Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mudanjiang and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Mudanjiang: $758 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Mudanjiang
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Mudanjiang Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Mudanjiang

🇨🇳 China

$758

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $758 per month in Mudanjiang vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Mudanjiang $758
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,192 per month in Mudanjiang vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Mudanjiang $1,192
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,627 per month in Mudanjiang vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Mudanjiang $1,627
Almaty $2,913

Mudanjiang is about 45% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mudanjiang sits 44% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.00 ¥20.09

$13.16 ₸5,949

-77.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.67 ¥91.4

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-69.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.08 ¥40.67

$8.90 ₸4,022

-31.69%

Cappuccino

$2.69 ¥18.00

$3.25 ₸1,469

-17.23%

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

$0.43 ¥2.87

$1.41 ₸639

-69.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ¥2.25

$0.88 ₸399

-61.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.04 ¥6.98

$3.35 ₸1,513

-68.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ¥13.70

$4.04 ₸1,827

-49.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.29

$1.69 ₸762

8.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 ¥10.62

$0.86 ₸390

84.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.18

$2.03 ₸917

-54.68%

Eggs

$1.62 ¥10.82

$2.43 ₸1,100

-33.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 ¥78.7

$12.46 ₸5,632

-5.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ¥22.78

$6.71 ₸3,033

-49.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.24 ¥75.2

$10.85 ₸4,905

3.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ¥12.69

$1.80 ₸813

5.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.56

$2.25 ₸1,018

-43.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 ¥10.01

$2.91 ₸1,314

-48.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.40 ¥9.33

$2.75 ₸1,243

-49.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.87

$0.75 ₸337

-2.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.31

$0.55 ₸248

70.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥4.00

$1.62 ₸732

-62.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.93

$1.05 ₸474

-43.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.53 ¥23.61

$2.58 ₸1,167

36.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.48 ¥76.8

$11.15 ₸5,042

2.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥5.85

$1.21 ₸547

-27.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 ¥9.84

$2.44 ₸1,104

-39.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.26 ₸117

11.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.98 ¥127

$22.03 ₸9,957

-13.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ¥9.49

$1.35 ₸611

5.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.32

$0.64 ₸288

-45.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.34 ¥42.40

$11.16 ₸5,044

-43.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ¥9.68

$0.72 ₸324

101.39%

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

$20.0K ¥133.6K

$22.5K ₸10.2M

-11.30%

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

$16.1K ¥107.7K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-46.78%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$91.8 ₸41.5K

-37.02%

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

$9.32 ¥62.3

$10.66 ₸4,820

-12.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.00 ¥73.5

$17.86 ₸8,072

-38.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.45 ¥270

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-42.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.75 ¥98.6

$27.60 ₸12.5K

-46.56%

Cinema Ticket

$6.26 ¥41.83

$6.78 ₸3,064

-7.67%

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

$375 ¥2,510

$449 ₸202.9K

-16.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K ¥115.7K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

42.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.02 ¥281

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-53.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.37 ¥257

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-18.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.1 ¥522

$142 ₸64.1K

-44.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.0 ¥548

$133 ₸60.0K

-38.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$310 ¥2,076

$805 ₸363.7K

-61.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$204 ¥1,364

$500 ₸225.9K

-59.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$686 ¥4,589

$1,429 ₸645.9K

-51.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$421 ¥2,815

$904 ₸408.8K

-53.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,884 ¥26.0K

$2,503 ₸1.1M

55.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,996 ¥13.3K

$1,559 ₸704.7K

28.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

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 Mudanjiang: October 12, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mudanjiang

$204 27%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 22.4% $46

Accommodation & Living

Mudanjiang

$204 26.9%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 145% $296

Clothing & Footwear

Mudanjiang

$108 14.3%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 71.1% $77

Eating Out

Mudanjiang

$87 11.5%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 136% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mudanjiang

$78 10.3%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 54% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Mudanjiang

$53 7%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 58.4% $31

Getting Around

Mudanjiang

$23 3.1%

Almaty

$28 2% 18.6% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $310 in Mudanjiang 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 $14.00 in Mudanjiang versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $204 vs $250 – making Mudanjiang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Mudanjiang

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

11:58 11:58 AM

09:58 9:58 AM

2 h behind Mudanjiang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

965,154

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 →

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Mudanjiang Almaty 4,150 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Mudanjiang
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

Mudanjiang vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 81%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,137 per month in Mudanjiang 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 Mudanjiang, 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 $14.00 in Mudanjiang 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 $758 in Mudanjiang and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 81%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mudanjiang, where all-in costs run around $758, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Mudanjiang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mudanjiang – 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 Mudanjiang. 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.