Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaka and Ashgabat

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaka: $2,192 a month against $3,367 in Ashgabat, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Kaka
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Kaka Living Index
164

Cost of Living Index in Ashgabat
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Ashgabat Living Index

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Kaka

🇹🇲 Turkmenistan

$2,192

/mo nomad

Ashgabat

🇹🇲 Turkmenistan

$3,367

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kaka and in Ashgabat

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,192 in Kaka versus $3,367 in Ashgabat.

Kaka $2,192
Ashgabat $3,367

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,313 in Kaka versus $5,093 in Ashgabat.

Kaka $3,313
Ashgabat $5,093

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,434 in Kaka versus $6,820 in Ashgabat.

Kaka $4,434
Ashgabat $6,820

Living in Kaka costs roughly 35% less than in Ashgabat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kaka 62% above, Ashgabat 148% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.67 TMT 106

$30.92 TMT 104

2.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.7 TMT 291

$86.5 TMT 290

0.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.00 TMT 43.68

$13.08 TMT 43.94

-0.61%

Cappuccino

$6.67 TMT 22.41

$6.94 TMT 23.33

-3.89%

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

$1.56 TMT 5.24

$1.58 TMT 5.32

-1.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 TMT 2.80

$0.84 TMT 2.83

-1.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 TMT 18.87

$5.78 TMT 19.42

-2.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.53 TMT 45.46

$13.40 TMT 45.02

0.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.44 TMT 14.93

$4.41 TMT 14.82

0.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 TMT 6.86

$2.05 TMT 6.90

-0.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.69 TMT 19.12

$5.99 TMT 20.12

-5.01%

Eggs

$6.08 TMT 20.44

$5.85 TMT 19.65

3.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$37.88 TMT 127

$37.82 TMT 127

0.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.37 TMT 68.4

$19.59 TMT 65.8

3.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.28 TMT 78.2

$23.05 TMT 77.4

1.00%

Apples (1kg)

$5.16 TMT 17.32

$5.19 TMT 17.45

-0.58%

Banana (1kg)

$8.55 TMT 28.73

$8.41 TMT 28.24

1.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.40 TMT 24.88

$7.69 TMT 25.83

-3.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.70 TMT 12.44

$3.57 TMT 11.99

3.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.29 TMT 7.70

$2.31 TMT 7.74

-0.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 TMT 4.74

$1.42 TMT 4.76

-0.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 TMT 8.77

$2.72 TMT 9.15

-4.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 TMT 3.77

$1.10 TMT 3.69

1.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$26.07 TMT 87.6

$25.46 TMT 85.6

2.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$42.14 TMT 142

$41.36 TMT 139

1.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.36 TMT 18.00

$5.16 TMT 17.35

3.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 TMT 9.68

$2.91 TMT 9.77

-1.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.14 TMT 0.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.01 TMT 33.62

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.79 TMT 9.37

$2.83 TMT 9.50

-1.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 TMT 2.76

$0.84 TMT 2.84

-2.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.66 TMT 29.11

$8.49 TMT 28.54

2.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.41 TMT 1.38

$0.44 TMT 1.50

-6.82%

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

$43.9K TMT 147.6K

$44.2K TMT 148.4K

-0.57%

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

$56.4K TMT 189.5K

$56.7K TMT 190.4K

-0.47%

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

$570 TMT 1,916

$567 TMT 1,905

0.55%

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

$57.5 TMT 193

$56.8 TMT 191

1.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$101 TMT 340

$103 TMT 345

-1.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$192 TMT 645

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$43.98 TMT 148

Cinema Ticket

$8.44 TMT 28.34

$8.78 TMT 29.50

-3.87%

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

$22.40 TMT 75.3

$23.20 TMT 77.9

-3.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.7K TMT 83.1K

$24.9K TMT 83.6K

-0.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 TMT 184

$56.1 TMT 189

-2.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$116 TMT 390

$115 TMT 385

1.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$367 TMT 1,232

$368 TMT 1,238

-0.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$194 TMT 652

$195 TMT 655

-0.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,412 TMT 4,745

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$982 TMT 3,298

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,273 TMT 7,636

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,959 TMT 6,582

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,585 TMT 12.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,851 TMT 9,580

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 TMT 2,478

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.5

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

Last update for Kaka: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ashgabat: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kaka

$729 33.3%

Ashgabat

$727 21.6% 0.3% $2.2

Groceries & Markets

Kaka

$673 30.7%

Ashgabat

$666 19.8% 1.1% $7.1

Eating Out

Kaka

$437 19.9%

Ashgabat

$435 12.9% 0.4% $1.8

Clothing & Footwear

Kaka

$329 15%

Ashgabat

$330 9.8% 0.3% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Kaka

$17 * 0.8%

Ashgabat

$210 6.2% 1142% $193

Getting Around

Kaka

$6.9 * 0.3%

Ashgabat

$18 0.5% 155% $11

Accommodation & Living

Kaka

- * 0%

Ashgabat

$982 29.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $87.0 in Kaka vs $86.0 in Ashgabat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $673 vs $666 per month, with Ashgabat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇲 Kaka

🇹🇲 Ashgabat

🕒 Local time

19:20 7:20 PM

Same time as Kaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,315

909,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Turkmenistani Manat TMT m

📈 Exchange rate

1 TMT = 0.298 USD

1 TMT = 0.265 EUR

1 TMT = 0.298 USD

1 TMT = 0.265 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kaka Ashgabat 130 km

From you

Kaka
Ashgabat

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

Kaka vs Ashgabat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kaka and Ashgabat differ by about 54% in total monthly costs ($2,192 vs $3,367 including rent). Kaka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,288 in Kaka and $5,050 in Ashgabat to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $22.40 in Kaka versus $23.20 in Ashgabat. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kaka – a meal for two runs $87.0 versus $86.0 in Ashgabat. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,192 in Kaka versus $3,367 in Ashgabat, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kaka but tight or insufficient in Ashgabat. The gap between the two cities makes Kaka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Kaka and Ashgabat 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 Kaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Ashgabat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.