Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Xining and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Xining: $723 a month against $1,387 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Xining
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Xining Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Xining

🇨🇳 China

$723

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,387

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $723 per month in Xining vs $1,387 in Almaty, rent included.

Xining $723
Almaty $1,387

A couple spends around $1,143 per month in Xining vs $2,135 in Almaty, rent included.

Xining $1,143
Almaty $2,135

A family of three spends $1,562 per month in Xining vs $2,883 in Almaty, rent included.

Xining $1,562
Almaty $2,883

Xining is about 48% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Xining sits 46% below the global median, while Almaty is 3% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.74 ¥18.34

$13.31 ₸6,005

-79.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.93 ¥147

$43.37 ₸19.6K

-49.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.86 ¥32.48

$8.80 ₸3,969

-44.77%

Cappuccino

$2.98 ¥19.94

$3.30 ₸1,490

-9.70%

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

$0.47 ¥3.14

$1.37 ₸617

-65.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.79

$0.90 ₸407

-70.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.87 ¥5.82

$3.13 ₸1,412

-72.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ¥13.74

$4.10 ₸1,851

-49.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.56

$1.66 ₸750

13.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ¥10.82

$0.90 ₸404

80.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.90 ¥6.03

$2.06 ₸929

-56.31%

Eggs

$1.54 ¥10.26

$2.37 ₸1,069

-35.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.2

$12.64 ₸5,702

2.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.13 ¥20.90

$6.62 ₸2,985

-52.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.17 ¥68.0

$10.87 ₸4,904

-6.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 ¥11.97

$1.86 ₸841

-3.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ¥8.44

$2.37 ₸1,070

-46.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 ¥9.89

$2.99 ₸1,351

-50.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.11 ¥7.41

$2.83 ₸1,276

-60.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.91

$0.77 ₸346

-3.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.12

$0.58 ₸263

58.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 ¥3.78

$1.59 ₸719

-64.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.62

$0.99 ₸447

-45.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.15 ¥21.03

$2.54 ₸1,147

24.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.46 ¥69.9

$11.04 ₸4,981

-5.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥4.96

$1.21 ₸548

-38.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ¥10.58

$2.41 ₸1,087

-34.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.95

$0.25 ₸113

16.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.01 ¥114

$21.84 ₸9,854

-22.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ¥9.48

$1.28 ₸578

10.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$0.64 ₸290

-48.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.59 ¥44.01

$10.74 ₸4,847

-38.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ¥7.78

$0.69 ₸313

68.12%

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

$19.4K ¥129.9K

$22.3K ₸10.1M

-12.74%

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

$17.2K ¥114.6K

$29.3K ₸13.2M

-41.53%

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

$44.99 ¥301

$87.8 ₸39.6K

-48.74%

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

$9.74 ¥65.1

$10.83 ₸4,886

-10.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.84 ¥79.2

$17.40 ₸7,850

-31.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.53 ¥278

$69.7 ₸31.4K

-40.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.17 ¥94.7

$26.58 ₸12.0K

-46.69%

Cinema Ticket

$5.81 ¥38.85

$6.68 ₸3,016

-13.02%

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

$333 ¥2,227

$446 ₸201.2K

-25.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ¥114.1K

$11.9K ₸5.4M

43.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.37 ¥297

$93.7 ₸42.3K

-52.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.89 ¥200

$46.91 ₸21.2K

-36.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.9 ¥487

$143 ₸64.4K

-48.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.6 ¥485

$133 ₸60.2K

-45.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$273 ¥1,826

$773 ₸349.0K

-64.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$190 ¥1,270

$497 ₸224.4K

-61.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$599 ¥4,005

$1,390 ₸627.4K

-56.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$353 ¥2,362

$880 ₸397.0K

-59.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,029 ¥20.2K

$2,546 ₸1.1M

18.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,058 ¥13.8K

$1,506 ₸679.8K

36.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$834 ₸376.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

20.65

-81.16%

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

Last update for Xining: October 5, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Xining

$198 27.8%

Almaty

$251 18.4% 26.8% $53

Accommodation & Living

Xining

$190 26.7%

Almaty

$497 36.4% 162% $307

Clothing & Footwear

Xining

$99 13.9%

Almaty

$188 13.7% 89.7% $89

Eating Out

Xining

$84 11.8%

Almaty

$205 15% 145% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Xining

$67 9.4%

Almaty

$116 8.5% 74.2% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Xining

$53 7.5%

Almaty

$83 6.1% 56.3% $30

Getting Around

Xining

$21 3%

Almaty

$27 2% 28.7% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $273 in Xining 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Xining versus $43.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $198 vs $251 – making Xining the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Xining

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

11:21 11:21 AM

09:21 9:21 AM

2 h behind Xining

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,333,700

1,475,400

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 451 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Xining Almaty 2,230 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Xining
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

Xining vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 92%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,085 per month in Xining 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 Xining, 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 Xining 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 $723 in Xining and $1,387 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 92%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Xining, where all-in costs run around $723, than in Almaty at $1,387. In Xining it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Xining – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Xining. 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.