Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zhongshan and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhongshan: $700 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Zhongshan
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Zhongshan Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
Learn more

Almaty Living Index

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Zhongshan

🇨🇳 China

$700

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $700 per month in Zhongshan vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Zhongshan $700
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,110 per month in Zhongshan vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Zhongshan $1,110
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,521 per month in Zhongshan vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Zhongshan $1,521
Almaty $2,913

Zhongshan is about 49% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Zhongshan sits 48% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.91 ¥19.45

$13.16 ₸5,948

-77.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.18 ¥162

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-46.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.47 ¥29.84

$8.90 ₸4,021

-49.78%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ¥18.78

$3.25 ₸1,468

-13.54%

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

$0.47 ¥3.14

$1.41 ₸639

-66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.88 ₸398

-67.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.78 ¥5.18

$3.35 ₸1,512

-76.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥12.13

$4.04 ₸1,827

-55.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥10.37

$1.69 ₸762

-8.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 ¥10.60

$0.86 ₸390

84.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.64 ¥4.30

$2.03 ₸917

-68.47%

Eggs

$1.20 ¥7.99

$2.43 ₸1,100

-50.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.77 ¥139

$12.46 ₸5,631

66.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.79 ¥18.61

$6.71 ₸3,033

-58.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.52 ¥90.4

$10.85 ₸4,904

24.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 ¥13.64

$1.80 ₸813

13.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$2.25 ₸1,018

-54.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.59

$2.91 ₸1,314

-76.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.49

$2.75 ₸1,243

-48.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.53 ¥3.56

$0.75 ₸337

-29.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 ¥5.19

$0.55 ₸248

41.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$1.62 ₸732

-73.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.60

$1.05 ₸474

-48.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.96 ¥19.77

$2.58 ₸1,167

14.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.02 ¥80.3

$11.15 ₸5,041

7.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ¥4.63

$1.21 ₸547

-42.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 ¥11.99

$2.44 ₸1,104

-26.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.26 ₸117

11.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.18 ¥101

$22.03 ₸9,955

-31.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 ¥9.87

$1.35 ₸611

9.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 ¥2.78

$0.64 ₸288

-34.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 ¥47.54

$11.16 ₸5,043

-36.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ¥8.64

$0.72 ₸324

79.17%

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

$19.1K ¥127.9K

$22.5K ₸10.2M

-14.99%

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

$18.0K ¥120.6K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-40.38%

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

$41.21 ¥275

$91.8 ₸41.5K

-55.11%

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

$9.85 ¥65.8

$10.66 ₸4,819

-7.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.75 ¥85.2

$17.86 ₸8,070

-28.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.8 ¥453

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-3.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.33 ¥48.96

$27.60 ₸12.5K

-73.44%

Cinema Ticket

$6.04 ¥40.38

$6.78 ₸3,063

-10.91%

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

$324 ¥2,162

$449 ₸202.8K

-27.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.6K ¥90.8K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

12.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.30 ¥329

$89.9 ₸40.6K

-45.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.39 ¥270

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-14.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.9 ¥400

$142 ₸64.1K

-57.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.0 ¥508

$133 ₸60.0K

-42.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$208 ¥1,390

$805 ₸363.7K

-74.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$129 ¥864

$500 ₸225.8K

-74.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$371 ¥2,481

$1,429 ₸645.8K

-74.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$215 ¥1,436

$904 ₸408.8K

-76.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,447 ¥16.3K

$2,503 ₸1.1M

-2.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,515 ¥10.1K

$1,559 ₸704.6K

-2.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$956 ¥6,390

$870 ₸393.2K

9.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

20.65

-83.78%

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

Last update for Zhongshan: 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

Zhongshan

$224 32.1%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 11.6% $26

Accommodation & Living

Zhongshan

$129 18.5%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 287% $370

Clothing & Footwear

Zhongshan

$101 14.5%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 82.5% $84

Eating Out

Zhongshan

$81 11.6%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 153% $124

Sport & Entertainment

Zhongshan

$80 11.4%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 4.9% $3.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zhongshan

$64 9.1%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 88.6% $57

Getting Around

Zhongshan

$20 2.8%

Almaty

$28 2% 38.8% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $208 in Zhongshan 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 10% higher in Zhongshan, 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 $24.00 in Zhongshan versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $224 vs $250 – making Zhongshan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Zhongshan

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

17:34 5:34 PM

15:34 3:34 PM

2 h behind Zhongshan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,209,600

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 = 2.21 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 = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.48 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Zhongshan Almaty 4,060 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Zhongshan
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

Zhongshan vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 96%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,049 per month in Zhongshan 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 Zhongshan, 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 $24.00 in Zhongshan 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 $700 in Zhongshan and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 96%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Zhongshan, where all-in costs run around $700, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Zhongshan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zhongshan – 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 Zhongshan. 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.