Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bishkek and Samut Prakan

For one person, living is cheaper in Samut Prakan: $886 a month against $989 in Bishkek, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Bishkek
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Bishkek Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Samut Prakan
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Samut Prakan Living Index

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Bishkek

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan

$989

/mo nomad

Samut Prakan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$886

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bishkek and in Samut Prakan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $989 in Bishkek versus $886 in Samut Prakan.

Bishkek $989
Samut Prakan $886

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,516 in Bishkek versus $1,378 in Samut Prakan.

Bishkek $1,516
Samut Prakan $1,378

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,042 in Bishkek versus $1,869 in Samut Prakan.

Bishkek $2,042
Samut Prakan $1,869

Living in Bishkek is roughly 12% more expensive than in Samut Prakan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bishkek 27% lower, Samut Prakan 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.01 KGS 613

$3.30 ฿110

112.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.94 KGS 2,531

$15.12 ฿505

91.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.00 KGS 525

$7.48 ฿250

-19.79%

Cappuccino

$2.49 KGS 218

$1.38 ฿46.13

80.43%

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

$0.71 KGS 62.5

$0.52 ฿17.54

36.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 KGS 32.76

$0.26 ฿8.77

42.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.33 KGS 116

$2.02 ฿67.6

-34.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 KGS 172

$2.92 ฿97.4

-32.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 KGS 86.2

$1.46 ฿48.92

-32.19%

White Bread (500g)

$0.39 KGS 33.95

$0.98 ฿32.62

-60.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 KGS 149

$0.88 ฿29.34

94.32%

Eggs

$1.75 KGS 153

$1.84 ฿61.5

-4.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.82 KGS 684

$12.31 ฿411

-36.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.68 KGS 410

$2.49 ฿83.1

87.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.86 KGS 775

$10.20 ฿341

-13.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.37 KGS 120

$1.84 ฿61.5

-25.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 KGS 160

$0.77 ฿25.67

137.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 KGS 176

$1.31 ฿43.68

53.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 KGS 137

$1.21 ฿40.59

29.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 KGS 54.0

$1.52 ฿50.7

-59.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.51 KGS 44.85

$0.77 ฿25.78

-33.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 KGS 61.5

$0.78 ฿25.99

-10.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 KGS 53.9

$0.45 ฿15.01

37.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.03 KGS 177

$4.50 ฿151

-54.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.13 KGS 799

$9.10 ฿304

0.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 KGS 120

$1.03 ฿34.32

33.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 KGS 171

$1.89 ฿63.2

3.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 KGS 21.02

$0.51 ฿16.95

-52.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.77 KGS 1,030

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.89 KGS 77.9

$1.74 ฿58.1

-48.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 KGS 41.16

$1.61 ฿53.7

-70.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 KGS 488

$5.85 ฿196

-4.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 KGS 83.8

$1.07 ฿35.84

-10.28%

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

$29.7K KGS 2.6M

$12.1K ฿405.1K

145.12%

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

$33.4K KGS 2.9M

$24.3K ฿811.4K

37.54%

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

$50.5 KGS 4,417

$83.1 ฿2,776

-39.22%

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

$5.77 KGS 505

$9.40 ฿314

-38.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.99 KGS 1,049

$16.35 ฿547

-26.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.3 KGS 4,839

$47.72 ฿1,595

15.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.53 KGS 1,271

$15.06 ฿503

-3.52%

Cinema Ticket

$5.81 KGS 508

$6.41 ฿214

-9.36%

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

$218 KGS 19.1K

$148 ฿4,933

47.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,840 KGS 685.9K

$5,950 ฿198.9K

31.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 KGS 4,917

$15.09 ฿504

272.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.43 KGS 3,799

$35.66 ฿1,192

21.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.5 KGS 7,916

$70.9 ฿2,369

27.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.8 KGS 7,855

$120 ฿4,004

-25.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$595 KGS 52.0K

$478 ฿16.0K

24.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$416 KGS 36.4K

$330 ฿11.0K

26.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 KGS 88.9K

$1,147 ฿38.3K

-11.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$718 KGS 62.8K

$691 ฿23.1K

3.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,748 KGS 152.9K

$1,726 ฿57.7K

1.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,225 KGS 107.1K

$1,607 ฿53.7K

-23.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$497 KGS 43.5K

$671 ฿22.4K

-25.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.1

570.00%

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

Last update for Bishkek: October 18, 2026

Last update for Samut Prakan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bishkek

$416 42.1%

Samut Prakan

$330 37.2% 20.7% $86

Groceries & Markets

Bishkek

$177 17.9%

Samut Prakan

$182 20.5% 2.9% $5.2

Clothing & Footwear

Bishkek

$126 12.7%

Samut Prakan

$109 12.3% 13.8% $17

Eating Out

Bishkek

$119 12%

Samut Prakan

$84 9.5% 28.9% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bishkek

$68 6.9%

Samut Prakan

$109 12.3% 59.5% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Bishkek

$67 6.8%

Samut Prakan

$61 6.8% 9.6% $6.4

Getting Around

Bishkek

$16 1.6%

Samut Prakan

$12 * 1.3% 26.1% $4.2

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 $478 in Samut Prakan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Samut Prakan pays 35% 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 $15.00 in Samut Prakan. Groceries flip the comparison at $177 vs $182, with Bishkek cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇬 Bishkek

🇹🇭 Samut Prakan

🕒 Local time

18:43 6:43 PM

19:43 7:43 PM

1 h ahead of Bishkek

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,012,500 Capital

50,843

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Samut Prakan 4,100 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Bishkek
Samut Prakan

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 Samut Prakan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Samut Prakan is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 35% lower in Samut Prakan. 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 $478 in Samut Prakan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $218 in Bishkek versus $148 in Samut Prakan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Samut Prakan – a meal for two runs $15.00 versus $29.00 in Bishkek. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $886 in Samut Prakan versus $989 in Bishkek, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Samut Prakan but tight or insufficient in Bishkek. The gap between the two cities makes Samut Prakan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Samut Prakan 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 Samut Prakan 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 Samut Prakan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Bishkek. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.