Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zhanjiang and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhanjiang: $728 a month against $1,363 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Zhanjiang
🇨🇳 China
$728
/mo nomad
Almaty
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
$1,363
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $728 per month in Zhanjiang vs $1,363 in Almaty, rent included.

  • Zhanjiang $728
  • Almaty $1,363

A couple spends around $1,169 per month in Zhanjiang vs $2,131 in Almaty, rent included.

  • Zhanjiang $1,169
  • Almaty $2,131

A family of three spends $1,610 per month in Zhanjiang vs $2,900 in Almaty, rent included.

  • Zhanjiang $1,610
  • Almaty $2,900

Zhanjiang is about 47% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Zhanjiang sits 46% below the global median, while Almaty is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Zhanjiang
Almaty
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.98 ¥19.91
$13.05 ₸5,899
-77.16%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.43 ¥150
$43.44 ₸19.6K
-48.37%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.12 ¥34.22
$8.76 ₸3,962
-41.55%
Cappuccino
$2.70 ¥18.02
$3.32 ₸1,501
-18.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.47 ¥3.15
$1.34 ₸607
-64.93%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ¥2.10
$0.83 ₸374
-62.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.11 ¥7.40
$3.36 ₸1,518
-66.96%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 ¥14.31
$4.02 ₸1,818
-46.77%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Zhanjiang
Almaty
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.87 ¥12.48
$1.65 ₸747
13.33%
White Bread (500g)
$1.64 ¥10.98
$0.93 ₸421
76.34%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.94 ¥6.30
$2.05 ₸927
-54.15%
Eggs
$1.67 ¥11.19
$2.46 ₸1,113
-32.11%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.16 ¥88.0
$12.49 ₸5,646
5.36%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.41 ¥22.80
$6.71 ₸3,035
-49.18%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.11 ¥74.3
$10.85 ₸4,905
2.40%
Apples (1kg)
$1.84 ¥12.32
$1.78 ₸807
3.37%
Banana (1kg)
$1.33 ¥8.90
$2.25 ₸1,018
-40.89%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.55 ¥10.37
$2.87 ₸1,299
-45.99%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.30 ¥8.71
$2.71 ₸1,227
-52.03%
Potato (1kg)
$0.73 ¥4.91
$0.80 ₸362
-8.75%
Onion (1kg)
$0.95 ¥6.34
$0.55 ₸249
72.73%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.62 ¥4.15
$1.62 ₸732
-61.73%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.58 ¥3.90
$1.00 ₸453
-42.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.73 ¥24.93
$2.58 ₸1,167
44.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.56 ¥77.3
$11.15 ₸5,039
3.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.86 ¥5.75
$1.26 ₸572
-31.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.60 ¥10.67
$2.48 ₸1,120
-35.48%
🚌 Getting Around
Zhanjiang
Almaty
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 ¥2.08
$0.28 ₸128
10.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.08 ¥121
$22.05 ₸9,970
-18.00%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 ¥10.12
$1.34 ₸607
12.69%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 ¥2.35
$0.64 ₸288
-45.31%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.97 ¥46.60
$11.04 ₸4,993
-36.87%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 ¥8.41
$0.72 ₸326
75.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.7K ¥131.4K
$28.1K ₸12.7M
-30.15%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.7K ¥118.3K
$31.8K ₸14.4M
-44.36%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Zhanjiang
Almaty
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$57.6 ¥385
$90.5 ₸40.9K
-36.42%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.77 ¥58.6
$10.63 ₸4,805
-17.50%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.05 ¥73.9
$18.12 ₸8,190
-39.02%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Zhanjiang
Almaty
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.06 ¥275
$69.0 ₸31.2K
-40.49%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.96 ¥100
$26.98 ₸12.2K
-44.55%
Cinema Ticket
$6.17 ¥41.25
$6.77 ₸3,062
-8.86%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Zhanjiang
Almaty
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$417 ¥2,791
$444 ₸200.6K
-5.94%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.7K ¥118.2K
$12.0K ₸5.4M
47.73%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Zhanjiang
Almaty
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.48 ¥291
$91.9 ₸41.5K
-52.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.31 ¥223
$47.80 ₸21.6K
-30.31%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$73.6 ¥492
$139 ₸63.0K
-47.14%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$74.1 ¥495
$131 ₸59.4K
-43.61%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Zhanjiang
Almaty
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$303 ¥2,027
$777 ₸351.2K
-60.98%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$180 ¥1,200
$494 ₸223.4K
-63.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$635 ¥4,246
$1,439 ₸650.4K
-55.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$371 ¥2,479
$905 ₸409.2K
-59.03%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,507 ¥23.5K
$2,470 ₸1.1M
42.01%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,978 ¥13.2K
$1,517 ₸685.7K
30.39%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Zhanjiang
Almaty
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$857 ₸387.2K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.36
20.65
-83.73%

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

Last update for Zhanjiang: October 20, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Zhanjiang
$210
Almaty
$251 19.6% $41
Accommodation & Living
Zhanjiang
$180
Almaty
$494 175% $315
Clothing & Footwear
Zhanjiang
$101
Almaty
$185 82.8% $84
Eating Out
Zhanjiang
$84
Almaty
$204 142% $120
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Zhanjiang
$77
Almaty
$119 54.2% $42
Sport & Entertainment
Zhanjiang
$53
Almaty
$83 54.6% $29
Getting Around
Zhanjiang
$23
Almaty
$28 22.7% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $303 in Zhanjiang versus $777 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 Zhanjiang versus $43.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $210 vs $251 – making Zhanjiang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇳 Zhanjiang
🇰🇿 Almaty
🕒 Local time
18:46 6:46 PM
16:46 4:46 PM
2 h behind Zhanjiang
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,612,000
1,475,400
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Zhanjiang Almaty 3,930 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Zhanjiang
  • 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
Zhanjiang vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Almaty cheaper than Zhanjiang?
Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 87%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,092 per month in Zhanjiang and $2,044 in Almaty. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Zhanjiang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Zhanjiang or in Almaty?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Zhanjiang and $43.00 in Almaty. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Zhanjiang and in Almaty?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $728 in Zhanjiang and $1,363 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 87%.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Zhanjiang or in Almaty?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Zhanjiang, where all-in costs run around $728, than in Almaty at $1,363. In Zhanjiang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Zhanjiang or Almaty more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Zhanjiang – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Zhanjiang. 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.

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