Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bishkek and Msaken

For one person, living is cheaper in Msaken: $646 a month against $980 in Bishkek, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Bishkek
Learn more

Bishkek Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Msaken
Learn more

Msaken Living Index

Jump to prices

Bishkek

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan

$980

/mo nomad

Msaken

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bishkek and in Msaken

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $980 in Bishkek versus $646 in Msaken.

Bishkek $980
Msaken $646

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,503 in Bishkek versus $1,020 in Msaken.

Bishkek $1,503
Msaken $1,020

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,026 in Bishkek versus $1,394 in Msaken.

Bishkek $2,026
Msaken $1,394

Living in Bishkek is roughly 52% more expensive than in Msaken, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bishkek 27% lower, Msaken 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.02 KGS 614

$4.93 TND 14.76

42.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.73 KGS 2,513

$21.88 TND 65.5

31.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.73 KGS 501

$5.86 TND 17.55

-2.22%

Cappuccino

$2.40 KGS 210

$1.03 TND 3.08

133.01%

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

$0.75 KGS 66.0

$0.80 TND 2.39

-6.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 KGS 35.19

$0.37 TND 1.11

8.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.41 KGS 123

$1.71 TND 5.11

-17.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 KGS 165

$2.13 TND 6.38

-11.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 KGS 90.1

$0.48 TND 1.45

114.58%

White Bread (500g)

$0.38 KGS 33.63

$0.30 TND 0.90

26.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 KGS 144

$1.71 TND 5.12

-4.09%

Eggs

$1.77 KGS 155

$1.76 TND 5.26

0.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 KGS 674

$13.69 TND 41.00

-43.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.51 KGS 395

$5.65 TND 16.93

-20.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.00 KGS 787

$14.36 TND 43.00

-37.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.36 KGS 119

$2.04 TND 6.10

-33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 KGS 165

$3.60 TND 10.78

-47.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 KGS 176

$1.11 TND 3.33

81.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 KGS 134

$0.81 TND 2.43

88.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 KGS 50.8

$0.86 TND 2.59

-32.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 KGS 41.73

$0.63 TND 1.88

-23.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 KGS 61.2

$0.40 TND 1.20

75.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 KGS 53.8

$0.32 TND 0.95

90.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.02 KGS 177

$3.76 TND 11.26

-46.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.18 KGS 803

$5.94 TND 17.78

54.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 KGS 124

$1.07 TND 3.20

32.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 KGS 176

$1.31 TND 3.92

53.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 KGS 19.13

$0.34 TND 1.02

-35.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.78 KGS 1,031

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 KGS 76.4

$0.32 TND 0.96

171.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 KGS 41.43

$0.32 TND 0.96

46.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.65 KGS 494

$3.91 TND 11.71

44.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 KGS 89.4

$0.86 TND 2.58

18.60%

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

$30.0K KGS 2.6M

$38.9K TND 116.4K

-22.94%

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

$33.6K KGS 2.9M

$35.6K TND 106.8K

-5.85%

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

$50.2 KGS 4,393

$59.7 TND 179

-15.88%

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

$5.62 KGS 491

$9.20 TND 27.56

-38.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.77 KGS 1,029

$20.21 TND 60.5

-41.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.0 KGS 4,813

$21.29 TND 63.8

158.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.87 KGS 1,301

Cinema Ticket

$5.68 KGS 497

$5.92 TND 17.73

-4.05%

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

$222 KGS 19.4K

$91.9 TND 275

141.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,839 KGS 685.7K

$3,156 TND 9,452

148.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 KGS 4,843

$43.28 TND 130

27.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.81 KGS 3,745

$58.7 TND 176

-27.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.6 KGS 7,841

$117 TND 351

-23.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.8 KGS 8,030

$86.0 TND 258

6.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$612 KGS 53.5K

$108 TND 325

464.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$410 KGS 35.8K

$93.1 TND 279

340.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 KGS 91.1K

$203 TND 607

413.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$708 KGS 62.0K

$150 TND 450

371.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,803 KGS 157.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 KGS 107.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$514 KGS 45.0K

$244 TND 731

110.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.1

10.67

88.38%

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

Last update for Bishkek: October 12, 2026

Last update for Msaken: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bishkek

$410 41.8%

Msaken

$93 14.4% 77.3% $317

Groceries & Markets

Bishkek

$177 18%

Msaken

$203 31.5% 15.2% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Bishkek

$126 12.8%

Msaken

$137 21.3% 9.2% $12

Eating Out

Bishkek

$118 12%

Msaken

$87 13.4% 26.1% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bishkek

$68 6.9%

Msaken

$89 13.8% 31.8% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Bishkek

$66 6.8%

Msaken

$33 5.1% 50.1% $33

Getting Around

Bishkek

$16 1.6%

Msaken

$3.3 * 0.5% 79.4% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $612 in Bishkek and $108 in Msaken. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bishkek pays 111% 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 $22.00 in Msaken. Groceries flip the comparison at $177 vs $203, with Bishkek cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇬 Bishkek

🇹🇳 Msaken

🕒 Local time

22:17 10:17 PM

17:17 5:17 PM

5 h behind Bishkek

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,012,500 Capital

56,000

💱 Currency

Kyrgyzstani Som KGS сом

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

100 KGS = 1.14 USD

100 KGS = 1.02 EUR

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 87.48 KGS (100 KGS = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 98.35 KGS (100 KGS = 1.02 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

USD to KGS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bishkek Msaken 5,430 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Bishkek
Msaken

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 Msaken: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Msaken is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and transport. The 52% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 111% 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: $612 in Bishkek versus $108 in Msaken. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $222 in Bishkek versus $91.9 in Msaken. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Msaken – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $29.00 in Bishkek. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $646 in Msaken versus $980 in Bishkek, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Msaken but tight or insufficient in Bishkek. The gap between the two cities makes Msaken the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Msaken 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 Msaken 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 Msaken gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Bishkek. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.