Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shantou and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Shantou: $692 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Shantou
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Shantou Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

Jump to prices

Shantou

🇨🇳 China

$692

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $692 per month in Shantou vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Shantou $692
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,104 per month in Shantou vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Shantou $1,104
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,516 per month in Shantou vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Shantou $1,516
Almaty $2,913

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ¥15.35

$13.16 ₸5,939

-82.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.70 ¥158

$44.86 ₸20.2K

-47.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 ¥34.59

$8.90 ₸4,015

-41.91%

Cappuccino

$3.38 ¥22.63

$3.25 ₸1,466

4.00%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$1.41 ₸638

-66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.05

$0.88 ₸398

-64.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 ¥5.92

$3.35 ₸1,510

-73.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 ¥14.28

$4.04 ₸1,824

-47.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ¥10.71

$1.69 ₸761

-5.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ¥9.73

$0.86 ₸390

68.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.18

$2.03 ₸916

-62.07%

Eggs

$1.69 ¥11.33

$2.43 ₸1,098

-30.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.63 ¥91.1

$12.46 ₸5,623

9.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.43 ¥22.91

$6.71 ₸3,028

-48.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.16 ¥88.0

$10.85 ₸4,896

21.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$1.80 ₸812

8.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 ¥10.05

$2.25 ₸1,017

-33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.14

$2.91 ₸1,312

-37.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ¥8.70

$2.75 ₸1,241

-52.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ¥5.49

$0.75 ₸337

9.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 ¥7.11

$0.55 ₸248

92.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.96

$1.62 ₸731

-63.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$1.05 ₸473

-59.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.71

$2.58 ₸1,165

43.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.00 ¥80.2

$11.15 ₸5,034

7.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.57

$1.21 ₸546

-31.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ¥11.98

$2.44 ₸1,102

-26.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 ¥2.41

$0.26 ₸117

38.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.27 ¥162

$22.03 ₸9,940

10.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.24

$1.35 ₸610

13.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.56

$0.64 ₸288

-40.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.31 ¥48.86

$11.16 ₸5,036

-34.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ¥8.25

$0.72 ₸323

70.83%

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

$19.8K ¥132.4K

$22.5K ₸10.2M

-12.11%

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

$18.0K ¥120.5K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-40.47%

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

$56.7 ¥379

$91.8 ₸41.4K

-38.29%

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

$8.89 ¥59.5

$10.66 ₸4,812

-16.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.86 ¥92.7

$17.86 ₸8,058

-22.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.7K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ¥50.5

$6.78 ₸3,059

11.21%

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

$540 ¥3,614

$449 ₸202.5K

20.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K ¥162.1K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

100.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 ¥372

$89.9 ₸40.6K

-38.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.70 ¥265

$47.02 ₸21.2K

-15.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥489

$142 ₸64.0K

-48.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 ¥611

$133 ₸59.9K

-31.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$298 ¥1,991

$805 ₸363.1K

-63.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$151 ¥1,011

$500 ₸225.5K

-69.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$602 ¥4,027

$1,429 ₸644.8K

-57.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ¥1,969

$904 ₸408.2K

-67.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,278 ¥15.2K

$2,503 ₸1.1M

-8.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,469 ¥29.9K

$1,559 ₸703.5K

186.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,062 ¥7,099

$870 ₸392.6K

22.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

20.65

-83.78%

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

Last update for Shantou: 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

Shantou

$214 31%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 16.8% $36

Accommodation & Living

Shantou

$151 21.8%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 231% $349

Clothing & Footwear

Shantou

$117 16.9%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 58.4% $68

Eating Out

Shantou

$86 12.5%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 138% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shantou

$79 11.5%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 51.5% $41

Getting Around

Shantou

$29 4.2%

Almaty

$28 2% 5.3% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Shantou

$15 * 2.2%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 456% $69

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $298 in Shantou 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 22% higher in Shantou, 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 $24.00 in Shantou versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $214 vs $250 – making Shantou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shantou

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

16:04 4:04 PM

14:04 2:04 PM

2 h behind Shantou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,389,328

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

Shantou Almaty 4,250 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Shantou
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

Shantou vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 98%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,038 per month in Shantou 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 Shantou, 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 $24.00 in Shantou 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 $692 in Shantou and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 98%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shantou, where all-in costs run around $692, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Shantou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shantou – 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 Shantou. 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.