Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bishkek and Monastir

For one person, living is cheaper in Monastir: $706 a month against $977 in Bishkek, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bishkek outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

47

Cost of Living Index in Bishkek
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Bishkek Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Monastir
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Monastir Living Index

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Bishkek

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan

$977

/mo nomad

Monastir

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$706

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bishkek and in Monastir

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 Monastir actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $977 in Bishkek versus $706 in Monastir.

Bishkek $977
Monastir $706

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,505 in Bishkek versus $1,131 in Monastir.

Bishkek $1,505
Monastir $1,131

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,032 in Bishkek versus $1,555 in Monastir.

Bishkek $2,032
Monastir $1,555

Living in Bishkek is roughly 38% more expensive than in Monastir, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bishkek 28% lower, Monastir 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.80 KGS 595

$5.01 TND 15.08

35.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.12 KGS 2,547

$22.48 TND 67.7

29.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.70 KGS 499

$6.15 TND 18.51

-7.32%

Cappuccino

$2.45 KGS 215

$1.19 TND 3.59

105.88%

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

$0.75 KGS 65.8

$0.74 TND 2.23

1.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 KGS 35.69

$0.36 TND 1.09

13.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.39 KGS 121

$1.63 TND 4.92

-14.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 KGS 168

$1.63 TND 4.91

17.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 KGS 89.9

$0.44 TND 1.32

134.09%

White Bread (500g)

$0.41 KGS 36.15

$0.17 TND 0.51

141.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 KGS 151

$1.68 TND 5.05

2.98%

Eggs

$1.76 KGS 154

$1.58 TND 4.75

11.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.73 KGS 677

$13.71 TND 41.29

-43.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.62 KGS 404

$6.15 TND 18.52

-24.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.74 KGS 764

$14.60 TND 43.97

-40.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.42 KGS 124

$2.01 TND 6.07

-29.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 KGS 160

$4.40 TND 13.25

-58.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 KGS 176

$1.20 TND 3.60

67.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 KGS 137

$0.80 TND 2.40

95.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 KGS 53.4

$0.87 TND 2.63

-29.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.51 KGS 44.34

$0.72 TND 2.17

-29.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 KGS 62.3

$0.44 TND 1.33

61.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 KGS 49.86

$0.33 TND 1.01

72.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.07 KGS 181

$3.74 TND 11.27

-44.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.05 KGS 792

$5.70 TND 17.18

58.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 KGS 120

$1.21 TND 3.65

13.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 KGS 169

$1.32 TND 3.97

46.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 KGS 21.01

$0.32 TND 0.95

-25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.55 KGS 1,010

$11.01 TND 33.17

4.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.89 KGS 78.2

$0.29 TND 0.87

206.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 KGS 38.35

$0.29 TND 0.86

51.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.56 KGS 486

$1.77 TND 5.34

214.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 KGS 85.6

$0.83 TND 2.49

18.07%

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

$29.8K KGS 2.6M

$39.7K TND 119.6K

-24.91%

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

$33.2K KGS 2.9M

$35.9K TND 108.3K

-7.69%

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

$49.36 KGS 4,318

$61.5 TND 185

-19.79%

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

$5.75 KGS 503

$10.56 TND 31.82

-45.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.91 KGS 1,042

$20.06 TND 60.4

-40.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.9 KGS 4,713

$23.67 TND 71.3

127.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.66 KGS 1,282

$6.63 TND 19.97

121.12%

Cinema Ticket

$5.59 KGS 489

$6.03 TND 18.17

-7.30%

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

$217 KGS 19.0K

$94.4 TND 284

129.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,810 KGS 683.2K

$3,205 TND 9,656

143.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.3 KGS 4,924

$46.92 TND 141

19.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.87 KGS 3,837

$67.5 TND 203

-34.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.8 KGS 8,027

$111 TND 335

-17.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.9 KGS 7,862

$97.2 TND 293

-7.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$599 KGS 52.4K

$203 TND 610

195.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$410 KGS 35.9K

$121 TND 363

240.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 KGS 90.1K

$354 TND 1,067

190.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$718 KGS 62.8K

$233 TND 703

207.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,811 KGS 158.4K

$1,219 TND 3,671

48.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,209 KGS 105.8K

$619 TND 1,864

95.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$498 KGS 43.5K

$347 TND 1,044

43.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.1

82.73%

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

Last update for Bishkek: October 27, 2026

Last update for Monastir: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bishkek

$410 42%

Monastir

$121 17.1% 70.6% $289

Groceries & Markets

Bishkek

$176 18%

Monastir

$210 29.7% 19.1% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Bishkek

$127 13%

Monastir

$145 20.6% 14.5% $18

Eating Out

Bishkek

$116 11.9%

Monastir

$89 12.6% 23.8% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bishkek

$67 6.9%

Monastir

$92 13.1% 37.5% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Bishkek

$65 6.7%

Monastir

$36 5.1% 45.1% $29

Getting Around

Bishkek

$16 1.6%

Monastir

$14 2% 10.3% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $599 in Bishkek and $203 in Monastir. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bishkek pays 44% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $29 in Bishkek vs $22 in Monastir. Groceries flip the comparison at $176 vs $210, with Bishkek cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇬 Bishkek

🇹🇳 Monastir

🕒 Local time

00:04 12:04 AM

19:04 7:04 PM

5 h behind Bishkek

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,012,500 Capital

104,535

💱 Currency

Kyrgyzstani Som KGS сом

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

100 KGS = 1.14 USD

100 KGS = 1.03 EUR

1 TND = 0.332 USD

1 TND = 0.298 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to KGS – Kyrgyzstani Som Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstani Som (сом)

Kyrgyzstani Som exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 87.47 KGS (100 KGS = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 97.37 KGS (100 KGS = 1.03 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.01 TND (1 TND = 0.332 USD). 1 EUR = 3.35 TND (1 TND = 0.298 EUR).

USD to KGS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bishkek Monastir 5,410 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Bishkek
Monastir

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 Monastir: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monastir is cheaper overall, especially in leisure, eating out, and transport. The 38% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 44% 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 $203 in Monastir. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $217 in Bishkek versus $94 in Monastir. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Bishkek pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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.

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

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