Cost of Living Comparison Between Karakol and Bishkek Cost of Living Comparison Between Karakol and Bishkek

🙂 Solo nomad: Karakol is 48.7% cheaper than Bishkek without rent, and 49.9% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Karakol is 59.2% cheaper than Bishkek without rent, and 54% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Karakol
Bishkek
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.31 KGS 202
$6.18 KGS 541
-62.62%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$9.13 KGS 798
$20.74 KGS 1,814
-55.98%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
-
$5.70 KGS 499
-
Cappuccino
$1.77 KGS 155
$2.00 KGS 175
-11.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.59 KGS 51.9
$0.64 KGS 56.4
-7.81%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30 KGS 26.41
$0.33 KGS 28.78
-9.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.17 KGS 103
$1.21 KGS 106
-3.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.70 KGS 148
$1.70 KGS 149
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Karakol
Bishkek
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.72 KGS 63.2
$0.96 KGS 83.6
-25.00%
White Bread (500g)
$0.22 KGS 19.17
$0.46 KGS 40.12
-52.17%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.40 KGS 123
$1.56 KGS 137
-10.26%
Eggs
$1.68 KGS 147
$1.73 KGS 151
-2.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.82 KGS 597
$7.99 KGS 699
-14.64%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.93 KGS 343
$5.01 KGS 438
-21.56%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.70 KGS 499
$7.73 KGS 676
-26.26%
Apples (1kg)
$0.77 KGS 67.4
$1.07 KGS 93.5
-28.04%
Banana (1kg)
$1.36 KGS 119
$1.85 KGS 161
-26.49%
Oranges (1kg)
-
$2.02 KGS 177
-
Tomato (1kg)
$1.17 KGS 102
$1.71 KGS 149
-31.58%
Potato (1kg)
$0.55 KGS 47.88
$0.56 KGS 48.60
-1.79%
Onion (1kg)
-
$0.53 KGS 46.22
-
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.33 KGS 28.44
$0.59 KGS 51.5
-44.07%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 KGS 47.48
$0.51 KGS 44.93
5.88%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.82 KGS 159
$1.75 KGS 153
4.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.22 KGS 457
$8.20 KGS 718
-36.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.16 KGS 102
$1.20 KGS 105
-3.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.24 KGS 196
$1.91 KGS 167
17.28%
🚌 Getting Around
Karakol
Bishkek
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.22 KGS 19.29
$0.22 KGS 19.18
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$11.57 KGS 1,012
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.31 KGS 114
$1.39 KGS 121
-5.76%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$0.24 KGS 21.08
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$3.41 KGS 298
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
-
$0.78 KGS 68.6
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$38.4K KGS 3.4M
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$34.6K KGS 3.0M
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Karakol
Bishkek
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$38.85 KGS 3,398
$34.70 KGS 3,035
11.96%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.41 KGS 386
$6.93 KGS 606
-36.36%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$10.00 KGS 874
$11.59 KGS 1,014
-13.72%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Karakol
Bishkek
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$15.33 KGS 1,341
$42.04 KGS 3,677
-63.53%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$15.70 KGS 1,373
-
Cinema Ticket
-
$4.49 KGS 392
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Karakol
Bishkek
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$91.2 KGS 7,981
$196 KGS 17.1K
-53.37%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$4,487 KGS 392.5K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Karakol
Bishkek
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
-
$37.23 KGS 3,256
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
-
$39.69 KGS 3,472
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
-
$94.1 KGS 8,228
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$34.56 KGS 3,023
$104 KGS 9,138
-66.92%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Karakol
Bishkek
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$225 KGS 19.7K
$489 KGS 42.8K
-54.02%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$171 KGS 15.0K
$365 KGS 31.9K
-53.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$287 KGS 25.1K
$905 KGS 79.1K
-68.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$291 KGS 25.4K
$617 KGS 53.9K
-52.89%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$1,661 KGS 145.3K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,147 KGS 100.3K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Karakol
Bishkek
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$447 KGS 39.1K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
20.2
-

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

Last update for Karakol: March 1, 2026

Last update for Bishkek: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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