Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zhangjiagang and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhangjiagang: $740 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Zhangjiagang
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Zhangjiagang Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Zhangjiagang

🇨🇳 China

$740

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $740 per month in Zhangjiagang vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Zhangjiagang $740
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,149 per month in Zhangjiagang vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Zhangjiagang $1,149
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,558 per month in Zhangjiagang vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Zhangjiagang $1,558
Almaty $2,913

Zhangjiagang is about 46% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Zhangjiagang sits 45% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.80 ¥25.43

$13.16 ₸5,939

-71.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.20 ¥148

$44.86 ₸20.2K

-50.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.98 ¥33.31

$8.90 ₸4,015

-44.04%

Cappuccino

$3.04 ¥20.32

$3.25 ₸1,466

-6.46%

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

$0.49 ¥3.29

$1.41 ₸638

-65.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.81

$0.88 ₸398

-69.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 ¥10.09

$3.35 ₸1,510

-54.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ¥14.84

$4.04 ₸1,824

-45.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 ¥13.90

$1.69 ₸761

23.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 ¥13.95

$0.86 ₸390

143.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.84 ¥5.64

$2.03 ₸916

-58.62%

Eggs

$1.36 ¥9.09

$2.43 ₸1,098

-44.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.64 ¥71.1

$12.46 ₸5,623

-14.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.93 ¥19.60

$6.71 ₸3,028

-56.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.12 ¥61.0

$10.85 ₸4,896

-15.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 ¥13.66

$1.80 ₸812

13.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.64

$2.25 ₸1,017

-42.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 ¥12.04

$2.91 ₸1,312

-38.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.11 ¥7.39

$2.75 ₸1,241

-59.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 ¥5.99

$0.75 ₸337

20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 ¥6.03

$0.55 ₸248

63.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 ¥5.80

$1.62 ₸731

-46.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ¥3.51

$1.05 ₸473

-49.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.64 ¥24.37

$2.58 ₸1,165

41.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.44 ¥89.9

$11.15 ₸5,034

20.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ¥6.27

$1.21 ₸546

-22.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ¥10.44

$2.44 ₸1,102

-36.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 ¥1.99

$0.26 ₸117

15.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.58 ¥118

$22.03 ₸9,940

-20.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.76 ¥11.78

$1.35 ₸610

30.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ¥2.60

$0.64 ₸288

-39.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ¥58.6

$11.16 ₸5,036

-21.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ¥9.14

$0.72 ₸323

90.28%

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

$19.2K ¥128.2K

$22.5K ₸10.2M

-14.85%

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

$16.9K ¥112.7K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-44.32%

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

$55.8 ¥373

$91.8 ₸41.4K

-39.28%

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

$7.76 ¥51.9

$10.66 ₸4,812

-27.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.32 ¥48.98

$17.86 ₸8,058

-59.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.15 ¥242

$70.3 ₸31.7K

-48.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 ¥107

$27.60 ₸12.5K

-41.99%

Cinema Ticket

$6.07 ¥40.61

$6.78 ₸3,059

-10.47%

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

$418 ¥2,794

$449 ₸202.5K

-6.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K ¥149.4K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

84.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.99 ¥288

$89.9 ₸40.6K

-52.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.04 ¥228

$47.02 ₸21.2K

-27.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.7 ¥439

$142 ₸64.0K

-53.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 ¥592

$133 ₸59.9K

-33.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$280 ¥1,869

$805 ₸363.1K

-65.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 ¥1,295

$500 ₸225.5K

-61.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 ¥4,809

$1,429 ₸644.8K

-49.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$324 ¥2,168

$904 ₸408.2K

-64.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,266 ¥21.8K

$2,503 ₸1.1M

30.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,685 ¥11.3K

$1,559 ₸703.5K

8.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸392.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.42

20.65

-83.44%

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

Last update for Zhangjiagang: 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

Zhangjiagang

$204 27.6%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 22.7% $46

Accommodation & Living

Zhangjiagang

$194 26.2%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 158% $306

Clothing & Footwear

Zhangjiagang

$104 14.1%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 78% $81

Eating Out

Zhangjiagang

$97 13.1%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 112% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zhangjiagang

$71 9.6%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 69.9% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Zhangjiagang

$48 6.5%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 73.7% $36

Getting Around

Zhangjiagang

$22 3%

Almaty

$28 2% 22.8% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $280 in Zhangjiagang 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 Zhangjiagang versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $204 vs $250 – making Zhangjiagang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Zhangjiagang

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

16:59 4:59 PM

14:59 2:59 PM

2 h behind Zhangjiagang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,432,044

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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 451 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Zhangjiagang Almaty 4,000 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Zhangjiagang
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

Zhangjiagang vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 85%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,110 per month in Zhangjiagang 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 Zhangjiagang, 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 Zhangjiagang 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 $740 in Zhangjiagang and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 85%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Zhangjiagang, where all-in costs run around $740, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Zhangjiagang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zhangjiagang – 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 Zhangjiagang. 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.