Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tianjin and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Tianjin: $885 a month against $1,387 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Tianjin
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Tianjin Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

Jump to prices

Tianjin

🇨🇳 China

$885

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,387

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $885 per month in Tianjin vs $1,387 in Almaty, rent included.

Tianjin $885
Almaty $1,387

A couple spends around $1,352 per month in Tianjin vs $2,135 in Almaty, rent included.

Tianjin $1,352
Almaty $2,135

A family of three spends $1,820 per month in Tianjin vs $2,883 in Almaty, rent included.

Tianjin $1,820
Almaty $2,883

Tianjin is about 36% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Tianjin sits 34% below the global median, while Almaty is 3% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.11 ¥27.46

$13.31 ₸6,034

-69.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.08 ¥161

$43.37 ₸19.7K

-44.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.09 ¥40.69

$8.80 ₸3,988

-30.80%

Cappuccino

$4.09 ¥27.32

$3.30 ₸1,497

23.94%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$1.37 ₸620

-65.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.88

$0.90 ₸409

-68.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$3.13 ₸1,419

-70.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 ¥11.79

$4.10 ₸1,860

-57.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ¥9.81

$1.66 ₸754

-11.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.24 ¥14.99

$0.90 ₸406

148.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.07

$2.06 ₸933

-19.42%

Eggs

$1.31 ¥8.76

$2.37 ₸1,074

-44.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.11 ¥101

$12.64 ₸5,730

19.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ¥24.57

$6.62 ₸3,000

-44.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.81 ¥65.5

$10.87 ₸4,928

-9.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.78

$1.86 ₸845

-13.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ¥10.61

$2.37 ₸1,075

-32.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.55

$2.99 ₸1,358

-42.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.18 ¥7.87

$2.83 ₸1,282

-58.30%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 ¥6.03

$0.77 ₸347

16.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 ¥7.87

$0.58 ₸264

103.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.49

$1.59 ₸723

-57.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ¥4.64

$0.99 ₸449

-30.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.23 ¥34.98

$2.54 ₸1,153

105.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 ¥90.8

$11.04 ₸5,005

23.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ¥6.75

$1.21 ₸550

-16.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 ¥16.81

$2.41 ₸1,093

4.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.25 ₸113

16.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.97 ¥59.9

$21.84 ₸9,901

-58.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ¥10.84

$1.28 ₸581

26.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 ¥2.40

$0.64 ₸291

-43.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.22 ¥41.56

$10.74 ₸4,870

-42.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ¥8.26

$0.69 ₸314

79.71%

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

$19.5K ¥130.0K

$22.3K ₸10.1M

-12.65%

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

$17.6K ¥117.5K

$29.3K ₸13.3M

-40.05%

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

$92.9 ¥621

$87.8 ₸39.8K

5.90%

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

$6.36 ¥42.51

$10.83 ₸4,909

-41.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.34 ¥49.08

$17.40 ₸7,887

-57.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.57 ¥111

$69.7 ₸31.6K

-76.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.50 ¥70.2

$26.58 ₸12.1K

-60.50%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ¥50.6

$6.68 ₸3,031

13.32%

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

$638 ¥4,262

$446 ₸202.2K

43.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₸5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.5 ¥364

$93.7 ₸42.5K

-41.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.27 ¥196

$46.91 ₸21.3K

-37.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 ¥735

$143 ₸64.7K

-22.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ¥938

$133 ₸60.5K

5.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$337 ¥2,254

$773 ₸350.6K

-56.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$246 ¥1,641

$497 ₸225.5K

-50.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$641 ¥4,284

$1,390 ₸630.4K

-53.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ¥3,032

$880 ₸398.9K

-48.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,339 ¥35.7K

$2,546 ₸1.2M

109.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,335 ¥15.6K

$1,506 ₸683.0K

54.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,164 ¥7,776

$834 ₸377.9K

39.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.54

20.65

-82.86%

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

Last update for Tianjin: October 4, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tianjin

$246 27.8%

Almaty

$497 36.4% 103% $252

Groceries & Markets

Tianjin

$226 25.5%

Almaty

$251 18.4% 11.2% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Tianjin

$150 17%

Almaty

$188 13.7% 24.7% $37

Eating Out

Tianjin

$111 12.6%

Almaty

$205 15% 84.5% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tianjin

$107 12.1%

Almaty

$116 8.5% 8.8% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Tianjin

$32 3.6%

Almaty

$83 6.1% 162% $51

Getting Around

Tianjin

$14 1.5%

Almaty

$27 2% 102% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $337 in Tianjin versus $773 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 40% higher in Tianjin, 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 $24.00 in Tianjin versus $43.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $251 – making Tianjin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Tianjin

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

15:25 3:25 PM

13:25 1:25 PM

2 h behind Tianjin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,866,009

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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 453 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 509 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Tianjin Almaty 3,370 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Tianjin
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

Tianjin vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 57%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,327 per month in Tianjin and $2,080 in Almaty. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tianjin, 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 $24.00 in Tianjin and $43.00 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 $885 in Tianjin and $1,387 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 57%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tianjin, where all-in costs run around $885, than in Almaty at $1,387. In Tianjin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tianjin – 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 Tianjin. 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.