Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jilin and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Jilin: $737 a month against $1,363 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Jilin
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Jilin Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Jilin

🇨🇳 China

$737

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,363

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $737 per month in Jilin vs $1,363 in Almaty, rent included.

Jilin $737
Almaty $1,363

A couple spends around $1,185 per month in Jilin vs $2,131 in Almaty, rent included.

Jilin $1,185
Almaty $2,131

A family of three spends $1,633 per month in Jilin vs $2,900 in Almaty, rent included.

Jilin $1,633
Almaty $2,900

Jilin is about 46% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Jilin sits 46% below the global median, while Almaty is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.96 ¥19.79

$13.05 ₸5,899

-77.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.66 ¥152

$43.44 ₸19.6K

-47.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.31 ¥35.51

$8.76 ₸3,962

-39.38%

Cappuccino

$3.46 ¥23.12

$3.32 ₸1,501

4.22%

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

$0.45 ¥2.98

$1.34 ₸607

-66.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ¥1.65

$0.83 ₸374

-69.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.15 ¥7.69

$3.36 ₸1,518

-65.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ¥15.12

$4.02 ₸1,818

-43.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 ¥11.67

$1.65 ₸747

6.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.92

$0.93 ₸421

75.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.24

$2.05 ₸927

-54.63%

Eggs

$1.68 ¥11.21

$2.46 ₸1,113

-31.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.07 ¥87.4

$12.49 ₸5,646

4.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ¥22.75

$6.71 ₸3,035

-49.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.15 ¥74.6

$10.85 ₸4,905

2.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ¥12.07

$1.78 ₸807

1.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.55

$2.25 ₸1,018

-43.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 ¥10.48

$2.87 ₸1,299

-45.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ¥8.42

$2.71 ₸1,227

-53.51%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.68

$0.80 ₸362

-12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 ¥6.44

$0.55 ₸249

74.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.21

$1.62 ₸732

-61.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.62

$1.00 ₸453

-46.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 ¥25.49

$2.58 ₸1,167

47.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.76 ¥78.6

$11.15 ₸5,039

5.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥5.92

$1.26 ₸572

-30.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 ¥10.84

$2.48 ₸1,120

-34.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.28 ₸128

3.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.27 ¥122

$22.05 ₸9,970

-17.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 ¥7.21

$1.34 ₸607

-19.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ¥1.59

$0.64 ₸288

-62.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.08 ¥47.35

$11.04 ₸4,993

-35.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.38

$0.72 ₸326

73.61%

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

$19.7K ¥131.7K

$28.1K ₸12.7M

-30.02%

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

$17.2K ¥114.9K

$31.8K ₸14.4M

-45.96%

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

$56.7 ¥379

$90.5 ₸40.9K

-37.40%

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

$8.74 ¥58.4

$10.63 ₸4,805

-17.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.28 ¥75.4

$18.12 ₸8,190

-37.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.47 ¥284

$69.0 ₸31.2K

-38.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.22 ¥102

$26.98 ₸12.2K

-43.59%

Cinema Ticket

$6.30 ¥42.12

$6.77 ₸3,062

-6.94%

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

$415 ¥2,774

$444 ₸200.6K

-6.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K ¥116.6K

$12.0K ₸5.4M

45.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.23 ¥289

$91.9 ₸41.5K

-52.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.09 ¥228

$47.80 ₸21.6K

-28.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.9 ¥494

$139 ₸63.0K

-46.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.2 ¥496

$131 ₸59.4K

-43.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$297 ¥1,989

$777 ₸351.2K

-61.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$181 ¥1,208

$494 ₸223.4K

-63.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$635 ¥4,248

$1,439 ₸650.4K

-55.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$377 ¥2,517

$905 ₸409.2K

-58.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,419 ¥22.9K

$2,470 ₸1.1M

38.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,956 ¥13.1K

$1,517 ₸685.7K

28.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$451 ¥3,018

$857 ₸387.2K

-47.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

20.65

-83.73%

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

Last update for Jilin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Jilin

$207 28.2%

Almaty

$251 18.4% 20.8% $43

Accommodation & Living

Jilin

$181 24.5%

Almaty

$494 36.3% 174% $313

Clothing & Footwear

Jilin

$101 13.8%

Almaty

$185 13.6% 82% $83

Eating Out

Jilin

$94 12.8%

Almaty

$204 15% 117% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jilin

$77 10.4%

Almaty

$119 8.8% 55.5% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Jilin

$55 7.5%

Almaty

$83 6.1% 49.9% $27

Getting Around

Jilin

$22 2.9%

Almaty

$28 2% 27.8% $6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $297 in Jilin versus $777 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 90% 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 $23.00 in Jilin versus $43.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $207 vs $251 – making Jilin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Jilin

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

07:46 7:46 AM

05:46 5:46 AM

2 h behind Jilin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,623,713

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 →

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Between locations

Jilin Almaty 3,940 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Jilin
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

Jilin vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 85%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,106 per month in Jilin and $2,044 in Almaty. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jilin, 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 $23.00 in Jilin 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 $737 in Jilin and $1,363 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 85%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Jilin, where all-in costs run around $737, than in Almaty at $1,363. In Jilin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Jilin – 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 Jilin. 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.