Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karaganda and Tashkent

For one person, living is cheaper in Karaganda: $929 a month against $1,048 in Tashkent, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Karaganda
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Karaganda Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Tashkent
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Tashkent Living Index

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Karaganda

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$929

/mo nomad

Tashkent

🇺🇿 Uzbekistan

$1,048

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karaganda and in Tashkent

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

A single person spends $926 per month in Karaganda vs $1,038 in Tashkent, rent included.

Karaganda $926
Tashkent $1,038

A couple spends around $1,492 per month in Karaganda vs $1,636 in Tashkent, rent included.

Karaganda $1,492
Tashkent $1,636

A family of three spends $2,058 per month in Karaganda vs $2,234 in Tashkent, rent included.

Karaganda $2,058
Tashkent $2,234

Karaganda is about 11% cheaper than Tashkent, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Karaganda and Tashkent are more affordable than the global median – Karaganda 31% lower, Tashkent 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.92 ₸4,483

$6.73 UZS 81.1K

47.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.77 ₸15.7K

$32.94 UZS 397.0K

5.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.62 ₸2,540

$5.13 UZS 61.9K

9.55%

Cappuccino

$1.90 ₸861

$2.55 UZS 30.7K

-25.49%

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

$0.87 ₸392

$0.70 UZS 8,488

24.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 ₸290

$0.33 UZS 3,955

93.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.37 ₸618

$2.09 UZS 25.2K

-34.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₸1,271

$3.77 UZS 45.4K

-25.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 ₸602

$1.30 UZS 15.7K

2.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.48 ₸219

$0.85 UZS 10.2K

-43.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 ₸605

$1.63 UZS 19.7K

-17.79%

Eggs

$1.87 ₸845

$1.80 UZS 21.6K

3.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.37 ₸6,043

$8.04 UZS 96.9K

66.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.55 ₸2,510

$4.07 UZS 49.1K

36.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ₸5,043

$12.49 UZS 150.6K

-10.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.51 ₸683

$1.49 UZS 18.0K

1.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 ₸857

$1.81 UZS 21.8K

4.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.78 ₸1,255

$2.19 UZS 26.4K

26.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 ₸944

$1.70 UZS 20.5K

22.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.63 ₸284

$0.60 UZS 7,171

5.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 ₸245

$0.37 UZS 4,488

45.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 ₸469

$1.02 UZS 12.3K

1.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ₸315

$0.44 UZS 5,351

59.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.18 ₸985

$1.95 UZS 23.5K

11.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.40 ₸3,798

$7.33 UZS 88.4K

14.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 ₸616

$1.32 UZS 15.9K

3.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 ₸955

$3.55 UZS 42.7K

-40.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₸104

$0.15 UZS 1,786

53.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.45 ₸6,982

$12.30 UZS 148.2K

25.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 ₸558

$0.86 UZS 10.4K

43.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 ₸562

$0.36 UZS 4,382

244.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 ₸1,457

$3.18 UZS 38.4K

1.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.52 ₸236

$1.13 UZS 13.6K

-53.98%

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

$21.6K ₸9.8M

$17.3K UZS 208.5M

25.09%

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

$32.3K ₸14.6M

$20.7K UZS 249.8M

55.64%

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

$72.6 ₸32.8K

$67.2 UZS 809.7K

8.01%

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

$9.86 ₸4,457

$4.40 UZS 53.0K

124.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.82 ₸5,342

$13.35 UZS 160.9K

-11.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.55 ₸20.6K

$67.5 UZS 813.2K

-32.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.09 ₸8,179

$18.05 UZS 217.5K

0.22%

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 ₸2,390

$5.66 UZS 68.2K

-6.54%

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

$133 ₸59.9K

$333 UZS 4.0M

-60.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,238 UZS 111.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.5 ₸27.4K

$49.73 UZS 599.3K

21.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.6 ₸26.0K

$58.0 UZS 698.6K

-0.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.0 ₸35.7K

$112 UZS 1.3M

-29.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.7 ₸38.7K

$134 UZS 1.6M

-35.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$400 ₸180.6K

$595 UZS 7.2M

-32.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$274 ₸123.7K

$395 UZS 4.8M

-30.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$730 ₸330.1K

$1,188 UZS 14.3M

-38.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$543 ₸245.7K

$735 UZS 8.9M

-26.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,053 ₸475.8K

$1,621 UZS 19.5M

-35.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$695 ₸314.0K

$944 UZS 11.4M

-26.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$566 ₸256.1K

$716 UZS 8.6M

-20.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.25

23.31

-17.42%

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

Last update for Karaganda: October 17, 2026

Last update for Tashkent: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Karaganda

$274 29.5%

Tashkent

$395 37.7% 44.2% $121

Groceries & Markets

Karaganda

$216 23.3%

Tashkent

$193 18.4% 10.6% $23

Eating Out

Karaganda

$138 14.8%

Tashkent

$122 11.6% 11.3% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Karaganda

$127 13.7%

Tashkent

$159 15.2% 24.9% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karaganda

$94 10.2%

Tashkent

$85 8.1% 9.9% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Karaganda

$56 6%

Tashkent

$79 7.5% 40.4% $23

Getting Around

Karaganda

$24 2.6%

Tashkent

$16 1.5% 34.6% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $394 in Karaganda versus $600 in Tashkent. 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 25% higher in Tashkent, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Karaganda versus $34.00 in Tashkent. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $195 – making Tashkent the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Karaganda

🇺🇿 Tashkent

🕒 Local time

15:59 3:59 PM

14:59 2:59 PM

1 h behind Karaganda

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

520,486

2,956,384 Capital

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Uzbekistani Som UZS soʻm

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

100,000 UZS = 8.3 USD

100,000 UZS = 7.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UZS, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

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).

Uzbekistani Som exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 12,051 UZS (100,000 UZS = 8.3 USD). 1 EUR = 13,548 UZS (100,000 UZS = 7.38 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Karaganda Tashkent 990 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Karaganda
Tashkent

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

Karaganda vs Tashkent: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $926 in Karaganda, $1,038 in Tashkent – roughly 12% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,389 per month in Karaganda and $1,557 in Tashkent. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karaganda, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 26% less in Karaganda. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $135 per month in Karaganda and $328 in Tashkent. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Karaganda, where all-in costs run around $926, than in Tashkent at $1,038. In Karaganda it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tashkent it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Karaganda. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tashkent makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.