Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Abadan and Ashgabat

For one person, living is cheaper in Abadan: $2,170 a month against $3,367 in Ashgabat, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Abadan
🇹🇲 Turkmenistan
$2,170
/mo nomad
Ashgabat
🇹🇲 Turkmenistan
$3,367
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Abadan and in Ashgabat

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Abadan and in Ashgabat actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,170 in Abadan versus $3,367 in Ashgabat.

  • Abadan $2,170
  • Ashgabat $3,367

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Abadan versus $5,093 in Ashgabat.

  • Abadan $3,275
  • Ashgabat $5,093

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,379 in Abadan versus $6,820 in Ashgabat.

  • Abadan $4,379
  • Ashgabat $6,820

Living in Abadan costs roughly 36% less than in Ashgabat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Abadan 60% above, Ashgabat 148% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Abadan
Ashgabat
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$30.79 TMT 103
$30.92 TMT 104
-0.42%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$84.7 TMT 285
$86.5 TMT 290
-2.04%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.80 TMT 42.99
$13.08 TMT 43.94
-2.14%
Cappuccino
$6.63 TMT 22.29
$6.94 TMT 23.33
-4.47%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.61 TMT 5.40
$1.58 TMT 5.32
1.90%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 TMT 2.79
$0.84 TMT 2.83
-1.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.68 TMT 19.10
$5.78 TMT 19.42
-1.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$13.75 TMT 46.21
$13.40 TMT 45.02
2.61%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Abadan
Ashgabat
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$4.39 TMT 14.76
$4.41 TMT 14.82
-0.45%
White Bread (500g)
$2.08 TMT 6.98
$2.05 TMT 6.90
1.46%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.74 TMT 19.30
$5.99 TMT 20.12
-4.17%
Eggs
$5.93 TMT 19.92
$5.85 TMT 19.65
1.37%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$37.90 TMT 127
$37.82 TMT 127
0.21%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$19.79 TMT 66.5
$19.59 TMT 65.8
1.02%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$23.03 TMT 77.4
$23.05 TMT 77.4
-0.09%
Apples (1kg)
$5.12 TMT 17.19
$5.19 TMT 17.45
-1.35%
Banana (1kg)
$8.56 TMT 28.75
$8.41 TMT 28.24
1.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$7.41 TMT 24.89
$7.69 TMT 25.83
-3.64%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.62 TMT 12.16
$3.57 TMT 11.99
1.40%
Potato (1kg)
$2.34 TMT 7.86
$2.31 TMT 7.74
1.30%
Onion (1kg)
$1.44 TMT 4.84
$1.42 TMT 4.76
1.41%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.68 TMT 9.02
$2.72 TMT 9.15
-1.47%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.12 TMT 3.77
$1.10 TMT 3.69
1.82%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$25.87 TMT 86.9
$25.46 TMT 85.6
1.61%
Wine (Bottle)
$41.57 TMT 140
$41.36 TMT 139
0.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$5.33 TMT 17.93
$5.16 TMT 17.35
3.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.90 TMT 9.75
$2.91 TMT 9.77
-0.34%
🚌 Getting Around
Abadan
Ashgabat
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.14 TMT 0.47
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$10.01 TMT 33.62
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.91 TMT 9.77
$2.83 TMT 9.50
2.83%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.84 TMT 2.83
$0.84 TMT 2.84
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.38 TMT 28.16
$8.49 TMT 28.54
-1.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.45 TMT 1.51
$0.44 TMT 1.50
2.27%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$44.0K TMT 148.0K
$44.2K TMT 148.4K
-0.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$57.8K TMT 194.1K
$56.7K TMT 190.4K
1.93%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Abadan
Ashgabat
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$566 TMT 1,902
$567 TMT 1,905
-0.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$56.8 TMT 191
$56.8 TMT 191
0.11%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$102 TMT 344
$103 TMT 345
-0.57%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Abadan
Ashgabat
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$192 TMT 645
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$43.98 TMT 148
-
Cinema Ticket
$8.57 TMT 28.81
$8.78 TMT 29.50
-2.39%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Abadan
Ashgabat
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$22.79 TMT 76.6
$23.20 TMT 77.9
-1.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.3K TMT 81.7K
$24.9K TMT 83.6K
-2.29%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Abadan
Ashgabat
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.9 TMT 188
$56.1 TMT 189
-0.43%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$112 TMT 377
$115 TMT 385
-2.14%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$361 TMT 1,213
$368 TMT 1,238
-1.98%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$190 TMT 639
$195 TMT 655
-2.49%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Abadan
Ashgabat
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,412 TMT 4,745
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$982 TMT 3,298
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$2,273 TMT 7,636
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,959 TMT 6,582
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,585 TMT 12.0K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$2,851 TMT 9,580
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Abadan
Ashgabat
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$738 TMT 2,478
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.5
9.5
-

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

Last update for Abadan: October 18, 2026

Last update for Ashgabat: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Abadan
$725
Ashgabat
$727 0.2% $1.6
Groceries & Markets
Abadan
$667
Ashgabat
$666 0.3% $1.7
Eating Out
Abadan
$430
Ashgabat
$435 1.2% $5.3
Clothing & Footwear
Abadan
$324
Ashgabat
$330 2.1% $6.7
Sport & Entertainment
Abadan
$17 *
Ashgabat
$210 1122% $192
Getting Around
Abadan
$7.1 *
Ashgabat
$18 148% $11
Accommodation & Living
Abadan
- *
Ashgabat
$982

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $85.0 in Abadan vs $86.0 in Ashgabat. Groceries flip the comparison at $667 vs $666, with Ashgabat cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇹🇲 Abadan
🇹🇲 Ashgabat
🕒 Local time
17:27 5:27 PM
17:27 5:27 PM
Same time as Abadan
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
39,481
909,000 Capital
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to TMT – Turkmenistani Manat Converter

Turkmenistani Manat exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 3.36 TMT (1 TMT = 0.298 USD). 1 EUR = 3.78 TMT (1 TMT = 0.265 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Abadan Ashgabat 24 km
From you
  • Abadan
  • Ashgabat

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
Abadan vs Ashgabat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ashgabat cheaper than Abadan?
Abadan is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and utilities. The 55% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $3,256 in Abadan and $5,050 in Ashgabat to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $22.79 in Abadan versus $23.20 in Ashgabat. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Abadan or in Ashgabat?
Dining out is cheaper in Abadan – a meal for two runs $85.0 versus $86.0 in Ashgabat. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Abadan or in Ashgabat?
At $2,170 in Abadan versus $3,367 in Ashgabat, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Abadan but tight or insufficient in Ashgabat. The gap between the two cities makes Abadan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Abadan or in Ashgabat?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Which city is safer, Abadan or Ashgabat?
Safety-wise, Abadan and Ashgabat are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Abadan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Ashgabat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Abadan vs other spots: cost of living compared

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