Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Xianyang and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Xianyang: $618 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Xianyang
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Xianyang Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

Jump to prices

Xianyang

🇨🇳 China

$618

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $618 per month in Xianyang vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Xianyang $618
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $996 per month in Xianyang vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Xianyang $996
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,375 per month in Xianyang vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Xianyang $1,375
Almaty $2,913

Xianyang is about 55% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Xianyang sits 54% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.19 ¥14.66

$13.16 ₸5,949

-83.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.22 ¥115

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-61.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.50 ¥30.08

$8.90 ₸4,022

-49.44%

Cappuccino

$2.17 ¥14.48

$3.25 ₸1,469

-33.23%

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

$0.38 ¥2.55

$1.41 ₸639

-73.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.96

$0.88 ₸399

-67.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.78 ¥5.20

$3.35 ₸1,513

-76.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ¥10.25

$4.04 ₸1,827

-62.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ¥9.85

$1.69 ₸762

-13.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 ¥7.14

$0.86 ₸390

24.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.11

$2.03 ₸917

-62.56%

Eggs

$1.43 ¥9.58

$2.43 ₸1,100

-41.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.58 ¥64.1

$12.46 ₸5,632

-23.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$1.83 ¥12.21

$6.71 ₸3,033

-72.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.46 ¥49.87

$10.85 ₸4,905

-31.24%

Apples (1kg)

$1.21 ¥8.10

$1.80 ₸813

-32.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.95

$2.25 ₸1,018

-53.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.58

$2.91 ₸1,314

-56.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.58 ¥3.90

$2.75 ₸1,243

-78.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.46 ¥3.09

$0.75 ₸337

-38.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.62 ¥4.13

$0.55 ₸248

12.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$1.62 ₸732

-61.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.91

$1.05 ₸474

-43.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.95 ¥19.73

$2.58 ₸1,167

14.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.44 ¥49.76

$11.15 ₸5,042

-33.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 ¥3.08

$1.21 ₸547

-61.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 ¥11.64

$2.44 ₸1,104

-28.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.26 ₸117

19.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.94 ¥107

$22.03 ₸9,957

-27.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 ¥8.71

$1.35 ₸611

-3.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.64 ₸288

-54.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 ¥30.35

$11.16 ₸5,044

-59.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.34

$0.72 ₸324

73.61%

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

$19.1K ¥127.7K

$22.5K ₸10.2M

-15.17%

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

$11.8K ¥78.6K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-61.14%

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

$37.14 ¥248

$91.8 ₸41.5K

-59.55%

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

$6.13 ¥41.02

$10.66 ₸4,820

-42.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ¥70.1

$17.86 ₸8,072

-41.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.04 ¥281

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-40.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.65 ¥98.0

$27.60 ₸12.5K

-46.92%

Cinema Ticket

$5.91 ¥39.50

$6.78 ₸3,064

-12.83%

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

$335 ¥2,239

$449 ₸202.9K

-25.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥98.7K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

21.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.41 ¥257

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-57.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.55 ¥251

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-20.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 ¥502

$142 ₸64.1K

-47.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.0 ¥408

$133 ₸60.0K

-54.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$302 ¥2,018

$805 ₸363.7K

-62.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$180 ¥1,206

$500 ₸225.9K

-63.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$633 ¥4,235

$1,429 ₸645.9K

-55.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$383 ¥2,561

$904 ₸408.8K

-57.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,529 ¥23.6K

$2,503 ₸1.1M

40.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$732 ¥4,896

$1,559 ₸704.7K

-53.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$600 ¥4,010

$870 ₸393.3K

-31.07%

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 Xianyang: October 12, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Xianyang

$180 29.2%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 177% $319

Groceries & Markets

Xianyang

$148 23.9%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 69.6% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Xianyang

$95 15.4%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 94.2% $90

Eating Out

Xianyang

$67 10.8%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 207% $138

Sport & Entertainment

Xianyang

$54 8.7%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 55.8% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Xianyang

$54 8.7%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 124% $67

Getting Around

Xianyang

$20 3.2%

Almaty

$28 2% 38.3% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $302 in Xianyang 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.

Salaries run about 45% 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 $17.00 in Xianyang versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $148 vs $250 – making Xianyang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Xianyang

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

04:48 4:48 AM

02:48 2:48 AM

2 h behind Xianyang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,324,612

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 17, 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 17, 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 →

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Xianyang Almaty 2,910 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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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

Xianyang vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 122%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $926 per month in Xianyang 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 Xianyang, 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 $17.00 in Xianyang 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 $618 in Xianyang and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 122%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Xianyang, where all-in costs run around $618, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Xianyang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Xianyang – 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 Xianyang. 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.