

-83.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.30 ¥149

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-50.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.31 ¥35.47

$8.90 ₸4,022

-40.34%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ¥18.81

$3.25 ₸1,469

-13.54%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$1.41 ₸639

-66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ¥1.72

$0.88 ₸399

-70.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.86 ¥5.73

$3.35 ₸1,513

-74.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.73

$4.04 ₸1,827

-60.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 ¥14.00

$1.69 ₸762

23.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 ¥13.18

$0.86 ₸390

129.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.50

$2.03 ₸917

-52.22%

Eggs

$1.40 ¥9.34

$2.43 ₸1,100

-42.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.87 ¥59.3

$12.46 ₸5,632

-28.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.61 ¥17.44

$6.71 ₸3,033

-61.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.13 ¥81.1

$10.85 ₸4,905

11.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.57 ¥10.49

$1.80 ₸813

-12.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 ¥8.70

$2.25 ₸1,018

-42.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.55

$2.91 ₸1,314

-56.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.60

$2.75 ₸1,243

-64.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 ¥3.59

$0.75 ₸337

-28.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.22

$0.55 ₸248

178.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 ¥3.09

$1.62 ₸732

-71.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥5.20

$1.05 ₸474

-25.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.55 ¥17.07

$2.58 ₸1,167

-1.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.80 ¥119

$11.15 ₸5,042

59.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.85

$1.21 ₸547

-52.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ¥10.58

$2.44 ₸1,104

-35.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.26 ₸117

19.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.90 ¥72.9

$22.03 ₸9,957

-50.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.38 ¥9.21

$1.35 ₸611

2.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$0.64 ₸288

-54.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 ¥23.65

$11.16 ₸5,044

-68.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ¥8.58

$0.72 ₸324

77.78%

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

$19.6K ¥131.0K

$22.5K ₸10.2M

-12.98%

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

$15.5K ¥103.9K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-48.68%

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

$77.8 ¥520

$91.8 ₸41.5K

-15.28%

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

$14.58 ¥97.5

$10.66 ₸4,820

36.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.19 ¥81.5

$17.86 ₸8,072

-31.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$85.0 ¥569

$70.3 ₸31.8K

20.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.80 ¥199

$27.60 ₸12.5K

7.97%

Cinema Ticket

$5.85 ¥39.11

$6.78 ₸3,064

-13.72%

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

$297 ¥1,986

$449 ₸202.9K

-33.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K ¥69.4K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

-14.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.36 ¥203

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-66.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.31 ¥196

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-37.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.2 ¥476

$142 ₸64.1K

-49.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$304 ¥2,035

$133 ₸60.0K

129.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$317 ¥2,123

$805 ₸363.7K

-60.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$456 ¥3,052

$500 ₸225.9K

-8.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,349 ¥9,018

$1,429 ₸645.9K

-5.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$533 ¥3,561

$904 ₸408.8K

-41.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,192 ¥21.3K

$2,503 ₸1.1M

27.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,326 ¥8,865

$1,559 ₸704.7K

-14.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$584 ¥3,903

$870 ₸393.3K

-32.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.92

20.65

-81.02%

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

Last update for Harbin: October 13, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Harbin

$456 39.5%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 9.5% $43

Groceries & Markets

Harbin

$209 18.1%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 19.5% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Harbin

$196 17%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 5.5% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harbin

$105 9.1%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 15.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Harbin

$97 8.4%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 13.3% $13

Eating Out

Harbin

$78 6.7%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 164% $127

Getting Around

Harbin

$15 1.3%

Almaty

$28 2% 84.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $317 in Harbin 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 49% 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 $22.00 in Harbin versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $209 vs $250 – making Harbin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Harbin

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

10:34 10:34 AM

08:34 8:34 AM

2 h behind Harbin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,009,854

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 19, 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 19, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Harbin Almaty 3,890 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Harbin
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

Harbin vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,733 per month in Harbin 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 Harbin, 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 Harbin 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 $1,156 in Harbin and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 19%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Harbin, where all-in costs run around $1,156, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Harbin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Harbin – 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 Harbin. 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.