Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taizhou and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Taizhou: $774 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Taizhou
Learn more

Taizhou Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
Learn more

Almaty Living Index

Jump to prices

Taizhou

🇨🇳 China

$774

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $774 per month in Taizhou vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Taizhou $774
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,257 per month in Taizhou vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Taizhou $1,257
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,740 per month in Taizhou vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Taizhou $1,740
Almaty $2,913

Taizhou is about 44% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Taizhou sits 43% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.65 ¥24.42

$13.16 ₸5,939

-72.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.57 ¥171

$44.86 ₸20.2K

-43.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.51 ¥30.17

$8.90 ₸4,015

-49.33%

Cappuccino

$3.47 ¥23.23

$3.25 ₸1,466

6.77%

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

$0.54 ¥3.59

$1.41 ₸638

-61.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.88 ₸398

-67.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.24

$3.35 ₸1,510

-63.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.78

$4.04 ₸1,824

-45.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 ¥12.18

$1.69 ₸761

7.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ¥10.82

$0.86 ₸390

88.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.54 ¥3.59

$2.03 ₸916

-73.40%

Eggs

$1.23 ¥8.26

$2.43 ₸1,098

-49.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.41 ¥130

$12.46 ₸5,623

55.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.81 ¥25.50

$6.71 ₸3,028

-43.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.27 ¥68.7

$10.85 ₸4,896

-5.35%

Apples (1kg)

$1.20 ¥8.00

$1.80 ₸812

-33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 ¥9.03

$2.25 ₸1,017

-40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ¥9.73

$2.91 ₸1,312

-50.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 ¥10.37

$2.75 ₸1,241

-43.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 ¥5.40

$0.75 ₸337

8.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.51

$0.55 ₸248

76.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ¥4.52

$1.62 ₸731

-58.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.65

$1.05 ₸473

-47.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.04 ¥27.00

$2.58 ₸1,165

56.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.26 ¥88.7

$11.15 ₸5,034

18.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 ¥2.92

$1.21 ₸546

-63.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ¥11.60

$2.44 ₸1,102

-29.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.26 ₸117

19.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.77 ¥132

$22.03 ₸9,940

-10.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ¥7.89

$1.35 ₸610

-12.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 ¥2.38

$0.64 ₸288

-43.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.35 ¥49.16

$11.16 ₸5,036

-34.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.50

$0.72 ₸323

76.39%

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

$19.4K ¥129.9K

$22.5K ₸10.2M

-13.76%

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

$16.3K ¥108.7K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-46.31%

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

$48.17 ¥322

$91.8 ₸41.4K

-47.53%

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

$8.88 ¥59.4

$10.66 ₸4,812

-16.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.36 ¥76.0

$17.86 ₸8,058

-36.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.64 ¥285

$70.3 ₸31.7K

-39.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.36 ¥109

$27.60 ₸12.5K

-40.72%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ¥50.7

$6.78 ₸3,059

11.65%

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

$574 ¥3,841

$449 ₸202.5K

27.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.7K ¥245.3K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

202.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.68 ¥219

$89.9 ₸40.6K

-63.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.93 ¥280

$47.02 ₸21.2K

-10.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.0 ¥575

$142 ₸64.0K

-39.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 ¥730

$133 ₸59.9K

-17.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$297 ¥1,983

$805 ₸363.1K

-63.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$181 ¥1,209

$500 ₸225.5K

-63.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 ¥4,675

$1,429 ₸644.8K

-51.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$377 ¥2,519

$904 ₸408.2K

-58.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,544 ¥23.7K

$2,503 ₸1.1M

41.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,971 ¥13.2K

$1,559 ₸703.5K

26.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸392.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

20.65

-83.05%

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

Last update for Taizhou: October 11, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Taizhou

$223 28.8%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 12.2% $27

Accommodation & Living

Taizhou

$181 23.4%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 176% $319

Clothing & Footwear

Taizhou

$121 15.7%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 52.5% $64

Eating Out

Taizhou

$98 12.7%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 109% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taizhou

$68 8.8%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 75.9% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Taizhou

$58 7.5%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 45.1% $26

Getting Around

Taizhou

$24 3.1%

Almaty

$28 2% 15.1% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $297 in Taizhou 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26.00 in Taizhou versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $250 – making Taizhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Taizhou

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

13:31 1:31 PM

11:31 11:31 AM

2 h behind Taizhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

615,000

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Taizhou Almaty 4,260 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Taizhou
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

Taizhou vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 77%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,161 per month in Taizhou 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 Taizhou, 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 $26.00 in Taizhou 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 $774 in Taizhou and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 77%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Taizhou, where all-in costs run around $774, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Taizhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Taizhou – 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 Taizhou. 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.