Cost of living comparison

compared to

China vs. Almaty Cost of Living Summary

China is 1.7% more expensive than Almaty.

Restaurants: pay 46.0% less in China
Groceries: pay 28.4% more in China
Transportation: pay 22.9% more in China
Housing: pay 35.9% less in China
Childcare: pay 53.1% more in China
Entertainment and Sports: pay 18.2% more in China
Clothing: pay 28.7% less in China

The cost of childcare, groceries, transportation, and entertainment and sports in China are more expensive than in Almaty. Expenses including restaurants, housing, and clothing are lower in China.

China vs. Almaty Cost Breakdown

If you lived in China instead of Almaty, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 46.0% less for restaurants

	Almaty	China
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$7.33 KZT3,531.22	$2.90 CN¥20.02	-60.5%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$6.41 KZT3,089.82	$5.02 CN¥34.67	-21.8%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.93 KZT447.22	$0.47 CN¥3.28	-48.9%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.58 KZT281.24	$0.28 CN¥1.91	-52.6%
Average			-46.0%

Almaty vs. China - Cost of restaurants

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pay 28.4% more for groceries

	Almaty	China
Bread 1 loaf	$0.53 KZT256.89	$1.63 CN¥11.25	+205.4%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$4.58 KZT2,209.06	$6.32 CN¥43.68	+37.8%
Milk (1 gallon)	$4.84 KZT2,333.71	$6.70 CN¥46.34	+38.4%
Eggs 1 dozen	$1.66 KZT801.43	$1.56 CN¥10.79	-6.1%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$1.93 KZT927.86	$1.52 CN¥10.53	-20.9%
Apples (1 lb)	$0.59 KZT283.20	$0.74 CN¥5.13	+26.4%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.83 KZT398.61	$0.55 CN¥3.77	-34.1%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.82 KZT394.81	$0.62 CN¥4.31	-23.9%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.84 KZT404.65	$0.50 CN¥3.48	-40.0%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.27 KZT131.26	$0.30 CN¥2.08	+10.4%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.18 KZT86.84	$0.39 CN¥2.73	+118.9%
Average			+28.4%

Almaty vs. China - Cost of groceries

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pay 22.9% more for transportation

	Almaty	China
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$1.81 KZT872.26	$4.34 CN¥29.97	+139.6%
Monthly public transit pass	$18.14 KZT8,739.77	$20.32 CN¥140.46	+12.0%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$22,900.61 KZT11M	$19,143.98 CN¥132K	-16.4%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$7.01 KZT3,376.73	$3.94 CN¥27.25	-43.7%
Average			+22.9%

Almaty vs. China - Cost of transportation

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pay 35.9% less for housing

	Almaty	China
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$12.90 KZT6,216.58	$11.18 CN¥77.25	-13.4%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$645.61 KZT311K	$304.90 CN¥2,107.39	-52.8%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$437.19 KZT211K	$195.65 CN¥1,352.27	-55.2%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$52.67 KZT25,378.41	$41.04 CN¥283.68	-22.1%
Average			-35.9%

Almaty vs. China - Cost of housing

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pay 53.1% more for childcare

	Almaty	China
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$258.77 KZT125K	$390.25 CN¥2,697.34	+50.8%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$9,972.39 KZT5M	$15,493.57 CN¥107K	+55.4%
Average			+53.1%

Almaty vs. China - Cost of childcare

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pay 18.2% more for entertainment and sports

	Almaty	China
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.28 KZT617.96	$1.04 CN¥7.20	-18.8%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.28 KZT1,097.01	$2.84 CN¥19.60	+24.6%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$1.83 KZT882.80	$3.36 CN¥23.22	+83.4%
Monthly membership at local gym	$48.33 KZT23,288.35	$41.13 CN¥284.27	-14.9%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$5.13 KZT2,471.85	$5.98 CN¥41.35	+16.6%
Average			+18.2%

Almaty vs. China - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 28.7% less for clothing

	Almaty	China
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$70.28 KZT33,867.60	$45.93 CN¥317.44	-34.7%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$40.36 KZT19,450.04	$30.93 CN¥213.79	-23.4%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$92.56 KZT44,600.83	$71.26 CN¥492.53	-23.0%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$109.97 KZT52,992.05	$72.88 CN¥503.74	-33.7%
Average			-28.7%

Almaty vs. China - Cost of clothing

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: April 2026

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