Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ningbo and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Ningbo: $682 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Ningbo
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Ningbo Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Ningbo

🇨🇳 China

$682

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $682 per month in Ningbo vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Ningbo $682
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,177 per month in Ningbo vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Ningbo $1,177
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,672 per month in Ningbo vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Ningbo $1,672
Almaty $2,913

Ningbo is about 50% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ningbo sits 49% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.91 ¥19.46

$13.16 ₸5,949

-77.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.60 ¥198

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-34.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.58 ¥30.62

$8.90 ₸4,022

-48.54%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.93

$3.25 ₸1,469

5.54%

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

$0.47 ¥3.16

$1.41 ₸639

-66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.88 ₸399

-67.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.04 ¥6.93

$3.35 ₸1,513

-68.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 ¥23.04

$4.04 ₸1,827

-14.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 ¥11.88

$1.69 ₸762

5.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 ¥7.78

$0.86 ₸390

34.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.86

$2.03 ₸917

-64.04%

Eggs

$1.62 ¥10.86

$2.43 ₸1,100

-33.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.79 ¥98.9

$12.46 ₸5,632

18.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.81 ¥25.45

$6.71 ₸3,033

-43.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.83 ¥59.1

$10.85 ₸4,905

-18.62%

Apples (1kg)

$1.07 ¥7.18

$1.80 ₸813

-40.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.16

$2.25 ₸1,018

-32.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 ¥10.06

$2.91 ₸1,314

-48.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.18 ¥7.88

$2.75 ₸1,243

-57.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.63 ¥4.21

$0.75 ₸337

-16.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.75 ¥4.99

$0.55 ₸248

36.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 ¥4.27

$1.62 ₸732

-60.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.59

$1.05 ₸474

-48.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.39 ¥29.33

$2.58 ₸1,167

70.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.00 ¥53.5

$11.15 ₸5,042

-28.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥5.04

$1.21 ₸547

-38.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 ¥9.51

$2.44 ₸1,104

-41.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.26 ₸117

11.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.16 ¥108

$22.03 ₸9,957

-26.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.76 ¥11.78

$1.35 ₸611

30.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$0.64 ₸288

-42.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.37 ¥49.29

$11.16 ₸5,044

-33.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ¥8.54

$0.72 ₸324

77.78%

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

$19.6K ¥131.4K

$22.5K ₸10.2M

-12.76%

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

$17.7K ¥118.0K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-41.68%

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

$51.9 ¥347

$91.8 ₸41.5K

-43.46%

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

$6.85 ¥45.78

$10.66 ₸4,820

-35.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.93 ¥53.0

$17.86 ₸8,072

-55.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.07 ¥168

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-64.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.69 ¥98.2

$27.60 ₸12.5K

-46.78%

Cinema Ticket

$7.71 ¥51.6

$6.78 ₸3,064

13.72%

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

$929 ¥6,209

$449 ₸202.9K

106.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K ¥105.8K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

30.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.5 ¥418

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-30.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.09 ¥181

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-42.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.0 ¥414

$142 ₸64.1K

-56.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.4 ¥350

$133 ₸60.0K

-60.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$358 ¥2,392

$805 ₸363.7K

-55.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$179 ¥1,198

$500 ₸225.9K

-64.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$772 ¥5,162

$1,429 ₸645.9K

-45.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 ¥3,223

$904 ₸408.8K

-46.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,861 ¥25.8K

$2,503 ₸1.1M

54.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,097 ¥14.0K

$1,559 ₸704.7K

34.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,180 ¥7,892

$870 ₸393.3K

35.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

20.65

-84.60%

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

Last update for Ningbo: 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

Ningbo

$190 27.9%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 31.7% $60

Accommodation & Living

Ningbo

$179 26.3%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 179% $321

Eating Out

Ningbo

$93 13.7%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 120% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Ningbo

$92 13.5%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 102% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ningbo

$67 9.8%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 80.5% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Ningbo

$41 5.9%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 107% $43

Getting Around

Ningbo

$21 3.1%

Almaty

$28 2% 31.9% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $358 in Ningbo 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 36% higher in Ningbo, 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 $30.00 in Ningbo versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $250 – making Ningbo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Ningbo

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

16:12 4:12 PM

14:12 2:12 PM

2 h behind Ningbo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,605,689

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

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Between locations

Ningbo Almaty 4,200 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ningbo
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

Ningbo vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 101%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,024 per month in Ningbo 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 Ningbo, 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 $30.00 in Ningbo 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 $682 in Ningbo and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 101%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ningbo, where all-in costs run around $682, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Ningbo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ningbo – 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 Ningbo. 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.