Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taiyuan and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Taiyuan: $589 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Taiyuan
Learn more

Taiyuan Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
Learn more

Almaty Living Index

Jump to prices

Taiyuan

🇨🇳 China

$589

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $589 per month in Taiyuan vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Taiyuan $589
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $913 per month in Taiyuan vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Taiyuan $913
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,238 per month in Taiyuan vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Taiyuan $1,238
Almaty $2,913

Taiyuan is about 57% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Taiyuan sits 56% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ¥15.21

$13.16 ₸5,949

-82.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.73 ¥98.4

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-67.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.40 ¥29.37

$8.90 ₸4,022

-50.56%

Cappuccino

$2.64 ¥17.60

$3.25 ₸1,469

-18.77%

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

$0.47 ¥3.11

$1.41 ₸639

-66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.88 ₸399

-67.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ¥8.12

$3.35 ₸1,513

-63.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ¥14.36

$4.04 ₸1,827

-46.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.51

$2.03 ₸917

-59.11%

Eggs

$1.01 ¥6.75

$2.43 ₸1,100

-58.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.02 ¥86.9

$10.85 ₸4,905

20.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ¥12.50

$1.80 ₸813

3.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 ¥9.20

$2.25 ₸1,018

-38.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.81 ¥5.40

$2.91 ₸1,314

-72.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 ¥7.76

$2.75 ₸1,243

-57.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.48 ¥3.20

$0.75 ₸337

-36.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.55 ₸248

-47.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 ¥3.07

$1.05 ₸474

-56.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.95 ¥19.72

$2.58 ₸1,167

14.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.56 ¥50.5

$11.15 ₸5,042

-32.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥5.80

$1.21 ₸547

-28.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 ¥9.71

$2.44 ₸1,104

-40.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.26 ₸117

19.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.65 ¥91.1

$22.03 ₸9,957

-38.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ¥7.89

$1.35 ₸611

-12.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ¥1.53

$0.64 ₸288

-64.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 ¥24.88

$11.16 ₸5,044

-66.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.32

$0.72 ₸324

73.61%

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

$20.0K ¥133.4K

$22.5K ₸10.2M

-11.28%

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

$17.5K ¥117.1K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-42.07%

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

$94.3 ¥630

$91.8 ₸41.5K

2.73%

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

$10.27 ¥68.6

$10.66 ₸4,820

-3.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.74 ¥85.1

$17.86 ₸8,072

-28.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.17 ¥302

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-35.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.76 ¥58.5

$27.60 ₸12.5K

-68.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.64 ¥44.31

$6.78 ₸3,064

-2.06%

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

$449 ₸202.9K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.60 ¥184

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-69.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.2 ¥449

$47.02 ₸21.3K

42.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.0 ¥494

$142 ₸64.1K

-47.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.4 ¥397

$133 ₸60.0K

-55.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$223 ¥1,488

$805 ₸363.7K

-72.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$114 ¥759

$500 ₸225.9K

-77.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$556 ¥3,714

$1,429 ₸645.9K

-61.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$259 ¥1,730

$904 ₸408.8K

-71.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,629 ¥17.6K

$2,503 ₸1.1M

5.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,252 ¥8,356

$1,559 ₸704.7K

-19.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$928 ¥6,194

$870 ₸393.3K

6.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.83

20.65

-81.45%

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

Last update for Taiyuan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taiyuan

$117 19.9%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 2.5% $3

Accommodation & Living

Taiyuan

$114 19.3%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 340% $386

Groceries & Markets

Taiyuan

$103 * 17.5%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 143% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Taiyuan

$103 17.4%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 80.4% $83

Eating Out

Taiyuan

$76 13%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 168% $129

Sport & Entertainment

Taiyuan

$58 9.9%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 43.5% $25

Getting Around

Taiyuan

$17 2.9%

Almaty

$28 2% 60.3% $10

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $223 in Taiyuan 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 7% higher in Taiyuan, 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 $15.00 in Taiyuan versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $103 vs $250 – making Taiyuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Taiyuan

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

20:36 8:36 PM

18:36 6:36 PM

2 h behind Taiyuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,525,300

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 = 6.68 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Taiyuan Almaty 3,040 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Taiyuan
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

Taiyuan vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 133%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $883 per month in Taiyuan 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 Taiyuan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $589 in Taiyuan and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 133%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $15.00 in Taiyuan and $45.00 in Almaty. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Taiyuan, where all-in costs run around $589, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Taiyuan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Taiyuan – 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 Taiyuan. 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.