Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bishkek and Kyzyl-Kiya

For one person, living is cheaper in Kyzyl-Kiya: $363 a month against $989 in Bishkek, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Bishkek
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Bishkek Living Index
17

Cost of Living Index in Kyzyl-Kiya
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Kyzyl-Kiya Living Index

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Bishkek

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan

$989

/mo nomad

Kyzyl-Kiya

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan

$363

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bishkek and in Kyzyl-Kiya

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 Kyzyl-Kiya actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $989 in Bishkek versus $363 in Kyzyl-Kiya.

Bishkek $989
Kyzyl-Kiya $363

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,516 in Bishkek versus $598 in Kyzyl-Kiya.

Bishkek $1,516
Kyzyl-Kiya $598

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,042 in Bishkek versus $833 in Kyzyl-Kiya.

Bishkek $2,042
Kyzyl-Kiya $833

Living in Bishkek is roughly 172% more expensive than in Kyzyl-Kiya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bishkek 27% lower, Kyzyl-Kiya 73% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.01 KGS 613

$2.81 KGS 245

149.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.94 KGS 2,531

$22.97 KGS 2,009

25.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.00 KGS 525

$9.33 KGS 816

-35.69%

Cappuccino

$2.49 KGS 218

$1.89 KGS 165

31.75%

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

$0.71 KGS 62.5

$0.32 KGS 28.43

121.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 KGS 32.76

$0.16 KGS 13.65

131.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.33 KGS 116

$1.12 KGS 97.9

18.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 KGS 172

$1.24 KGS 108

58.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 KGS 86.2

$0.77 KGS 67.0

28.57%

White Bread (500g)

$0.39 KGS 33.95

$0.33 KGS 28.55

18.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 KGS 149

$1.16 KGS 101

47.41%

Eggs

$1.75 KGS 153

$1.41 KGS 123

24.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.82 KGS 684

$4.94 KGS 432

58.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.68 KGS 410

$2.06 KGS 180

127.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.86 KGS 775

$6.82 KGS 596

29.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.37 KGS 120

$0.60 KGS 52.2

128.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 KGS 160

$1.50 KGS 131

22.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 KGS 176

$1.41 KGS 123

42.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 KGS 137

$0.45 KGS 39.27

248.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 KGS 54.0

$0.47 KGS 40.85

31.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.51 KGS 44.85

$0.43 KGS 37.46

18.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 KGS 61.5

$0.62 KGS 54.3

12.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 KGS 53.9

$0.52 KGS 45.67

19.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.03 KGS 177

Wine (Bottle)

$9.13 KGS 799

$5.23 KGS 457

74.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 KGS 120

$1.16 KGS 102

18.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 KGS 171

$1.65 KGS 144

18.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 KGS 21.02

$0.36 KGS 31.11

-33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.77 KGS 1,030

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.89 KGS 77.9

$0.24 KGS 21.07

270.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 KGS 41.16

$0.37 KGS 32.05

27.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 KGS 488

$7.79 KGS 681

-28.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 KGS 83.8

$0.69 KGS 60.5

39.13%

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

$29.7K KGS 2.6M

$18.4K KGS 1.6M

61.08%

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

$33.4K KGS 2.9M

$17.0K KGS 1.5M

96.12%

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

$50.5 KGS 4,417

$39.87 KGS 3,487

26.64%

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

$5.77 KGS 505

$2.62 KGS 229

120.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.99 KGS 1,049

$8.92 KGS 781

34.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.3 KGS 4,839

$40.06 KGS 3,505

38.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.53 KGS 1,271

Cinema Ticket

$5.81 KGS 508

$1.70 KGS 149

241.76%

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

$218 KGS 19.1K

$170 KGS 14.8K

28.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,840 KGS 685.9K

$1,894 KGS 165.7K

314.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 KGS 4,917

$18.95 KGS 1,658

196.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.43 KGS 3,799

$36.13 KGS 3,160

20.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.5 KGS 7,916

$53.1 KGS 4,646

70.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.8 KGS 7,855

$34.75 KGS 3,040

158.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$595 KGS 52.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$416 KGS 36.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 KGS 88.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$718 KGS 62.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,748 KGS 152.9K

$393 KGS 34.4K

344.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,225 KGS 107.1K

$346 KGS 30.2K

254.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$497 KGS 43.5K

$427 KGS 37.3K

16.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.1

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

Last update for Bishkek: October 18, 2026

Last update for Kyzyl-Kiya: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bishkek

$416 42.1%

Kyzyl-Kiya

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Bishkek

$177 17.9%

Kyzyl-Kiya

$117 32.3% 33.7% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Bishkek

$126 12.7%

Kyzyl-Kiya

$64 17.7% 48.9% $62

Eating Out

Bishkek

$119 12%

Kyzyl-Kiya

$83 22.9% 30.1% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bishkek

$68 6.9%

Kyzyl-Kiya

$51 14.2% 24.7% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Bishkek

$67 6.8%

Kyzyl-Kiya

$43 12% 35.1% $23

Getting Around

Bishkek

$16 1.6%

Kyzyl-Kiya

$3.5 * 1% 78.1% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

Bishkek pays 16% 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: $29.00 in Bishkek vs $23.00 in Kyzyl-Kiya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $177 vs $117 per month, with Kyzyl-Kiya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇬 Bishkek

🇰🇬 Kyzyl-Kiya

🕒 Local time

08:51 8:51 AM

Same time as Bishkek

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,012,500 Capital

51,300

💱 Currency

Kyrgyzstani Som KGS сом

📈 Exchange rate

100 KGS = 1.14 USD

100 KGS = 1.02 EUR

100 KGS = 1.14 USD

100 KGS = 1.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Bishkek Kyzyl-Kiya 360 km

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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 Kyzyl-Kiya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kyzyl-Kiya is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 172% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 16% higher in Bishkek, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $218 in Bishkek versus $170 in Kyzyl-Kiya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kyzyl-Kiya – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $29.00 in Bishkek. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $363 in Kyzyl-Kiya versus $989 in Bishkek, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kyzyl-Kiya but tight or insufficient in Bishkek. The gap between the two cities makes Kyzyl-Kiya the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Kyzyl-Kiya is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Bishkek, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Bishkek and Kyzyl-Kiya are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Kyzyl-Kiya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 172% less than in Bishkek. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.