Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Xi'an and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Xi'an: $733 a month against $1,387 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Xi'an
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Xi'an Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Xi'an

🇨🇳 China

$733

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,387

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $733 per month in Xi'an vs $1,387 in Almaty, rent included.

Xi'an $733
Almaty $1,387

A couple spends around $1,128 per month in Xi'an vs $2,135 in Almaty, rent included.

Xi'an $1,128
Almaty $2,135

A family of three spends $1,523 per month in Xi'an vs $2,883 in Almaty, rent included.

Xi'an $1,523
Almaty $2,883

Xi'an is about 47% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Xi'an sits 45% below the global median, while Almaty is 3% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.72 ¥18.15

$13.31 ₸6,034

-79.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.21 ¥122

$43.37 ₸19.7K

-58.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.55 ¥30.41

$8.80 ₸3,988

-48.30%

Cappuccino

$2.16 ¥14.45

$3.30 ₸1,497

-34.55%

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

$0.41 ¥2.71

$1.37 ₸620

-70.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$0.90 ₸409

-70.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.52 ¥10.16

$3.13 ₸1,419

-51.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 ¥10.13

$4.10 ₸1,860

-62.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ¥9.82

$1.66 ₸754

-11.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 ¥11.48

$0.90 ₸406

91.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.97

$2.06 ₸933

-56.80%

Eggs

$1.46 ¥9.76

$2.37 ₸1,074

-38.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.64 ¥77.8

$12.64 ₸5,730

-7.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.16 ¥27.82

$6.62 ₸3,000

-37.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.40 ¥69.5

$10.87 ₸4,928

-4.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 ¥10.92

$1.86 ₸845

-12.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 ¥7.75

$2.37 ₸1,075

-51.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.60

$2.99 ₸1,358

-56.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 ¥8.82

$2.83 ₸1,282

-53.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.62

$0.77 ₸347

-10.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.90

$0.58 ₸264

25.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ¥4.08

$1.59 ₸723

-61.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$0.99 ₸449

-41.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.46 ¥23.10

$2.54 ₸1,153

36.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 ¥66.6

$11.04 ₸5,005

-9.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.48

$1.21 ₸550

-32.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.20

$2.41 ₸1,093

-30.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.25 ₸113

16.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.12 ¥175

$21.84 ₸9,901

19.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ¥8.57

$1.28 ₸581

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$0.64 ₸291

-51.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 ¥30.13

$10.74 ₸4,870

-58.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.99

$0.69 ₸314

94.20%

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

$19.1K ¥127.8K

$22.3K ₸10.1M

-14.17%

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

$17.6K ¥117.5K

$29.3K ₸13.3M

-40.07%

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

$89.4 ¥597

$87.8 ₸39.8K

1.82%

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

$6.09 ¥40.72

$10.83 ₸4,909

-43.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.78 ¥72.1

$17.40 ₸7,887

-38.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.01 ¥201

$69.7 ₸31.6K

-56.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.10 ¥141

$26.58 ₸12.1K

-20.62%

Cinema Ticket

$5.96 ¥39.82

$6.68 ₸3,031

-10.78%

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

$692 ¥4,626

$446 ₸202.2K

55.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.5K ¥116.7K

$11.9K ₸5.4M

46.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.93 ¥260

$93.7 ₸42.5K

-58.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.83 ¥246

$46.91 ₸21.3K

-21.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 ¥496

$143 ₸64.7K

-48.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.5 ¥618

$133 ₸60.5K

-30.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$310 ¥2,071

$773 ₸350.6K

-59.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$178 ¥1,190

$497 ₸225.5K

-64.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$879 ¥5,876

$1,390 ₸630.4K

-36.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$350 ¥2,341

$880 ₸398.9K

-60.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,369 ¥15.8K

$2,546 ₸1.2M

-6.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,647 ¥11.0K

$1,506 ₸683.0K

9.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,069 ¥7,141

$834 ₸377.9K

28.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

20.65

-83.78%

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

Last update for Xi'an: October 4, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Xi'an

$195 26.6%

Almaty

$251 18.4% 28.6% $56

Accommodation & Living

Xi'an

$178 24.2%

Almaty

$497 36.4% 179% $319

Clothing & Footwear

Xi'an

$109 14.8%

Almaty

$188 13.7% 71.9% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Xi'an

$106 14.5%

Almaty

$116 8.5% 9.2% $9.7

Eating Out

Xi'an

$75 10.2%

Almaty

$205 15% 175% $131

Sport & Entertainment

Xi'an

$42 5.7%

Almaty

$83 6.1% 98.1% $41

Getting Around

Xi'an

$30 4.1%

Almaty

$27 2% 9.3% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $310 in Xi'an 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 28% higher in Xi'an, 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 $18.00 in Xi'an versus $43.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $195 vs $251 – making Xi'an the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Xi'an

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

17:06 5:06 PM

15:06 3:06 PM

2 h behind Xi'an

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,183,280

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Xi'an Almaty 2,930 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Xi'an
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

Xi'an vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 89%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,099 per month in Xi'an 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 Xi'an, 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 $18.00 in Xi'an 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 $733 in Xi'an and $1,387 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 89%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Xi'an, where all-in costs run around $733, than in Almaty at $1,387. In Xi'an it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Xi'an – 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 Xi'an. 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.