Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Xiamen and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Xiamen: $842 a month against $1,387 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Xiamen
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Xiamen Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Xiamen

🇨🇳 China

$842

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,387

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $842 per month in Xiamen vs $1,387 in Almaty, rent included.

Xiamen $842
Almaty $1,387

A couple spends around $1,338 per month in Xiamen vs $2,135 in Almaty, rent included.

Xiamen $1,338
Almaty $2,135

A family of three spends $1,835 per month in Xiamen vs $2,883 in Almaty, rent included.

Xiamen $1,835
Almaty $2,883

Xiamen is about 39% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Xiamen sits 37% below the global median, while Almaty is 3% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.01 ¥20.10

$13.31 ₸6,034

-77.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.67 ¥158

$43.37 ₸19.7K

-45.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.85

$8.80 ₸3,988

-39.09%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ¥16.78

$3.30 ₸1,497

-23.94%

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

$0.47 ¥3.14

$1.37 ₸620

-65.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.37

$0.90 ₸409

-61.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ¥9.86

$3.13 ₸1,419

-53.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 ¥19.97

$4.10 ₸1,860

-27.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥9.78

$1.66 ₸754

-12.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 ¥15.20

$0.90 ₸406

152.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.55

$2.06 ₸933

-52.43%

Eggs

$1.63 ¥10.92

$2.37 ₸1,074

-31.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.95 ¥79.9

$12.64 ₸5,730

-5.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.52 ¥16.83

$6.62 ₸3,000

-61.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.73 ¥78.4

$10.87 ₸4,928

7.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 ¥17.05

$1.86 ₸845

37.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.85

$2.37 ₸1,075

-37.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.09

$2.99 ₸1,358

-44.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 ¥13.19

$2.83 ₸1,282

-30.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.86

$0.77 ₸347

33.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.18

$0.58 ₸264

213.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 ¥6.05

$1.59 ₸723

-42.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ¥3.31

$0.99 ₸449

-50.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.06 ¥20.47

$2.54 ₸1,153

20.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.22 ¥75.0

$11.04 ₸5,005

1.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥5.40

$1.21 ₸550

-33.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ¥11.37

$2.41 ₸1,093

-29.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 ¥1.07

$0.25 ₸113

-36.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.10 ¥80.9

$21.84 ₸9,901

-44.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 ¥9.82

$1.28 ₸581

14.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.64 ₸291

-54.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.34 ¥49.07

$10.74 ₸4,870

-31.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.78

$0.69 ₸314

89.86%

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

$19.3K ¥128.8K

$22.3K ₸10.1M

-13.50%

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

$17.3K ¥115.4K

$29.3K ₸13.3M

-41.14%

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

$44.42 ¥297

$87.8 ₸39.8K

-49.38%

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

$8.81 ¥58.9

$10.83 ₸4,909

-18.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.23 ¥68.3

$17.40 ₸7,887

-41.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.22 ¥322

$69.7 ₸31.6K

-30.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.59 ¥70.8

$26.58 ₸12.1K

-60.16%

Cinema Ticket

$10.22 ¥68.3

$6.68 ₸3,031

52.99%

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

$488 ¥3,264

$446 ₸202.2K

9.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K ¥161.3K

$11.9K ₸5.4M

103.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.84 ¥260

$93.7 ₸42.5K

-58.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.49 ¥190

$46.91 ₸21.3K

-39.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 ¥703

$143 ₸64.7K

-26.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.5 ¥565

$133 ₸60.5K

-36.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$342 ¥2,283

$773 ₸350.6K

-55.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$269 ¥1,798

$497 ₸225.5K

-45.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$825 ¥5,511

$1,390 ₸630.4K

-40.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$547 ¥3,655

$880 ₸398.9K

-37.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,597 ¥57.5K

$2,546 ₸1.2M

237.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,684 ¥31.3K

$1,506 ₸683.0K

210.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,138 ¥7,607

$834 ₸377.9K

36.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

20.65

-83.24%

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

Last update for Xiamen: October 6, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Xiamen

$269 32.2%

Almaty

$497 36.4% 84.9% $228

Groceries & Markets

Xiamen

$216 25.8%

Almaty

$251 18.4% 16.5% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Xiamen

$116 13.9%

Almaty

$188 13.7% 62.1% $72

Eating Out

Xiamen

$87 10.4%

Almaty

$205 15% 136% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Xiamen

$69 8.2%

Almaty

$83 6.1% 21% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Xiamen

$63 7.6%

Almaty

$116 8.5% 82.8% $53

Getting Around

Xiamen

$16 1.9%

Almaty

$27 2% 74.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $342 in Xiamen 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 37% higher in Xiamen, 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 Xiamen versus $43.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $216 vs $251 – making Xiamen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Xiamen

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

11:29 11:29 AM

09:29 9:29 AM

2 h behind Xiamen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,531,000

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

Xiamen Almaty 4,270 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Xiamen
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

Xiamen vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 65%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,263 per month in Xiamen 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 Xiamen, 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 Xiamen 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 $842 in Xiamen and $1,387 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 65%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Xiamen, where all-in costs run around $842, than in Almaty at $1,387. In Xiamen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Xiamen – 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 Xiamen. 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.