Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashgabat and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Ashgabat: $3,331 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in London outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Ashgabat
🇹🇲 Turkmenistan
$3,331
/mo nomad
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$4,086
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ashgabat and in London

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,331 in Ashgabat versus $4,086 in London.

  • Ashgabat $3,331
  • London $4,086

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,094 in Ashgabat versus $5,816 in London.

  • Ashgabat $5,094
  • London $5,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,857 in Ashgabat versus $7,546 in London.

  • Ashgabat $6,857
  • London $7,546

Living in Ashgabat costs roughly 18% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ashgabat 149% above, London 205% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ashgabat
London
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$31.23 TMT 105
$26.62 £20.12
17.32%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$85.1 TMT 285
$108 £81.3
-20.91%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.65 TMT 42.39
$10.39 £7.86
21.75%
Cappuccino
$6.59 TMT 22.07
$5.79 £4.38
13.82%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.53 TMT 5.14
$3.01 £2.27
-49.17%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 TMT 2.74
$2.15 £1.63
-61.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.67 TMT 18.98
$9.35 £7.07
-39.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$13.74 TMT 46.04
$7.84 £5.93
75.26%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ashgabat
London
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$4.48 TMT 15.00
$1.79 £1.35
150.28%
White Bread (500g)
$2.05 TMT 6.88
$2.06 £1.56
-0.49%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.82 TMT 19.48
$2.31 £1.74
151.95%
Eggs
$5.93 TMT 19.87
$5.05 £3.82
17.43%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$37.90 TMT 127
$12.57 £9.50
201.51%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$20.09 TMT 67.3
$10.66 £8.05
88.46%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$23.50 TMT 78.7
$17.13 £12.95
37.19%
Apples (1kg)
$4.98 TMT 16.70
$3.03 £2.29
64.36%
Banana (1kg)
$8.53 TMT 28.58
$1.41 £1.07
504.96%
Oranges (1kg)
$7.32 TMT 24.52
$3.05 £2.31
140.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.61 TMT 12.09
$3.38 £2.56
6.80%
Potato (1kg)
$2.33 TMT 7.80
$1.67 £1.26
39.52%
Onion (1kg)
$1.46 TMT 4.90
$1.73 £1.31
-15.61%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.69 TMT 9.00
$1.41 £1.07
90.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.12 TMT 3.74
$1.79 £1.35
-37.43%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$25.56 TMT 85.6
$23.22 £17.55
10.08%
Wine (Bottle)
$42.09 TMT 141
$12.99 £9.82
224.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$5.26 TMT 17.62
$3.18 £2.41
65.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.89 TMT 9.67
$4.41 £3.34
-34.47%
🚌 Getting Around
Ashgabat
London
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.15 TMT 0.49
$3.87 £2.93
-96.12%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$9.89 TMT 33.13
$250 £189
-96.04%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.90 TMT 9.73
$5.71 £4.31
-49.21%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.88 TMT 2.96
$3.33 £2.51
-73.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.41 TMT 28.17
$57.9 £43.77
-85.48%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.44 TMT 1.48
$2.04 £1.54
-78.43%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$44.6K TMT 149.3K
$37.5K £28.4K
18.66%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$57.2K TMT 191.5K
$40.9K £30.9K
39.76%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ashgabat
London
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$580 TMT 1,944
$376 £284
54.29%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$56.8 TMT 190
$17.88 £13.51
217.79%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$103 TMT 347
$40.01 £30.25
158.64%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ashgabat
London
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$191 TMT 640
$61.2 £46.23
212.46%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$45.50 TMT 152
$21.07 £15.93
115.95%
Cinema Ticket
$8.53 TMT 28.58
$17.95 £13.57
-52.48%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ashgabat
London
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$23.05 TMT 77.2
$2,865 £2,166
-99.20%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.8K TMT 83.0K
$35.3K £26.7K
-29.87%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ashgabat
London
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.8 TMT 184
$116 £87.7
-52.75%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$115 TMT 385
$54.1 £40.88
112.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$365 TMT 1,224
$127 £95.7
188.46%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$189 TMT 632
$159 £120
18.37%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ashgabat
London
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,402 TMT 4,695
$2,853 £2,157
-50.88%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,000 TMT 3,351
$2,301 £1,740
-56.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,288 TMT 7,663
$5,201 £3,932
-56.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,920 TMT 6,433
$3,723 £2,814
-48.42%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,527 TMT 11.8K
$19.0K £14.4K
-81.44%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,813 TMT 9,422
$7,881 £5,957
-64.31%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ashgabat
London
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$736 TMT 2,467
$4,818 £3,642
-84.71%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.5
4.65
104.30%

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

Last update for Ashgabat: October 5, 2026

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ashgabat
$1K
London
$2.3K 130% $1.3K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ashgabat
$741
London
$434 41.4% $307
Groceries & Markets
Ashgabat
$671
London
$349 47.9% $321
Eating Out
Ashgabat
$432
London
$397 8.2% $35
Clothing & Footwear
Ashgabat
$326
London
$205 37% $120
Sport & Entertainment
Ashgabat
$208
London
$97 53.4% $111
Getting Around
Ashgabat
$18
London
$288 1518% $270

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,402 in Ashgabat and $2,853 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 554% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Ashgabat vs $108 in London. Groceries flip the comparison at $671 vs $349, with London cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇹🇲 Ashgabat
🇬🇧 London
🕒 Local time
06:07 6:07 AM
02:07 2:07 AM
4 h behind Ashgabat
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
909,000 Capital
8,908,083 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to TMT – Turkmenistani Manat Converter

Turkmenistani Manat exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.35 TMT (1 TMT = 0.299 USD). 1 EUR = 3.76 TMT (1 TMT = 0.266 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ashgabat London 4,720 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ashgabat
  • London

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
Ashgabat vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Ashgabat and in London?
Ashgabat and London differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($3,331 vs $4,086 including rent). Ashgabat is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 554% lower in London. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Ashgabat and in London?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,402 in Ashgabat versus $2,853 in London. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Ashgabat and London?
Childcare runs $23.05 in Ashgabat versus $2,865 in London. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in London pay roughly 92% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city is feasible on a $3,000 budget?
Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Ashgabat is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
How does quality of life compare between Ashgabat and London?
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.
Is Ashgabat or London safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Ashgabat and London are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Ashgabat or London?
Expats usually find Ashgabat gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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