Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lanzhou and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Lanzhou: $719 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Lanzhou
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Lanzhou Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Lanzhou

🇨🇳 China

$719

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $719 per month in Lanzhou vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Lanzhou $719
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,143 per month in Lanzhou vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Lanzhou $1,143
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,567 per month in Lanzhou vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Lanzhou $1,567
Almaty $2,913

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.06 ¥13.80

$13.16 ₸5,949

-84.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.34 ¥189

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-36.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.86 ¥39.15

$8.90 ₸4,022

-34.16%

Cappuccino

$3.12 ¥20.89

$3.25 ₸1,469

-4.00%

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

$0.48 ¥3.19

$1.41 ₸639

-65.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.88 ₸399

-67.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.10 ¥7.35

$3.35 ₸1,513

-67.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$4.04 ₸1,827

-50.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 ¥11.81

$1.69 ₸762

4.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 ¥10.75

$0.86 ₸390

87.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 ¥6.40

$2.03 ₸917

-52.71%

Eggs

$1.60 ¥10.72

$2.43 ₸1,100

-34.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.22 ¥88.4

$12.46 ₸5,632

6.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.43 ¥22.92

$6.71 ₸3,033

-48.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.11 ¥81.0

$10.85 ₸4,905

11.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.09

$1.80 ₸813

0.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.56

$2.25 ₸1,018

-43.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.97

$2.91 ₸1,314

-48.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.24 ¥8.32

$2.75 ₸1,243

-54.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.70

$0.75 ₸337

-6.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$0.55 ₸248

69.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$1.62 ₸732

-62.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.70

$1.05 ₸474

-47.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.19

$2.58 ₸1,167

46.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.52 ¥77.0

$11.15 ₸5,042

3.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.52

$1.21 ₸547

-31.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ¥10.25

$2.44 ₸1,104

-37.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.26 ₸117

11.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.07 ¥121

$22.03 ₸9,957

-17.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 ¥9.91

$1.35 ₸611

9.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 ¥2.17

$0.64 ₸288

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.12 ¥47.58

$11.16 ₸5,044

-36.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥9.73

$0.72 ₸324

102.78%

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

$17.5K ¥117.2K

$22.5K ₸10.2M

-22.15%

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

$15.0K ¥100.4K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-50.42%

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

$58.0 ¥388

$91.8 ₸41.5K

-36.82%

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

$8.79 ¥58.8

$10.66 ₸4,820

-17.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.18 ¥74.8

$17.86 ₸8,072

-37.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.33 ¥283

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-39.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.69 ¥98.2

$27.60 ₸12.5K

-46.78%

Cinema Ticket

$6.29 ¥42.06

$6.78 ₸3,064

-7.23%

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

$412 ¥2,756

$449 ₸202.9K

-8.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K ¥117.6K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

45.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.85 ¥287

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-52.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.44 ¥224

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-28.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.6 ¥505

$142 ₸64.1K

-46.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.1 ¥495

$133 ₸60.0K

-44.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$295 ¥1,971

$805 ₸363.7K

-63.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 ¥1,126

$500 ₸225.9K

-66.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 ¥4,186

$1,429 ₸645.9K

-56.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ¥1,986

$904 ₸408.8K

-67.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,671 ¥17.9K

$2,503 ₸1.1M

6.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,611 ¥10.8K

$1,559 ₸704.7K

3.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$953 ¥6,375

$870 ₸393.3K

9.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

-85.47%

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

Last update for Lanzhou: October 13, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Lanzhou

$209 29.1%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 19.6% $41

Accommodation & Living

Lanzhou

$168 23.4%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 197% $331

Clothing & Footwear

Lanzhou

$102 14.2%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 82.1% $84

Eating Out

Lanzhou

$84 11.7%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 144% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lanzhou

$78 10.9%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 54.3% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Lanzhou

$55 7.6%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 52.8% $29

Getting Around

Lanzhou

$22 3.1%

Almaty

$28 2% 23.7% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $295 in Lanzhou 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 10% higher in Lanzhou, 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 $28.00 in Lanzhou versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $209 vs $250 – making Lanzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Lanzhou

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

17:05 5:05 PM

15:05 3:05 PM

2 h behind Lanzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,688,400

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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Highest

Between locations

Lanzhou Almaty 2,420 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lanzhou
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

Lanzhou vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 91%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,078 per month in Lanzhou 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 Lanzhou, 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 $28.00 in Lanzhou 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 $719 in Lanzhou and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 91%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Lanzhou, where all-in costs run around $719, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Lanzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lanzhou – 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 Lanzhou. 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.