Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bukhara and Samarkand

For one person, living is cheaper in Bukhara: $495 a month against $636 in Samarkand, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Bukhara
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Bukhara Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Samarkand
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Samarkand Living Index

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Bukhara

🇺🇿 Uzbekistan

$495

/mo nomad

Samarkand

🇺🇿 Uzbekistan

$636

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bukhara and in Samarkand

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bukhara and in Samarkand actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $495 per month in Bukhara vs $636 in Samarkand, rent included.

Bukhara $495
Samarkand $636

A couple spends around $760 per month in Bukhara vs $1,013 in Samarkand, rent included.

Bukhara $760
Samarkand $1,013

A family of three spends $1,024 per month in Bukhara vs $1,391 in Samarkand, rent included.

Bukhara $1,024
Samarkand $1,391

Bukhara is about 22% cheaper than Samarkand, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Bukhara and Samarkand are more affordable than the global median – Bukhara 64% lower, Samarkand 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.94 UZS 83.1K

$6.82 UZS 81.7K

1.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.86 UZS 190.0K

$19.65 UZS 235.4K

-19.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.27 UZS 51.2K

$4.78 UZS 57.3K

-10.67%

Cappuccino

$1.81 UZS 21.6K

$2.54 UZS 30.4K

-28.74%

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

$0.62 UZS 7,462

$0.76 UZS 9,055

-18.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 UZS 3,688

$0.21 UZS 2,501

47.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.07 UZS 24.9K

$1.64 UZS 19.7K

26.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 UZS 28.2K

$2.26 UZS 27.1K

4.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 UZS 12.7K

$1.07 UZS 12.8K

-0.93%

White Bread (500g)

$0.36 UZS 4,349

$0.32 UZS 3,796

12.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 UZS 15.5K

$1.59 UZS 19.1K

-18.87%

Eggs

$1.41 UZS 17.0K

$1.33 UZS 15.9K

6.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.38 UZS 124.4K

$8.19 UZS 98.1K

26.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.62 UZS 43.4K

$4.19 UZS 50.1K

-13.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.39 UZS 100.5K

$10.48 UZS 125.6K

-19.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.22 UZS 14.6K

$0.86 UZS 10.3K

41.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 UZS 20.6K

$1.76 UZS 21.1K

-2.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 UZS 29.8K

$1.71 UZS 20.5K

45.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.89 UZS 22.6K

$1.71 UZS 20.5K

10.53%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 UZS 6,464

$0.51 UZS 6,166

5.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.26 UZS 3,083

$0.15 UZS 1,823

73.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.19 UZS 2,259

$0.26 UZS 3,144

-26.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.35 UZS 4,156

$0.41 UZS 4,896

-14.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.14 UZS 25.7K

$1.65 UZS 19.8K

29.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.16 UZS 49.8K

$3.44 UZS 41.2K

20.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 UZS 13.2K

$1.02 UZS 12.3K

7.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 UZS 40.8K

$2.04 UZS 24.4K

67.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 UZS 1,790

$0.24 UZS 2,863

-37.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$3.42 UZS 40.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.32 UZS 3,834

$0.33 UZS 3,907

-3.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 UZS 2,854

$0.32 UZS 3,893

-25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.02 UZS 72.2K

$3.40 UZS 40.7K

77.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 UZS 14.7K

$1.19 UZS 14.3K

3.36%

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

$17.3K UZS 207.4M

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

$21.1K UZS 252.9M

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

$30.62 UZS 366.8K

$41.16 UZS 493.1K

-25.61%

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

$4.60 UZS 55.1K

$3.92 UZS 46.9K

17.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.53 UZS 138.1K

$13.63 UZS 163.3K

-15.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.16 UZS 469.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.56 UZS 78.6K

Cinema Ticket

$3.21 UZS 38.5K

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

$76.4 UZS 914.6K

$380 UZS 4.6M

-79.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,357 UZS 28.2M

$7,387 UZS 88.5M

-68.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.79 UZS 177.2K

$20.48 UZS 245.4K

-27.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.25 UZS 362.5K

$41.29 UZS 494.7K

-26.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.9 UZS 717.5K

$75.4 UZS 903.0K

-20.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.3 UZS 721.9K

$59.2 UZS 708.7K

1.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$200 UZS 2.4M

$239 UZS 2.9M

-16.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$100 UZS 1.2M

$164 UZS 2.0M

-38.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$253 UZS 3.0M

$457 UZS 5.5M

-44.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$121 UZS 1.4M

$319 UZS 3.8M

-62.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$621 UZS 7.4M

$1,248 UZS 14.9M

-50.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$294 UZS 3.5M

$536 UZS 6.4M

-45.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$338 UZS 4.1M

$306 UZS 3.7M

10.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

23.31

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

Last update for Bukhara: October 27, 2026

Last update for Samarkand: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bukhara

$163 32.9%

Samarkand

$157 24.6% 3.9% $6.4

Eating Out

Bukhara

$109 22%

Samarkand

$116 18.3% 6.6% $7.2

Accommodation & Living

Bukhara

$100 20.3%

Samarkand

$164 25.8% 63.4% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Bukhara

$74 15%

Samarkand

$88 13.9% 18.8% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bukhara

$47 9.4%

Samarkand

$59 9.2% 25.6% $12

Getting Around

Bukhara

$2.1 * 0.4%

Samarkand

$6.3 1% 200% $4.2

Sport & Entertainment

Bukhara

- * 0%

Samarkand

$46 7.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $200 in Bukhara versus $239 in Samarkand. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 11% higher in Bukhara, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Bukhara versus $20 in Samarkand. Groceries tell a different story – $163 in Bukhara vs $157 in Samarkand – so Samarkand wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇿 Bukhara

🇺🇿 Samarkand

🕒 Local time

23:20 11:20 PM

Same time as Bukhara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

272,500

573,200

💱 Currency

Uzbekistani Som UZS soʻm

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 UZS = 8.35 USD

100,000 UZS = 7.48 EUR

100,000 UZS = 8.35 USD

100,000 UZS = 7.48 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Bukhara Samarkand 220 km

From you

Bukhara
Samarkand

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

Bukhara vs Samarkand: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $495 in Bukhara, $636 in Samarkand – Bukhara comes out roughly 22% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $743 per month in Bukhara and $953 in Samarkand. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bukhara, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $200 there versus $239 in Samarkand.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $495 in Bukhara and $636 in Samarkand. That makes Bukhara about 22% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $76 per month in Bukhara and $380 in Samarkand. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $495 in Bukhara and $636 in Samarkand, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Bukhara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.