Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bishkek and Oskemen

For one person, living is cheaper in Oskemen: $904 a month against $989 in Bishkek, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bishkek outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

48

Cost of Living Index in Bishkek
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Bishkek Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Oskemen
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Oskemen Living Index

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Bishkek

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan

$989

/mo nomad

Oskemen

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$904

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bishkek and in Oskemen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $989 in Bishkek versus $904 in Oskemen.

Bishkek $989
Oskemen $904

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,516 in Bishkek versus $1,517 in Oskemen.

Bishkek $1,516
Oskemen $1,517

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,042 in Bishkek versus $2,131 in Oskemen.

Bishkek $2,042
Oskemen $2,131

Living in Bishkek is roughly 9% more expensive than in Oskemen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bishkek 27% lower, Oskemen 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.01 KGS 613

$13.29 ₸6,010

-47.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.94 KGS 2,531

$26.05 ₸11.8K

11.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.00 KGS 525

$3.90 ₸1,764

53.85%

Cappuccino

$2.49 KGS 218

$3.42 ₸1,547

-27.19%

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

$0.71 KGS 62.5

$0.98 ₸444

-27.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 KGS 32.76

$0.55 ₸248

-32.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.33 KGS 116

$1.58 ₸716

-15.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 KGS 172

$1.69 ₸766

15.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 KGS 86.2

$1.45 ₸656

-31.72%

White Bread (500g)

$0.39 KGS 33.95

$0.49 ₸223

-20.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 KGS 149

$1.37 ₸618

24.82%

Eggs

$1.75 KGS 153

$1.76 ₸795

-0.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.82 KGS 684

$10.07 ₸4,554

-22.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.68 KGS 410

$5.93 ₸2,681

-21.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.86 KGS 775

$8.02 ₸3,624

10.47%

Apples (1kg)

$1.37 KGS 120

$1.17 ₸530

17.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 KGS 160

$2.01 ₸907

-8.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 KGS 176

$2.72 ₸1,230

-26.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 KGS 137

$2.52 ₸1,140

-37.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 KGS 54.0

$0.94 ₸425

-34.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.51 KGS 44.85

$0.52 ₸236

-1.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 KGS 61.5

$0.32 ₸145

118.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 KGS 53.9

$1.05 ₸476

-40.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.03 KGS 177

$2.23 ₸1,006

-8.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.13 KGS 799

$4.87 ₸2,201

87.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 KGS 120

$1.45 ₸656

-4.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 KGS 171

$1.62 ₸733

20.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 KGS 21.02

$0.24 ₸108

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.77 KGS 1,030

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.89 KGS 77.9

$1.13 ₸511

-21.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 KGS 41.16

$0.32 ₸146

46.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 KGS 488

$2.47 ₸1,119

125.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 KGS 83.8

$0.66 ₸297

45.45%

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

$29.7K KGS 2.6M

$32.4K ₸14.7M

-8.35%

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

$33.4K KGS 2.9M

$31.1K ₸14.1M

7.35%

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

$50.5 KGS 4,417

$46.60 ₸21.1K

8.35%

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

$5.77 KGS 505

$11.54 ₸5,217

-50.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.99 KGS 1,049

$22.44 ₸10.1K

-46.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.3 KGS 4,839

$26.34 ₸11.9K

110.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.53 KGS 1,271

$19.83 ₸8,964

-26.73%

Cinema Ticket

$5.81 KGS 508

$5.09 ₸2,301

14.15%

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

$218 KGS 19.1K

$66.0 ₸29.8K

230.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,840 KGS 685.9K

$2,835 ₸1.3M

176.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 KGS 4,917

$112 ₸50.8K

-49.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.43 KGS 3,799

$81.0 ₸36.6K

-46.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.5 KGS 7,916

$97.9 ₸44.3K

-7.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.8 KGS 7,855

$121 ₸54.7K

-25.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$595 KGS 52.0K

$339 ₸153.3K

75.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$416 KGS 36.4K

$226 ₸102.2K

84.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 KGS 88.9K

$675 ₸305.0K

50.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$718 KGS 62.8K

$572 ₸258.6K

25.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,748 KGS 152.9K

$1,107 ₸500.3K

57.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,225 KGS 107.1K

$838 ₸378.8K

46.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$497 KGS 43.5K

$800 ₸361.6K

-37.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.1

19.5

3.08%

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

Last update for Bishkek: October 18, 2026

Last update for Oskemen: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bishkek

$416 42.1%

Oskemen

$226 25% 45.7% $190

Groceries & Markets

Bishkek

$177 17.9%

Oskemen

$195 21.6% 10.4% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Bishkek

$126 12.7%

Oskemen

$185 20.5% 47.3% $60

Eating Out

Bishkek

$119 12%

Oskemen

$177 19.5% 48.5% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bishkek

$68 6.9%

Oskemen

$81 8.9% 18.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Bishkek

$67 6.8%

Oskemen

$37 4% 45.4% $30

Getting Around

Bishkek

$16 1.6%

Oskemen

$3.7 * 0.4% 76.9% $12

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 $595 in Bishkek and $339 in Oskemen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oskemen pays 61% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $29.00 in Bishkek vs $26.00 in Oskemen. Groceries flip the comparison at $177 vs $195, with Bishkek cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇬 Bishkek

🇰🇿 Oskemen

🕒 Local time

18:33 6:33 PM

Same time as Bishkek

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,012,500 Capital

354,770

💱 Currency

Kyrgyzstani Som KGS сом

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 KGS = 1.14 USD

100 KGS = 1.02 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to KGS – Kyrgyzstani Som Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstani Som (сом)

Kyrgyzstani Som exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 87.48 KGS (100 KGS = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 98.35 KGS (100 KGS = 1.02 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to KGS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bishkek Oskemen 1,000 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bishkek
Oskemen

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 Oskemen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oskemen is cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. The 9% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 61% lower in Oskemen. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $595 in Bishkek versus $339 in Oskemen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $218 in Bishkek versus $66.0 in Oskemen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Oskemen – a meal for two runs $26.00 versus $29.00 in Bishkek. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $904 in Oskemen versus $989 in Bishkek, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Oskemen but tight or insufficient in Bishkek. The gap between the two cities makes Oskemen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Oskemen 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 Oskemen 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 Oskemen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Bishkek. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.