Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ankara and Bishkek

For one person, living is cheaper in Bishkek: $973 a month against $1,389 in Ankara, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Ankara
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Ankara Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bishkek
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Bishkek Living Index

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Ankara

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,389

/mo nomad

Bishkek

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan

$973

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ankara and in Bishkek

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

A single person spends $1,389 per month in Ankara vs $973 in Bishkek, rent included.

Ankara $1,389
Bishkek $973

A couple spends around $2,087 per month in Ankara vs $1,501 in Bishkek, rent included.

Ankara $2,087
Bishkek $1,501

A family of three spends $2,785 per month in Ankara vs $2,030 in Bishkek, rent included.

Ankara $2,785
Bishkek $2,030

Ankara costs about 43% more than Bishkek, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ankara sits 3% above the global median, while Bishkek is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.10 ₺507

$6.81 KGS 596

48.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.81 ₺2,197

$28.08 KGS 2,458

56.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.78 ₺490

$5.71 KGS 500

71.28%

Cappuccino

$4.12 ₺207

$2.49 KGS 218

65.46%

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

$1.68 ₺84.3

$0.73 KGS 63.5

130.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₺36.05

$0.41 KGS 35.82

75.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.02 ₺252

$1.36 KGS 119

269.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.60 ₺331

$1.98 KGS 173

233.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 ₺58.4

$0.99 KGS 86.4

17.17%

White Bread (500g)

$0.96 ₺48.39

$0.39 KGS 34.03

146.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ₺113

$1.74 KGS 152

29.31%

Eggs

$2.66 ₺134

$1.68 KGS 147

58.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.09 ₺506

$7.74 KGS 678

30.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.43 ₺272

$4.46 KGS 390

21.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.99 ₺1,003

$8.76 KGS 766

128.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.91 ₺95.8

$1.41 KGS 124

35.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ₺109

$1.82 KGS 159

19.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 ₺63.3

$2.15 KGS 188

-41.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 ₺82.6

$1.61 KGS 141

2.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.69

$0.61 KGS 53.1

6.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₺27.40

$0.52 KGS 45.22

5.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ₺49.75

$0.71 KGS 62.5

39.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ₺32.90

$0.60 KGS 52.8

10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.25 ₺113

$2.04 KGS 179

10.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.37 ₺620

$8.92 KGS 781

38.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 ₺106

$1.42 KGS 124

49.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ₺161

$1.95 KGS 171

64.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 ₺38.86

$0.22 KGS 19.21

250.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.85 ₺595

$11.89 KGS 1,041

-0.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.3

$0.85 KGS 74.0

50.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.84 ₺42.02

$0.44 KGS 38.43

90.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.22 ₺412

$5.57 KGS 488

47.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 ₺69.5

$1.03 KGS 90.0

34.95%

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

$48.4K ₺2.4M

$30.3K KGS 2.6M

60.08%

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

$40.2K ₺2.0M

$34.0K KGS 3.0M

18.25%

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

$99.9 ₺5,011

$48.72 KGS 4,265

105.07%

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

$11.15 ₺559

$5.80 KGS 508

92.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.94 ₺900

$11.99 KGS 1,050

49.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.0 ₺3,611

$54.0 KGS 4,723

33.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.80 ₺742

$14.68 KGS 1,285

0.82%

Cinema Ticket

$7.77 ₺390

$5.56 KGS 486

39.75%

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

$1,084 ₺54.3K

$219 KGS 19.2K

394.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₺1.1M

$10.5K KGS 917.1K

114.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ₺2,677

$55.3 KGS 4,840

-3.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.87 ₺2,401

$42.61 KGS 3,730

12.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 ₺5,229

$91.2 KGS 7,982

14.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.8 ₺4,905

$91.0 KGS 7,967

7.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$748 ₺37.5K

$587 KGS 51.4K

27.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$557 ₺27.9K

$407 KGS 35.6K

36.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 ₺57.3K

$1,075 KGS 94.1K

6.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$902 ₺45.2K

$723 KGS 63.3K

24.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,644 ₺82.5K

$1,764 KGS 154.4K

-6.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,142 ₺57.3K

$1,229 KGS 107.6K

-7.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,058 ₺53.1K

$501 KGS 43.9K

111.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

43.85

20.1

118.16%

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

Last update for Ankara: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bishkek: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ankara

$557 40.1%

Bishkek

$407 41.8% 26.9% $150

Groceries & Markets

Ankara

$251 18.1%

Bishkek

$176 18.1% 30% $75

Eating Out

Ankara

$208 14.9%

Bishkek

$117 12% 43.7% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Ankara

$136 9.8%

Bishkek

$126 13% 7.6% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ankara

$129 9.3%

Bishkek

$67 6.8% 48.4% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Ankara

$88 6.3%

Bishkek

$65 6.7% 25.7% $22

Getting Around

Ankara

$20 1.5%

Bishkek

$16 1.6% 22.6% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $748 in Ankara versus $587 in Bishkek. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Ankara are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Ankara versus $28 in Bishkek. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $176 – making Bishkek the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Ankara

🇰🇬 Bishkek

🕒 Local time

00:05 12:05 AM

03:05 3:05 AM

3 h ahead of Ankara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,864,049 Capital

1,012,500 Capital

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Kyrgyzstani Som KGS сом

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

100 KGS = 1.14 USD

100 KGS = 1.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KGS, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.05 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Kyrgyzstani Som exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 87.53 KGS (100 KGS = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 97.82 KGS (100 KGS = 1.02 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ankara Bishkek 3,460 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ankara
Bishkek

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

Ankara vs Bishkek: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ankara costs about 43% more than Bishkek, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,083 per month in Ankara and $1,460 in Bishkek. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bishkek, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $587 there versus $748 in Ankara.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Ankara and $28 in Bishkek. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 43% more in Ankara, though the gap depends on what you buy.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bishkek costs $973 versus $1,389 in Ankara. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Bishkek. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ankara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.