Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bishkek and Belem

For one person, living is cheaper in Belem: $877 a month against $977 in Bishkek, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Bishkek
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Bishkek Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Belem
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Belem Living Index

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Bishkek

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan

$977

/mo nomad

Belem

🇧🇷 Brazil

$877

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bishkek and in Belem

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $977 in Bishkek versus $877 in Belem.

Bishkek $977
Belem $877

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,505 in Bishkek versus $1,329 in Belem.

Bishkek $1,505
Belem $1,329

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,032 in Bishkek versus $1,781 in Belem.

Bishkek $2,032
Belem $1,781

Living in Bishkek is roughly 11% more expensive than in Belem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bishkek 28% lower, Belem 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.80 KGS 595

$4.66 R$25.08

45.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.12 KGS 2,547

$18.25 R$98.2

59.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.70 KGS 499

$6.54 R$35.22

-12.84%

Cappuccino

$2.45 KGS 215

$1.72 R$9.28

42.44%

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

$0.75 KGS 65.8

$0.99 R$5.34

-24.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 KGS 35.69

$0.44 R$2.35

-6.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.39 KGS 121

$1.50 R$8.10

-7.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 KGS 168

$2.17 R$11.70

-11.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 KGS 89.9

$1.29 R$6.92

-20.16%

White Bread (500g)

$0.41 KGS 36.15

$2.33 R$12.54

-82.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 KGS 151

$1.25 R$6.70

38.40%

Eggs

$1.76 KGS 154

$1.98 R$10.67

-11.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.73 KGS 676

$8.44 R$45.44

-8.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.62 KGS 404

$4.12 R$22.16

12.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.74 KGS 764

$7.25 R$39.00

20.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.42 KGS 124

$2.24 R$12.05

-36.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 KGS 160

$1.32 R$7.12

38.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 KGS 176

$1.39 R$7.48

44.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 KGS 137

$1.56 R$8.37

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 KGS 53.4

$0.97 R$5.21

-37.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.51 KGS 44.33

$0.54 R$2.89

-5.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 KGS 62.3

$1.26 R$6.80

-43.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 KGS 49.86

$1.37 R$7.36

-58.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.07 KGS 181

$2.45 R$13.19

-15.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.05 KGS 792

$9.32 R$50.2

-2.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 KGS 120

$1.33 R$7.18

3.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 KGS 169

$4.52 R$24.35

-57.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 KGS 21.01

$0.90 R$4.85

-73.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.55 KGS 1,010

$31.93 R$172

-63.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.89 KGS 78.2

$1.10 R$5.93

-19.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 KGS 38.34

$1.10 R$5.90

-60.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.56 KGS 486

$7.92 R$42.64

-29.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 KGS 85.6

$1.15 R$6.21

-14.78%

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

$29.8K KGS 2.6M

$21.8K R$117.5K

36.57%

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

$33.2K KGS 2.9M

$30.0K R$161.6K

10.50%

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

$49.36 KGS 4,317

$93.5 R$503

-47.21%

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

$5.75 KGS 503

$10.82 R$58.3

-46.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.91 KGS 1,042

$29.78 R$160

-60.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.9 KGS 4,712

$20.33 R$109

165.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.66 KGS 1,282

$36.96 R$199

-60.34%

Cinema Ticket

$5.59 KGS 489

$7.46 R$40.15

-25.07%

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

$217 KGS 19.0K

$104 R$561

108.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,810 KGS 683.1K

$3,250 R$17.5K

140.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.3 KGS 4,923

$30.81 R$166

82.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.87 KGS 3,837

$41.86 R$225

4.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.8 KGS 8,026

$75.6 R$407

21.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.9 KGS 7,861

$61.4 R$330

46.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$599 KGS 52.4K

$503 R$2,709

19.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$410 KGS 35.9K

$267 R$1,436

53.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 KGS 90.0K

$837 R$4,506

22.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$718 KGS 62.8K

$485 R$2,611

47.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,811 KGS 158.4K

$1,865 R$10.0K

-2.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,209 KGS 105.8K

$1,302 R$7,005

-7.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$498 KGS 43.5K

$386 R$2,079

28.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.1

11.48

75.09%

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

Last update for Bishkek: October 27, 2026

Last update for Belem: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bishkek

$410 42%

Belem

$267 30.4% 34.9% $143

Groceries & Markets

Bishkek

$176 18%

Belem

$209 23.8% 18.6% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Bishkek

$127 13%

Belem

$94 10.8% 25.6% $32

Eating Out

Bishkek

$116 11.9%

Belem

$95 10.9% 18.2% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bishkek

$67 6.9%

Belem

$134 15.3% 100% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Bishkek

$65 6.7%

Belem

$35 4% 45.8% $30

Getting Around

Bishkek

$16 1.6%

Belem

$42 4.8% 170% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $599 in Bishkek and $503 in Belem. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bishkek pays 29% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $29 in Bishkek vs $18 in Belem. Groceries flip the comparison at $176 vs $209, with Bishkek cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇬 Bishkek

🇧🇷 Belem

🕒 Local time

10:40 10:40 AM

01:40 1:40 AM

9 h behind Bishkek

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,012,500 Capital

1,303,403

💱 Currency

Kyrgyzstani Som KGS сом

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 KGS = 1.14 USD

100 KGS = 1.02 EUR

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.166 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to KGS – Kyrgyzstani Som Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstani Som (сом)

Kyrgyzstani Som exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 87.46 KGS (100 KGS = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 97.66 KGS (100 KGS = 1.02 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.38 BRL (1 BRL = 0.186 USD). 1 EUR = 6.01 BRL (1 BRL = 0.166 EUR).

USD to KGS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bishkek Belem 12,750 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Bishkek
Belem

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

Bishkek vs Belem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Belem is about 10% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, leisure, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 29% higher in Bishkek, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $599 in Bishkek versus $503 in Belem. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Bishkek runs roughly 64% less than in Belem. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $217 in Bishkek versus $104 in Belem. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Belem wins on affordability, Bishkek on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.