Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Qinhuangdao and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Qinhuangdao: $714 a month against $1,363 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Qinhuangdao
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Qinhuangdao Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Qinhuangdao

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,363

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $714 per month in Qinhuangdao vs $1,363 in Almaty, rent included.

Qinhuangdao $714
Almaty $1,363

A couple spends around $1,135 per month in Qinhuangdao vs $2,131 in Almaty, rent included.

Qinhuangdao $1,135
Almaty $2,131

A family of three spends $1,556 per month in Qinhuangdao vs $2,900 in Almaty, rent included.

Qinhuangdao $1,556
Almaty $2,900

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

Qinhuangdao sits 47% below the global median, while Almaty is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.76 ¥18.44

$13.05 ₸5,899

-78.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.79 ¥146

$43.44 ₸19.6K

-49.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.88 ¥32.64

$8.76 ₸3,962

-44.29%

Cappuccino

$3.04 ¥20.33

$3.32 ₸1,501

-8.43%

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

$0.47 ¥3.13

$1.34 ₸607

-64.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.79

$0.83 ₸374

-67.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.92 ¥6.18

$3.36 ₸1,518

-72.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 ¥14.24

$4.02 ₸1,818

-47.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.37

$1.65 ₸747

12.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 ¥10.38

$0.93 ₸421

66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.94

$2.05 ₸927

-56.59%

Eggs

$1.53 ¥10.25

$2.46 ₸1,113

-37.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.05 ¥87.3

$12.49 ₸5,646

4.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.11 ¥20.80

$6.71 ₸3,035

-53.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.33 ¥69.1

$10.85 ₸4,905

-4.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ¥12.52

$1.78 ₸807

5.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.36

$2.25 ₸1,018

-44.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.82

$2.87 ₸1,299

-48.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 ¥7.66

$2.71 ₸1,227

-57.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.90

$0.80 ₸362

-8.75%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.36

$0.55 ₸249

72.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥4.01

$1.62 ₸732

-62.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ¥3.42

$1.00 ₸453

-49.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 ¥20.41

$2.58 ₸1,167

18.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.69 ¥71.5

$11.15 ₸5,039

-4.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥5.28

$1.26 ₸572

-37.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥10.94

$2.48 ₸1,120

-33.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 ¥1.79

$0.28 ₸128

-3.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.97 ¥113

$22.05 ₸9,970

-23.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ¥9.52

$1.34 ₸607

5.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$0.64 ₸288

-48.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.62 ¥44.23

$11.04 ₸4,993

-40.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 ¥7.61

$0.72 ₸326

58.33%

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

$19.2K ¥128.4K

$28.1K ₸12.7M

-31.76%

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

$17.1K ¥114.3K

$31.8K ₸14.4M

-46.24%

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

$44.64 ¥298

$90.5 ₸40.9K

-50.68%

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

$9.87 ¥66.0

$10.63 ₸4,805

-7.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.90 ¥79.5

$18.12 ₸8,190

-34.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.14 ¥282

$69.0 ₸31.2K

-38.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.09 ¥94.2

$26.98 ₸12.2K

-47.78%

Cinema Ticket

$5.79 ¥38.72

$6.77 ₸3,062

-14.48%

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

$337 ¥2,254

$444 ₸200.6K

-24.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K ¥114.7K

$12.0K ₸5.4M

43.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.18 ¥295

$91.9 ₸41.5K

-51.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.35 ¥203

$47.80 ₸21.6K

-36.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.8 ¥480

$139 ₸63.0K

-48.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.6 ¥472

$131 ₸59.4K

-46.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$276 ¥1,843

$777 ₸351.2K

-64.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$191 ¥1,277

$494 ₸223.4K

-61.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$601 ¥4,016

$1,439 ₸650.4K

-58.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 ¥2,423

$905 ₸409.2K

-59.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,063 ¥20.5K

$2,470 ₸1.1M

24.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 ¥13.8K

$1,517 ₸685.7K

36.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$857 ₸387.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

20.65

-81.16%

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

Last update for Qinhuangdao: October 18, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Qinhuangdao

$199 27.9%

Almaty

$251 18.4% 25.8% $51

Accommodation & Living

Qinhuangdao

$191 26.8%

Almaty

$494 36.3% 159% $303

Clothing & Footwear

Qinhuangdao

$98 13.7%

Almaty

$185 13.6% 89.1% $87

Eating Out

Qinhuangdao

$85 11.9%

Almaty

$204 15% 140% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Qinhuangdao

$66 9.3%

Almaty

$119 8.8% 79.6% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Qinhuangdao

$54 7.5%

Almaty

$83 6.1% 53.6% $29

Getting Around

Qinhuangdao

$21 3%

Almaty

$28 2% 31.3% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $276 in Qinhuangdao 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Qinhuangdao versus $43.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $199 vs $251 – making Qinhuangdao the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Qinhuangdao

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

16:06 4:06 PM

14:06 2:06 PM

2 h behind Qinhuangdao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,987,605

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 25, 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 25, 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

Qinhuangdao Almaty 3,530 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Qinhuangdao
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

Qinhuangdao 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 $1,071 per month in Qinhuangdao 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 Qinhuangdao, 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 Qinhuangdao 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 $714 in Qinhuangdao and $1,363 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 91%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Qinhuangdao, where all-in costs run around $714, than in Almaty at $1,363. In Qinhuangdao it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Qinhuangdao – 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 Qinhuangdao. 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.