Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yilan and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Yilan: $1,008 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Yilan
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Yilan Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Yilan

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,008

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,008 per month in Yilan vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Yilan $1,008
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,731 per month in Yilan vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Yilan $1,731
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $2,455 per month in Yilan vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Yilan $2,455
Almaty $2,913

Yilan is about 27% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Yilan sits 25% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.55 NT$115

$13.16 ₸5,949

-73.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.99 NT$973

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-33.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.61 NT$149

$8.90 ₸4,022

-48.20%

Cappuccino

$2.88 NT$93.5

$3.25 ₸1,469

-11.38%

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

$1.03 NT$33.33

$1.41 ₸639

-26.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 NT$21.18

$0.88 ₸399

-26.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.52 NT$49.41

$3.35 ₸1,513

-54.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 NT$93.4

$4.04 ₸1,827

-28.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.16 NT$102

$1.69 ₸762

86.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 NT$55.3

$0.86 ₸390

98.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.74 NT$88.7

$2.03 ₸917

34.98%

Eggs

$2.62 NT$84.9

$2.43 ₸1,100

7.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$28.52 NT$925

$12.46 ₸5,632

128.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.15 NT$264

$6.71 ₸3,033

21.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.07 NT$554

$10.85 ₸4,905

57.33%

Apples (1kg)

$4.36 NT$142

$1.80 ₸813

142.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 NT$61.3

$2.25 ₸1,018

-16.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 NT$100

$2.91 ₸1,314

6.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 NT$70.5

$2.75 ₸1,243

-21.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 NT$38.51

$0.75 ₸337

58.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 NT$61.1

$0.55 ₸248

241.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 NT$78.0

$1.62 ₸732

48.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 NT$27.78

$1.05 ₸474

-18.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 NT$125

$2.58 ₸1,167

50.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.70 NT$509

$11.15 ₸5,042

40.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 NT$45.55

$1.21 ₸547

15.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 NT$79.3

$2.44 ₸1,104

0.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 NT$24.37

$0.26 ₸117

188.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.68 NT$1,189

$22.03 ₸9,957

66.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.75 NT$89.1

$1.35 ₸611

103.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 NT$31.37

$0.64 ₸288

51.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.39 NT$305

$11.16 ₸5,044

-15.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 NT$33.23

$0.72 ₸324

41.67%

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

$25.1K NT$814.8K

$22.5K ₸10.2M

11.56%

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

$19.5K NT$633.9K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-35.42%

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

$47.16 NT$1,529

$91.8 ₸41.5K

-48.63%

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

$15.12 NT$490

$10.66 ₸4,820

41.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.30 NT$691

$17.86 ₸8,072

19.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.11 NT$1,009

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-55.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

Cinema Ticket

$7.85 NT$255

$6.78 ₸3,064

15.78%

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

$340 NT$11.0K

$449 ₸202.9K

-24.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K NT$537.7K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

36.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 NT$1,781

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-38.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.44 NT$1,020

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-33.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.0 NT$2,723

$142 ₸64.1K

-40.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.2 NT$2,016

$133 ₸60.0K

-53.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$275 NT$8,930

$805 ₸363.7K

-65.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$254 NT$8,237

$500 ₸225.9K

-49.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 NT$32.3K

$1,429 ₸645.9K

-30.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 NT$23.6K

$904 ₸408.8K

-19.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,893 NT$256.0K

$2,503 ₸1.1M

215.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,975 NT$161.3K

$1,559 ₸704.7K

219.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,041 NT$33.8K

$870 ₸393.3K

19.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.27

20.65

-89.01%

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

Last update for Yilan: October 10, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Yilan

$375 37.2%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 33.2% $124

Accommodation & Living

Yilan

$254 25.2%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 96.7% $246

Clothing & Footwear

Yilan

$105 10.4%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 77% $81

Eating Out

Yilan

$97 9.6%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 111% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yilan

$84 8.3%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 44% $37

Getting Around

Yilan

$47 4.7%

Almaty

$28 2% 41.6% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Yilan

$47 4.7%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 79.2% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $275 in Yilan 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 20% higher in Yilan, 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 $30.00 in Yilan versus $45.00 in Almaty. Groceries tell a different story – $375 in Yilan vs $250 in Almaty – so Almaty wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Yilan

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

08:48 8:48 AM

06:48 6:48 AM

2 h behind Yilan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,907

1,475,400

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Yilan Almaty 4,540 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Yilan
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

Yilan vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,512 per month in Yilan 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 Yilan, 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 $30.00 in Yilan 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 $1,008 in Yilan and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 36%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Yilan, where all-in costs run around $1,008, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Yilan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Yilan – 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 Yilan. 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.