Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenyang and Aktobe

For one person, living is cheaper in Shenyang: $718 a month against $881 in Aktobe, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. The total is higher in Aktobe despite lower rent and utilities.

35

Cost of Living Index in Shenyang
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Shenyang Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Aktobe
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Aktobe Living Index

Jump to prices

Shenyang

🇨🇳 China

$718

/mo nomad

Aktobe

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$881

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenyang and in Aktobe

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Shenyang and in Aktobe actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $718 per month in Shenyang vs $881 in Aktobe, rent included.

Shenyang $718
Aktobe $881

A couple spends around $1,071 per month in Shenyang vs $1,386 in Aktobe, rent included.

Shenyang $1,071
Aktobe $1,386

A family of three spends $1,424 per month in Shenyang vs $1,891 in Aktobe, rent included.

Shenyang $1,424
Aktobe $1,891

Shenyang is about 19% cheaper than Aktobe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Shenyang and Aktobe are more affordable than the global median – Shenyang 47% lower, Aktobe 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.00 ¥20.04

$8.74 ₸3,951

-65.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.24 ¥148

$40.63 ₸18.4K

-45.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.08 ¥33.93

$7.01 ₸3,170

-27.53%

Cappuccino

$2.46 ¥16.43

$2.47 ₸1,115

-0.40%

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

$0.47 ¥3.16

$1.26 ₸567

-62.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 ¥2.54

$0.61 ₸275

-37.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.87 ¥5.79

$1.84 ₸831

-52.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ¥12.15

$2.95 ₸1,335

-38.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 ¥12.65

$1.42 ₸641

33.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ¥16.43

$0.41 ₸184

500.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.18

$0.93 ₸421

16.13%

Eggs

$1.03 ¥6.87

$1.77 ₸799

-41.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.82 ₸3,535

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.68 ₸2,569

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 ¥80.0

$9.10 ₸4,115

31.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 ¥11.89

$1.62 ₸733

9.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 ¥7.93

$2.13 ₸964

-44.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₸1,058

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.21

$1.94 ₸878

-21.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 ₸378

Onion (1kg)

$0.40 ₸181

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ¥4.07

$1.09 ₸494

-44.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 ¥4.27

$0.69 ₸312

-7.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.14

$2.53 ₸1,142

49.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.53 ¥110

$5.95 ₸2,689

177.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ¥4.40

$1.08 ₸489

-38.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 ¥7.26

$1.81 ₸818

-39.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ¥2.57

$0.20 ₸90.8

90.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.91 ¥86.2

$17.62 ₸7,966

-26.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ¥9.03

$1.08 ₸487

25.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$1.13 ₸511

-72.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 ¥19.76

$5.53 ₸2,499

-46.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ¥8.64

$0.65 ₸294

98.46%

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

$19.1K ¥127.5K

$23.1K ₸10.4M

-17.35%

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

$18.3K ¥122.3K

$30.6K ₸13.8M

-40.19%

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

$75.4 ¥503

$55.8 ₸25.2K

35.21%

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

$15.87 ¥106

$10.35 ₸4,680

53.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.87 ¥99.3

$20.93 ₸9,463

-28.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.27 ¥149

$48.08 ₸21.7K

-53.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.79 ¥72.0

$12.14 ₸5,490

-11.12%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 ¥40.69

$5.44 ₸2,458

11.95%

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

$539 ¥3,601

$220 ₸99.6K

144.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K ¥141.9K

$3,286 ₸1.5M

546.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.49 ¥284

$54.4 ₸24.6K

-21.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₸25.2K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.5 ¥397

$118 ₸53.3K

-49.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.5 ¥464

$100 ₸45.3K

-30.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$277 ¥1,847

$307 ₸138.8K

-9.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$242 ¥1,617

$233 ₸105.5K

3.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$558 ¥3,729

$453 ₸204.8K

23.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 ¥2,621

$359 ₸162.3K

9.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,272 ¥15.2K

$846 ₸382.4K

168.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,308 ¥8,732

$546 ₸247.0K

139.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,115 ¥7,444

$548 ₸247.8K

103.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.37

-74.29%

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

Last update for Shenyang: October 12, 2026

Last update for Aktobe: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenyang

$242 33.7%

Aktobe

$234 26.5% 3.6% $8.6

Groceries & Markets

Shenyang

$160 * 22.3%

Aktobe

$185 21% 15.5% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenyang

$106 14.8%

Aktobe

$87 9.9% 18% $19

Eating Out

Shenyang

$80 11.2%

Aktobe

$143 16.3% 78.5% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Shenyang

$77 * 10.8%

Aktobe

$148 16.8% 91.4% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Shenyang

$34 4.8%

Aktobe

$59 6.7% 71.1% $25

Getting Around

Shenyang

$17 2.4%

Aktobe

$25 2.9% 44.8% $7.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $277 in Shenyang versus $307 in Aktobe. 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 103% higher in Shenyang, 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 $22.00 in Shenyang versus $41.00 in Aktobe. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $160 vs $185 – making Shenyang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenyang

🇰🇿 Aktobe

🕒 Local time

16:26 4:26 PM

13:26 1:26 PM

3 h behind Shenyang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,199,601

570,452

💱 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Shenyang Aktobe 5,020 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Shenyang
Aktobe

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

Shenyang vs Aktobe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Aktobe is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,076 per month in Shenyang and $1,321 in Aktobe. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shenyang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Aktobe, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Shenyang and $41.00 in Aktobe. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $718 in Shenyang and $881 in Aktobe, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Shenyang – 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 Shenyang. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Aktobe makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.