Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pathum Thani and Bishkek

For one person, living is cheaper in Pathum Thani: $785 a month against $980 in Bishkek, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Pathum Thani
🇹🇭 Thailand
$785
/mo nomad
Bishkek
🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan
$980
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pathum Thani and in Bishkek

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $785 in Pathum Thani versus $980 in Bishkek.

  • Pathum Thani $785
  • Bishkek $980

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,329 in Pathum Thani versus $1,503 in Bishkek.

  • Pathum Thani $1,329
  • Bishkek $1,503

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,873 in Pathum Thani versus $2,026 in Bishkek.

  • Pathum Thani $1,873
  • Bishkek $2,026

Living in Pathum Thani costs roughly 20% less than in Bishkek, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Pathum Thani 42% lower, Bishkek 27% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Pathum Thani
Bishkek
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.79 ฿59.9
$7.02 KGS 614
-74.50%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.25 ฿744
$28.73 KGS 2,513
-22.55%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.90 ฿197
$5.73 KGS 501
2.97%
Cappuccino
$1.73 ฿58.0
$2.40 KGS 210
-27.92%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.42 ฿14.03
$0.75 KGS 66.0
-44.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.18 ฿6.05
$0.40 KGS 35.19
-55.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.73 ฿57.7
$1.41 KGS 123
22.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.13 ฿71.3
$1.89 KGS 165
12.70%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Pathum Thani
Bishkek
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.07
$1.03 KGS 90.1
42.72%
White Bread (500g)
$1.32 ฿44.22
$0.38 KGS 33.63
247.37%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.23 ฿41.03
$1.64 KGS 144
-25.00%
Eggs
$1.80 ฿60.2
$1.77 KGS 155
1.69%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.52 ฿418
$7.70 KGS 674
62.60%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.43 ฿81.1
$4.51 KGS 395
-46.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.06 ฿403
$9.00 KGS 787
34.00%
Apples (1kg)
$3.60 ฿120
$1.36 KGS 119
164.71%
Banana (1kg)
$0.96 ฿31.93
$1.88 KGS 165
-48.94%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 ฿83.3
$2.01 KGS 176
23.88%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.58 ฿52.8
$1.53 KGS 134
3.27%
Potato (1kg)
$1.97 ฿66.0
$0.58 KGS 50.8
239.66%
Onion (1kg)
$1.04 ฿34.74
$0.48 KGS 41.73
116.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.77 ฿25.70
$0.70 KGS 61.2
10.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.44 ฿14.85
$0.61 KGS 53.8
-27.87%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.53 ฿151
$2.02 KGS 177
124.26%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.87 ฿464
$9.18 KGS 803
51.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.51 ฿50.3
$1.42 KGS 124
6.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.66 ฿55.6
$2.01 KGS 176
-17.41%
🚌 Getting Around
Pathum Thani
Bishkek
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.60 ฿20.07
$0.22 KGS 19.13
172.73%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$11.78 KGS 1,031
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.06 ฿35.28
$0.87 KGS 76.4
21.84%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.53 ฿51.1
$0.47 KGS 41.43
225.53%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.76 ฿293
$5.65 KGS 494
55.04%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.16 ฿38.69
$1.02 KGS 89.4
13.73%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$17.5K ฿585.7K
$30.0K KGS 2.6M
-41.50%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.9K ฿797.8K
$33.6K KGS 2.9M
-28.88%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Pathum Thani
Bishkek
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.3 ฿2,751
$50.2 KGS 4,393
63.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.23 ฿309
$5.62 KGS 491
64.23%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$10.22 ฿341
$11.77 KGS 1,029
-13.17%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Pathum Thani
Bishkek
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.61 ฿990
$55.0 KGS 4,813
-46.18%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$14.87 KGS 1,301
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.63 ฿222
$5.68 KGS 497
16.73%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Pathum Thani
Bishkek
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$196 ฿6,543
$222 KGS 19.4K
-11.65%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.7K ฿357.5K
$7,839 KGS 685.7K
36.47%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Pathum Thani
Bishkek
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$5.91 ฿198
$55.4 KGS 4,843
-89.32%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.81 ฿1,197
$42.81 KGS 3,745
-16.35%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$71.5 ฿2,388
$89.6 KGS 7,841
-20.28%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$52.8 ฿1,765
$91.8 KGS 8,030
-42.48%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Pathum Thani
Bishkek
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$453 ฿15.1K
$612 KGS 53.5K
-25.99%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$263 ฿8,805
$410 KGS 35.8K
-35.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,476 ฿49.3K
$1,041 KGS 91.1K
41.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$738 ฿24.6K
$708 KGS 62.0K
4.13%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,477 ฿149.6K
$1,803 KGS 157.7K
148.27%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,199 ฿73.5K
$1,224 KGS 107.0K
79.75%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Pathum Thani
Bishkek
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$396 ฿13.2K
$514 KGS 45.0K
-22.97%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4
20.1
-80.10%

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

Last update for Pathum Thani: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bishkek: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Pathum Thani
$263
Bishkek
$410 55.5% $146
Groceries & Markets
Pathum Thani
$223
Bishkek
$177 20.7% $46
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Pathum Thani
$102
Bishkek
$68 33.6% $34
Clothing & Footwear
Pathum Thani
$75
Bishkek
$126 68.4% $51
Eating Out
Pathum Thani
$68
Bishkek
$118 72.5% $49
Sport & Entertainment
Pathum Thani
$43
Bishkek
$66 54.9% $24
Getting Around
Pathum Thani
$11 *
Bishkek
$16 43.2% $4.8

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 $453 in Pathum Thani and $612 in Bishkek. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bishkek pays 30% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $22.00 in Pathum Thani vs $29.00 in Bishkek. Groceries flip the comparison at $223 vs $177, with Bishkek cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Pathum Thani
🇰🇬 Bishkek
🕒 Local time
19:54 7:54 PM
18:54 6:54 PM
1 h behind Pathum Thani
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
18,320
1,012,500 Capital
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

KGS, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Kyrgyzstani Som exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 87.48 KGS (100 KGS = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 98.35 KGS (100 KGS = 1.02 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Pathum Thani Bishkek 4,050 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Pathum Thani
  • Bishkek

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
Pathum Thani vs Bishkek: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bishkek cheaper than Pathum Thani?
Pathum Thani is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. The 25% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Pathum Thani or Bishkek?
On paper, salaries run 30% lower in Bishkek. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Pathum Thani and Bishkek?
Rent for a central apartment: $453 in Pathum Thani versus $612 in Bishkek. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $196 in Pathum Thani versus $222 in Bishkek. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Pathum Thani or in Bishkek?
Dining out is cheaper in Pathum Thani – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $29.00 in Bishkek. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Pathum Thani or in Bishkek?
At $785 in Pathum Thani versus $980 in Bishkek, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Pathum Thani but tight or insufficient in Bishkek. The gap between the two cities makes Pathum Thani the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Pathum Thani or Bishkek more family-friendly?
For families, Pathum Thani 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.
Which city is safer, Pathum Thani or Bishkek?
Safety-wise, Pathum Thani and Bishkek are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Pathum Thani gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Bishkek. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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