Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tonghua and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Tonghua: $632 a month against $1,363 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Tonghua
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Tonghua Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Tonghua

🇨🇳 China

$632

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,363

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $632 per month in Tonghua vs $1,363 in Almaty, rent included.

Tonghua $632
Almaty $1,363

A couple spends around $1,034 per month in Tonghua vs $2,131 in Almaty, rent included.

Tonghua $1,034
Almaty $2,131

A family of three spends $1,436 per month in Tonghua vs $2,900 in Almaty, rent included.

Tonghua $1,436
Almaty $2,900

Tonghua is about 54% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Tonghua sits 53% below the global median, while Almaty is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.20 ¥14.74

$13.05 ₸5,899

-83.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.19 ¥148

$43.44 ₸19.6K

-48.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 ¥34.01

$8.76 ₸3,962

-41.89%

Cappuccino

$2.25 ¥15.07

$3.32 ₸1,501

-32.23%

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

$0.47 ¥3.15

$1.34 ₸607

-64.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$0.83 ₸374

-57.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.79 ¥5.25

$3.36 ₸1,518

-76.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ¥12.38

$4.02 ₸1,818

-53.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 ¥11.23

$1.65 ₸747

1.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.14 ¥14.32

$0.93 ₸421

130.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 ¥7.16

$2.05 ₸927

-47.80%

Eggs

$1.06 ¥7.09

$2.46 ₸1,113

-56.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.11 ¥87.6

$12.49 ₸5,646

4.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.94 ¥19.66

$6.71 ₸3,035

-56.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.54 ¥43.73

$10.85 ₸4,905

-39.72%

Apples (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.60

$1.78 ₸807

-44.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.21

$2.25 ₸1,018

-52.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.81 ¥5.41

$2.87 ₸1,299

-71.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.23

$2.71 ₸1,227

-60.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.17

$0.80 ₸362

15.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.85

$0.55 ₸249

85.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.94

$1.62 ₸732

-63.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ¥4.60

$1.00 ₸453

-31.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.64 ¥24.33

$2.58 ₸1,167

41.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.75 ¥78.5

$11.15 ₸5,039

5.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 ¥4.33

$1.26 ₸572

-48.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 ¥7.38

$2.48 ₸1,120

-55.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$0.28 ₸128

10.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.92 ¥120

$22.05 ₸9,970

-18.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 ¥6.14

$1.34 ₸607

-31.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.56

$0.64 ₸288

-40.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 ¥20.51

$11.04 ₸4,993

-72.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.74

$0.72 ₸326

81.94%

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

$19.3K ¥129.1K

$28.1K ₸12.7M

-31.41%

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

$17.0K ¥114.0K

$31.8K ₸14.4M

-46.40%

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

$23.25 ¥155

$90.5 ₸40.9K

-74.32%

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

$5.85 ¥39.12

$10.63 ₸4,805

-44.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.98 ¥60.1

$18.12 ₸8,190

-50.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.90 ¥280

$69.0 ₸31.2K

-39.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.09 ¥101

$26.98 ₸12.2K

-44.07%

Cinema Ticket

$5.89 ¥39.36

$6.77 ₸3,062

-13.00%

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

$294 ¥1,969

$444 ₸200.6K

-33.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K ¥100.6K

$12.0K ₸5.4M

25.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.05 ¥147

$91.9 ₸41.5K

-76.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.01 ¥227

$47.80 ₸21.6K

-28.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.8 ¥393

$139 ₸63.0K

-57.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.4 ¥464

$131 ₸59.4K

-47.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$294 ¥1,965

$777 ₸351.2K

-62.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$179 ¥1,199

$494 ₸223.4K

-63.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$639 ¥4,273

$1,439 ₸650.4K

-55.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$375 ¥2,509

$905 ₸409.2K

-58.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,528 ¥23.6K

$2,470 ₸1.1M

42.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,980 ¥13.2K

$1,517 ₸685.7K

30.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ¥3,350

$857 ₸387.2K

-41.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

-80.63%

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

Last update for Tonghua: October 19, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tonghua

$185 29.3%

Almaty

$251 18.4% 35.6% $66

Accommodation & Living

Tonghua

$179 28.4%

Almaty

$494 36.3% 176% $315

Clothing & Footwear

Tonghua

$83 13.1%

Almaty

$185 13.6% 123% $102

Eating Out

Tonghua

$71 11.2%

Almaty

$204 15% 188% $133

Sport & Entertainment

Tonghua

$54 8.5%

Almaty

$83 6.1% 53.8% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tonghua

$38 6%

Almaty

$119 8.8% 213% $81

Getting Around

Tonghua

$22 3.5%

Almaty

$28 2% 26% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $294 in Tonghua versus $777 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 71% higher in Almaty, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Tonghua versus $43.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $185 vs $251 – making Tonghua the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Tonghua

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

18:45 6:45 PM

16:45 4:45 PM

2 h behind Tonghua

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

446,917

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 20, 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 20, 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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Tonghua Almaty 3,960 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Tonghua
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

Tonghua vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 116%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $947 per month in Tonghua and $2,044 in Almaty. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tonghua, 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 Tonghua 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 $632 in Tonghua and $1,363 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 116%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tonghua, where all-in costs run around $632, than in Almaty at $1,363. In Tonghua it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tonghua – 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 Tonghua. 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.