Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shaoxing and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Shaoxing: $750 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Shaoxing
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Shaoxing Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
Learn more

Almaty Living Index

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Shaoxing

🇨🇳 China

$750

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $750 per month in Shaoxing vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Shaoxing $750
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,202 per month in Shaoxing vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Shaoxing $1,202
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,655 per month in Shaoxing vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Shaoxing $1,655
Almaty $2,913

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.64 ¥24.31

$13.16 ₸5,949

-72.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.73 ¥152

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-49.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.38 ¥35.97

$8.90 ₸4,022

-39.55%

Cappuccino

$2.56 ¥17.11

$3.25 ₸1,469

-21.23%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$1.41 ₸639

-59.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.38

$0.88 ₸399

-59.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.10 ¥7.35

$3.35 ₸1,513

-67.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 ¥14.62

$4.04 ₸1,827

-45.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 ¥11.84

$1.69 ₸762

4.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 ¥13.55

$0.86 ₸390

136.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.79 ¥5.26

$2.03 ₸917

-61.08%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$2.43 ₸1,100

-31.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.66 ¥78.0

$12.46 ₸5,632

-6.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥21.66

$6.71 ₸3,033

-51.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.25 ¥68.6

$10.85 ₸4,905

-5.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.72 ¥11.52

$1.80 ₸813

-4.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ¥11.06

$2.25 ₸1,018

-26.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 ¥10.97

$2.91 ₸1,314

-43.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.05 ¥7.02

$2.75 ₸1,243

-61.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ¥5.45

$0.75 ₸337

9.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.95

$0.55 ₸248

61.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.62 ₸732

-62.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$1.05 ₸474

-42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.39 ¥22.67

$2.58 ₸1,167

31.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.42 ¥69.7

$11.15 ₸5,042

-6.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥4.98

$1.21 ₸547

-38.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.67

$2.44 ₸1,104

-34.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 ¥1.40

$0.26 ₸117

-19.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.93 ¥133

$22.03 ₸9,957

-9.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ¥12.68

$1.35 ₸611

40.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.64 ₸288

-32.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.87 ¥59.3

$11.16 ₸5,044

-20.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥9.01

$0.72 ₸324

87.50%

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

$19.5K ¥130.1K

$22.5K ₸10.2M

-13.58%

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

$18.9K ¥126.3K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-37.59%

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

$46.75 ¥313

$91.8 ₸41.5K

-49.08%

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

$7.90 ¥52.8

$10.66 ₸4,820

-25.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.08 ¥60.7

$17.86 ₸8,072

-49.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.75 ¥105

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-77.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.91 ¥46.21

$27.60 ₸12.5K

-74.96%

Cinema Ticket

$6.87 ¥45.92

$6.78 ₸3,064

1.33%

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

$834 ¥5,574

$449 ₸202.9K

85.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K ¥165.6K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

104.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.20 ¥262

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-56.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.88 ¥206

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-34.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.5 ¥511

$142 ₸64.1K

-46.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 ¥721

$133 ₸60.0K

-18.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$428 ¥2,861

$805 ₸363.7K

-46.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$226 ¥1,512

$500 ₸225.9K

-54.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$609 ¥4,069

$1,429 ₸645.9K

-57.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$456 ¥3,047

$904 ₸408.8K

-49.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,275 ¥42.0K

$2,503 ₸1.1M

150.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,564 ¥23.8K

$1,559 ₸704.7K

128.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$898 ¥6,005

$870 ₸393.3K

3.22%

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 Shaoxing: October 13, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shaoxing

$226 30.2%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 121% $274

Groceries & Markets

Shaoxing

$202 26.9%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 24.1% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Shaoxing

$114 15.3%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 61.8% $71

Eating Out

Shaoxing

$90 11.9%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 129% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shaoxing

$64 8.5%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 88.8% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Shaoxing

$29 3.9%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 185% $54

Getting Around

Shaoxing

$25 3.3%

Almaty

$28 2% 11.2% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $428 in Shaoxing 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 3% higher in Shaoxing, 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 $23.00 in Shaoxing versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $202 vs $250 – making Shaoxing the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shaoxing

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

13:37 1:37 PM

11:37 11:37 AM

2 h behind Shaoxing

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912,239

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

Shaoxing Almaty 4,110 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Shaoxing
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

Shaoxing vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 83%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,125 per month in Shaoxing 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 Shaoxing, 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 $23.00 in Shaoxing 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 $750 in Shaoxing and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 83%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shaoxing, where all-in costs run around $750, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Shaoxing it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shaoxing – 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 Shaoxing. 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.