Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenyang and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Shenyang: $718 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Shenyang
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Shenyang Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Shenyang

🇨🇳 China

$718

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $718 per month in Shenyang vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Shenyang $718
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,071 per month in Shenyang vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Shenyang $1,071
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,424 per month in Shenyang vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Shenyang $1,424
Almaty $2,913

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

Shenyang sits 47% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.00 ¥20.07

$13.16 ₸5,949

-77.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.24 ¥149

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-50.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.08 ¥33.98

$8.90 ₸4,022

-42.92%

Cappuccino

$2.46 ¥16.45

$3.25 ₸1,469

-24.31%

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

$0.47 ¥3.17

$1.41 ₸639

-66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 ¥2.54

$0.88 ₸399

-56.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.87 ¥5.79

$3.35 ₸1,513

-74.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ¥12.16

$4.04 ₸1,827

-54.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 ¥12.67

$1.69 ₸762

11.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ¥16.46

$0.86 ₸390

186.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.19

$2.03 ₸917

-46.80%

Eggs

$1.03 ¥6.88

$2.43 ₸1,100

-57.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 ¥80.2

$10.85 ₸4,905

10.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 ¥11.91

$1.80 ₸813

-1.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 ¥7.94

$2.25 ₸1,018

-47.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.23

$2.75 ₸1,243

-44.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ¥4.08

$1.62 ₸732

-62.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 ¥4.27

$1.05 ₸474

-39.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.17

$2.58 ₸1,167

46.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.53 ¥111

$11.15 ₸5,042

48.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ¥4.40

$1.21 ₸547

-45.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 ¥7.27

$2.44 ₸1,104

-55.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ¥2.57

$0.26 ₸117

46.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.91 ¥86.3

$22.03 ₸9,957

-41.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ¥9.04

$1.35 ₸611

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.64 ₸288

-51.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 ¥19.78

$11.16 ₸5,044

-73.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ¥8.65

$0.72 ₸324

79.17%

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

$19.1K ¥127.7K

$22.5K ₸10.2M

-15.22%

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

$18.3K ¥122.5K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-39.49%

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

$75.4 ¥504

$91.8 ₸41.5K

-17.90%

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

$15.87 ¥106

$10.66 ₸4,820

48.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.87 ¥99.4

$17.86 ₸8,072

-16.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.27 ¥149

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-68.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.79 ¥72.1

$27.60 ₸12.5K

-60.91%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 ¥40.75

$6.78 ₸3,064

-10.18%

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

$539 ¥3,606

$449 ₸202.9K

20.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K ¥142.1K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

75.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.49 ¥284

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-52.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.5 ¥398

$142 ₸64.1K

-58.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.5 ¥465

$133 ₸60.0K

-47.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$277 ¥1,850

$805 ₸363.7K

-65.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$242 ¥1,619

$500 ₸225.9K

-51.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$558 ¥3,734

$1,429 ₸645.9K

-60.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 ¥2,625

$904 ₸408.8K

-56.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,272 ¥15.2K

$2,503 ₸1.1M

-9.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,308 ¥8,745

$1,559 ₸704.7K

-16.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,115 ¥7,454

$870 ₸393.3K

28.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.37

20.65

-78.84%

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

Last update for Shenyang: October 12, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenyang

$242 33.7%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 106% $258

Groceries & Markets

Shenyang

$160 * 22.3%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 56.2% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenyang

$106 14.8%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 13.4% $14

Eating Out

Shenyang

$80 11.2%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 156% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Shenyang

$77 * 10.8%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 140% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Shenyang

$34 4.8%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 143% $49

Getting Around

Shenyang

$17 2.4%

Almaty

$28 2% 58.9% $10

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 $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 28% 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 $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $160 vs $250 – making Shenyang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenyang

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

22:56 10:56 PM

20:56 8:56 PM

2 h behind Shenyang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,199,601

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 18, 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 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 →

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Between locations

Shenyang Almaty 3,760 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Shenyang
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

Shenyang 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 $1,076 per month in Shenyang 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 Shenyang, 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 Shenyang 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 $718 in Shenyang and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 91%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Shenyang, where all-in costs run around $718, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Shenyang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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, Almaty makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.