Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yichang and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Yichang: $714 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Yichang
Learn more

Yichang Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
Learn more

Almaty Living Index

Jump to prices

Yichang

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $714 per month in Yichang vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Yichang $714
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,132 per month in Yichang vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Yichang $1,132
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,551 per month in Yichang vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Yichang $1,551
Almaty $2,913

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

Yichang sits 47% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.74 ¥18.33

$13.16 ₸5,949

-79.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.74 ¥145

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-51.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.88 ¥32.63

$8.90 ₸4,022

-45.17%

Cappuccino

$2.96 ¥19.77

$3.25 ₸1,469

-8.92%

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

$0.47 ¥3.11

$1.41 ₸639

-66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.79

$0.88 ₸399

-69.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 ¥5.91

$3.35 ₸1,513

-73.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 ¥14.12

$4.04 ₸1,827

-47.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.41

$1.69 ₸762

10.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 ¥10.73

$0.86 ₸390

86.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.34

$2.03 ₸917

-53.20%

Eggs

$1.53 ¥10.24

$2.43 ₸1,100

-37.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.98 ¥86.8

$12.46 ₸5,632

4.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.26 ¥21.81

$6.71 ₸3,033

-51.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.11 ¥67.6

$10.85 ₸4,905

-6.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 ¥11.94

$1.80 ₸813

-0.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 ¥8.09

$2.25 ₸1,018

-46.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.25

$2.91 ₸1,314

-47.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 ¥7.66

$2.75 ₸1,243

-58.18%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ¥5.00

$0.75 ₸337

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.31

$0.55 ₸248

70.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 ¥3.70

$1.62 ₸732

-66.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.70

$1.05 ₸474

-47.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.16 ¥21.10

$2.58 ₸1,167

22.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.71 ¥71.6

$11.15 ₸5,042

-3.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥5.05

$1.21 ₸547

-37.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 ¥10.63

$2.44 ₸1,104

-34.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 ¥1.79

$0.26 ₸117

3.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.48 ¥110

$22.03 ₸9,957

-25.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ¥9.09

$1.35 ₸611

0.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$0.64 ₸288

-45.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.55 ¥43.81

$11.16 ₸5,044

-41.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 ¥7.50

$0.72 ₸324

55.56%

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

$19.3K ¥128.8K

$22.5K ₸10.2M

-14.47%

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

$17.3K ¥115.4K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-43.00%

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

$45.21 ¥302

$91.8 ₸41.5K

-50.76%

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

$9.71 ¥64.9

$10.66 ₸4,820

-8.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.62 ¥77.7

$17.86 ₸8,072

-34.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.47 ¥284

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-39.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.74 ¥91.9

$27.60 ₸12.5K

-50.22%

Cinema Ticket

$5.95 ¥39.81

$6.78 ₸3,064

-12.24%

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

$329 ¥2,202

$449 ₸202.9K

-26.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K ¥111.8K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

38.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.70 ¥292

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-51.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.05 ¥201

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-36.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.1 ¥476

$142 ₸64.1K

-49.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.8 ¥473

$133 ₸60.0K

-46.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$273 ¥1,825

$805 ₸363.7K

-66.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ¥1,287

$500 ₸225.9K

-61.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$599 ¥4,006

$1,429 ₸645.9K

-58.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 ¥2,413

$904 ₸408.8K

-60.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,972 ¥19.9K

$2,503 ₸1.1M

18.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 ¥13.8K

$1,559 ₸704.7K

32.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

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 Yichang: October 11, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Yichang

$200 27.9%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 25.5% $51

Accommodation & Living

Yichang

$192 26.9%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 160% $307

Clothing & Footwear

Yichang

$97 13.6%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 90.8% $88

Eating Out

Yichang

$84 11.7%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 145% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yichang

$67 9.3%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 80.8% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Yichang

$54 7.6%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 54.3% $30

Getting Around

Yichang

$21 2.9%

Almaty

$28 2% 33.5% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $273 in Yichang 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Yichang versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $200 vs $250 – making Yichang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Yichang

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

15:37 3:37 PM

13:37 1:37 PM

2 h behind Yichang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,059,686

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Yichang Almaty 3,320 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Yichang
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

Yichang 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 $1,071 per month in Yichang 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 Yichang, 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 Yichang 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 $714 in Yichang and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 92%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Yichang, where all-in costs run around $714, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Yichang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Yichang – 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 Yichang. 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.