Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quanzhou and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Quanzhou: $815 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Quanzhou
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Quanzhou Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Quanzhou

🇨🇳 China

$815

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $815 per month in Quanzhou vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Quanzhou $815
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,204 per month in Quanzhou vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Quanzhou $1,204
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,593 per month in Quanzhou vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Quanzhou $1,593
Almaty $2,913

Quanzhou is about 41% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Quanzhou sits 40% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.20 ¥14.70

$13.16 ₸5,939

-83.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.02 ¥201

$44.86 ₸20.2K

-33.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.48 ¥43.35

$8.90 ₸4,015

-27.19%

Cappuccino

$3.26 ¥21.82

$3.25 ₸1,466

0.31%

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

$0.96 ¥6.40

$1.41 ₸638

-31.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$0.88 ₸398

-69.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.95 ¥19.70

$3.35 ₸1,510

-11.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ¥11.72

$4.04 ₸1,824

-56.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 ¥9.72

$1.69 ₸761

-14.20%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ¥5.74

$0.86 ₸390

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.23

$2.03 ₸916

-54.19%

Eggs

$1.53 ¥10.27

$2.43 ₸1,098

-37.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.68 ¥51.4

$12.46 ₸5,623

-38.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.30 ¥15.36

$6.71 ₸3,028

-65.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.12 ¥34.25

$10.85 ₸4,896

-52.81%

Apples (1kg)

$1.46 ¥9.74

$1.80 ₸812

-18.89%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.62

$2.25 ₸1,017

-56.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.80

$2.91 ₸1,312

-75.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.21

$2.75 ₸1,241

-60.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.46 ¥3.11

$0.75 ₸337

-38.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 ¥7.00

$0.55 ₸248

90.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.16 ¥1.09

$1.62 ₸731

-90.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ¥3.18

$1.05 ₸473

-54.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.15 ¥21.08

$2.58 ₸1,165

22.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ¥51.3

$11.15 ₸5,034

-31.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥5.92

$1.21 ₸546

-27.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 ¥9.20

$2.44 ₸1,102

-43.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$0.26 ₸117

19.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.44 ¥157

$22.03 ₸9,940

6.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 ¥8.18

$1.35 ₸610

-9.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.34

$0.64 ₸288

-45.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.01 ¥60.3

$11.16 ₸5,036

-19.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.36

$0.72 ₸323

73.61%

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

$17.6K ¥117.6K

$22.5K ₸10.2M

-21.89%

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

$15.7K ¥104.9K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-48.16%

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

$52.8 ¥353

$91.8 ₸41.4K

-42.53%

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

$7.95 ¥53.2

$10.66 ₸4,812

-25.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.15 ¥81.3

$17.86 ₸8,058

-31.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.4 ¥364

$70.3 ₸31.7K

-22.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.63 ¥125

$27.60 ₸12.5K

-32.50%

Cinema Ticket

$5.83 ¥38.96

$6.78 ₸3,059

-14.01%

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

$514 ¥3,438

$449 ₸202.5K

14.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ¥79.0K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

-2.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.64 ¥138

$89.9 ₸40.6K

-77.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.07 ¥228

$47.02 ₸21.2K

-27.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 ¥620

$142 ₸64.0K

-34.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 ¥646

$133 ₸59.9K

-27.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$277 ¥1,851

$805 ₸363.1K

-65.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$303 ¥2,027

$500 ₸225.5K

-39.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ¥3,362

$1,429 ₸644.8K

-64.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$410 ¥2,743

$904 ₸408.2K

-54.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,004 ¥20.1K

$2,503 ₸1.1M

20.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,008 ¥13.4K

$1,559 ₸703.5K

28.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$829 ¥5,545

$870 ₸392.6K

-4.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.15

20.65

-84.75%

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

Last update for Quanzhou: October 11, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quanzhou

$303 37.2%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 64.9% $197

Groceries & Markets

Quanzhou

$137 16.8%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 83.1% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Quanzhou

$110 13.5%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 68.7% $75

Eating Out

Quanzhou

$99 12.2%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 106% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quanzhou

$73 8.9%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 65.1% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Quanzhou

$66 8.1%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 27% $18

Getting Around

Quanzhou

$28 3.4%

Almaty

$28 2% 0.2% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $277 in Quanzhou 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 5% 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 $30.00 in Quanzhou versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $137 vs $250 – making Quanzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Quanzhou

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

16:52 4:52 PM

14:52 2:52 PM

2 h behind Quanzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,128,530

1,475,400

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 451 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Quanzhou Almaty 4,290 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Quanzhou
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

Quanzhou vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 68%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,223 per month in Quanzhou 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 Quanzhou, 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 Quanzhou 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 $815 in Quanzhou and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 68%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Quanzhou, where all-in costs run around $815, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Quanzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Quanzhou – 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 Quanzhou. 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.