Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bishkek and Pathum Thani

For one person, living is cheaper in Pathum Thani: $785 a month against $980 in Bishkek, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Pathum Thani
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Pathum Thani Living Index

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Bishkek

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan

$980

/mo nomad

Pathum Thani

🇹🇭 Thailand

$785

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bishkek and in Pathum Thani

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $980 in Bishkek versus $785 in Pathum Thani.

Bishkek $980
Pathum Thani $785

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,503 in Bishkek versus $1,329 in Pathum Thani.

Bishkek $1,503
Pathum Thani $1,329

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,026 in Bishkek versus $1,873 in Pathum Thani.

Bishkek $2,026
Pathum Thani $1,873

Living in Bishkek is roughly 25% more expensive than in Pathum Thani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bishkek 27% lower, Pathum Thani 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.02 KGS 614

$1.79 ฿59.9

292.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.73 KGS 2,513

$22.25 ฿744

29.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.73 KGS 501

$5.90 ฿197

-2.88%

Cappuccino

$2.40 KGS 210

$1.73 ฿58.0

38.73%

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

$0.75 KGS 66.0

$0.42 ฿14.03

78.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 KGS 35.19

$0.18 ฿6.05

122.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.41 KGS 123

$1.73 ฿57.7

-18.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 KGS 165

$2.13 ฿71.3

-11.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 KGS 90.1

$1.47 ฿49.07

-29.93%

White Bread (500g)

$0.38 KGS 33.63

$1.32 ฿44.22

-71.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 KGS 144

$1.23 ฿41.03

33.33%

Eggs

$1.77 KGS 155

$1.80 ฿60.2

-1.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 KGS 674

$12.52 ฿418

-38.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.51 KGS 395

$2.43 ฿81.1

85.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.00 KGS 787

$12.06 ฿403

-25.37%

Apples (1kg)

$1.36 KGS 119

$3.60 ฿120

-62.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 KGS 165

$0.96 ฿31.93

95.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 KGS 176

$2.49 ฿83.3

-19.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 KGS 134

$1.58 ฿52.8

-3.16%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 KGS 50.8

$1.97 ฿66.0

-70.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 KGS 41.73

$1.04 ฿34.74

-53.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 KGS 61.2

$0.77 ฿25.70

-9.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 KGS 53.8

$0.44 ฿14.85

38.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.02 KGS 177

$4.53 ฿151

-55.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.18 KGS 803

$13.87 ฿464

-33.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 KGS 124

$1.51 ฿50.3

-5.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 KGS 176

$1.66 ฿55.6

21.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 KGS 19.13

$0.60 ฿20.07

-63.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.78 KGS 1,031

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 KGS 76.4

$1.06 ฿35.28

-17.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 KGS 41.43

$1.53 ฿51.1

-69.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.65 KGS 494

$8.76 ฿293

-35.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 KGS 89.4

$1.16 ฿38.69

-12.07%

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

$30.0K KGS 2.6M

$17.5K ฿585.7K

70.94%

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

$33.6K KGS 2.9M

$23.9K ฿797.8K

40.60%

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

$50.2 KGS 4,393

$82.3 ฿2,751

-39.01%

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

$5.62 KGS 491

$9.23 ฿309

-39.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.77 KGS 1,029

$10.22 ฿341

15.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.0 KGS 4,813

$29.61 ฿990

85.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.87 KGS 1,301

Cinema Ticket

$5.68 KGS 497

$6.63 ฿222

-14.33%

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

$222 KGS 19.4K

$196 ฿6,543

13.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,839 KGS 685.7K

$10.7K ฿357.5K

-26.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 KGS 4,843

$5.91 ฿198

836.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.81 KGS 3,745

$35.81 ฿1,197

19.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.6 KGS 7,841

$71.5 ฿2,388

25.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.8 KGS 8,030

$52.8 ฿1,765

73.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$612 KGS 53.5K

$453 ฿15.1K

35.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$410 KGS 35.8K

$263 ฿8,805

55.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 KGS 91.1K

$1,476 ฿49.3K

-29.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$708 KGS 62.0K

$738 ฿24.6K

-3.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,803 KGS 157.7K

$4,477 ฿149.6K

-59.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 KGS 107.0K

$2,199 ฿73.5K

-44.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$514 KGS 45.0K

$396 ฿13.2K

29.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.1

402.50%

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

Last update for Bishkek: October 12, 2026

Last update for Pathum Thani: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bishkek

$410 41.8%

Pathum Thani

$263 33.6% 35.7% $146

Groceries & Markets

Bishkek

$177 18%

Pathum Thani

$223 28.4% 26% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Bishkek

$126 12.8%

Pathum Thani

$75 9.5% 40.6% $51

Eating Out

Bishkek

$118 12%

Pathum Thani

$68 8.7% 42% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bishkek

$68 6.9%

Pathum Thani

$102 13% 50.5% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Bishkek

$66 6.8%

Pathum Thani

$43 5.5% 35.4% $24

Getting Around

Bishkek

$16 1.6%

Pathum Thani

$11 * 1.4% 30.2% $4.8

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 $453 in Pathum Thani. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bishkek pays 30% 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 Pathum Thani. Groceries flip the comparison at $177 vs $223, with Bishkek cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇬 Bishkek

🇹🇭 Pathum Thani

🕒 Local time

20:47 8:47 PM

21:47 9:47 PM

1 h ahead of Bishkek

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,012,500 Capital

18,320

💱 Currency

Kyrgyzstani Som KGS сом

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 KGS = 1.14 USD

100 KGS = 1.02 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, 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).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to KGS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bishkek Pathum Thani 4,050 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Bishkek
Pathum Thani

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 Pathum Thani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pathum Thani is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. The 25% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 30% 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 $453 in Pathum Thani. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $222 in Bishkek versus $196 in Pathum Thani. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Pathum Thani – 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 $785 in Pathum Thani versus $980 in Bishkek, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Pathum Thani but tight or insufficient in Bishkek. The gap between the two cities makes Pathum Thani the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Pathum Thani 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 Pathum Thani 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 Pathum Thani gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Bishkek. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.