Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zhengzhou and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhengzhou: $683 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Zhengzhou
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Zhengzhou Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Zhengzhou

🇨🇳 China

$683

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $683 per month in Zhengzhou vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Zhengzhou $683
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,088 per month in Zhengzhou vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Zhengzhou $1,088
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,492 per month in Zhengzhou vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Zhengzhou $1,492
Almaty $2,913

Zhengzhou is about 50% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Zhengzhou sits 49% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.17 ¥14.52

$13.16 ₸5,949

-83.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.72 ¥112

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-62.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.57 ¥30.49

$8.90 ₸4,022

-48.65%

Cappuccino

$2.41 ¥16.11

$3.25 ₸1,469

-25.85%

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

$0.57 ¥3.79

$1.41 ₸639

-59.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.87

$0.88 ₸399

-68.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 ¥5.89

$3.35 ₸1,513

-73.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 ¥11.06

$4.04 ₸1,827

-58.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ¥11.59

$1.69 ₸762

2.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 ¥11.41

$0.86 ₸390

98.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.92

$2.03 ₸917

-56.16%

Eggs

$0.98 ¥6.57

$2.43 ₸1,100

-59.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.26 ¥55.1

$12.46 ₸5,632

-33.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 ¥21.12

$6.71 ₸3,033

-52.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.52 ¥70.2

$10.85 ₸4,905

-3.04%

Apples (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.95

$1.80 ₸813

-17.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.92

$2.25 ₸1,018

-53.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.07 ¥7.14

$2.91 ₸1,314

-63.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 ¥7.79

$2.75 ₸1,243

-57.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ¥4.47

$0.75 ₸337

-10.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.90

$0.55 ₸248

32.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.49

$1.62 ₸732

-58.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥4.76

$1.05 ₸474

-32.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.31 ¥22.11

$2.58 ₸1,167

28.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.74 ¥98.4

$11.15 ₸5,042

32.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ¥6.31

$1.21 ₸547

-22.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 ¥14.00

$2.44 ₸1,104

-13.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.13 ¥0.89

$0.26 ₸117

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.89 ¥99.4

$22.03 ₸9,957

-32.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 ¥9.74

$1.35 ₸611

8.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.64 ₸288

-51.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 ¥23.63

$11.16 ₸5,044

-68.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.50

$0.72 ₸324

76.39%

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

$19.2K ¥128.4K

$22.5K ₸10.2M

-14.59%

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

$17.4K ¥116.4K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-42.40%

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

$70.2 ¥469

$91.8 ₸41.5K

-23.56%

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

$7.19 ¥48.01

$10.66 ₸4,820

-32.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.50 ¥70.1

$17.86 ₸8,072

-41.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.79 ¥272

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-42.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.58 ¥90.7

$27.60 ₸12.5K

-50.80%

Cinema Ticket

$6.01 ¥40.11

$6.78 ₸3,064

-11.36%

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

$391 ¥2,610

$449 ₸202.9K

-12.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K ¥201.7K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

149.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.52 ¥291

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-51.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.43 ¥223

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-28.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.6 ¥491

$142 ₸64.1K

-48.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.1 ¥468

$133 ₸60.0K

-47.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$215 ¥1,434

$805 ₸363.7K

-73.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$162 ¥1,083

$500 ₸225.9K

-67.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$574 ¥3,834

$1,429 ₸645.9K

-59.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$370 ¥2,469

$904 ₸408.8K

-59.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,825 ¥18.9K

$2,503 ₸1.1M

12.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,515 ¥10.1K

$1,559 ₸704.7K

-2.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$918 ¥6,128

$870 ₸393.3K

5.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.29

20.65

-84.07%

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

Last update for Zhengzhou: October 12, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zhengzhou

$191 28%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 31.1% $59

Accommodation & Living

Zhengzhou

$162 23.8%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 208% $337

Clothing & Footwear

Zhengzhou

$99 14.5%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 86.5% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zhengzhou

$88 12.9%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 36.9% $32

Eating Out

Zhengzhou

$71 10.4%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 188% $134

Sport & Entertainment

Zhengzhou

$53 7.7%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 58.8% $31

Getting Around

Zhengzhou

$18 2.7%

Almaty

$28 2% 49.5% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $215 in Zhengzhou 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 5% higher in Zhengzhou, 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 $17.00 in Zhengzhou versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $191 vs $250 – making Zhengzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Zhengzhou

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

23:35 11:35 PM

21:35 9:35 PM

2 h behind Zhengzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,600,574

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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 18, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Zhengzhou Almaty 3,280 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Zhengzhou
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

Zhengzhou vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 101%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,024 per month in Zhengzhou 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 Zhengzhou, 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 $17.00 in Zhengzhou 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 $683 in Zhengzhou and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 101%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Zhengzhou, where all-in costs run around $683, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Zhengzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zhengzhou – 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 Zhengzhou. 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.