Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Petropavl and Shymkent

For one person, living costs are similar in Petropavl and in Shymkent: $821 and $804 a month, rent and utilities included.

39

Cost of Living Index in Petropavl
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Petropavl Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Shymkent
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Shymkent Living Index

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Petropavl

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$821

/mo nomad

Shymkent

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Petropavl and in Shymkent

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $821 in Petropavl versus $804 in Shymkent.

Petropavl $821
Shymkent $804

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,485 in Petropavl versus $1,385 in Shymkent.

Petropavl $1,485
Shymkent $1,385

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,150 in Petropavl versus $1,965 in Shymkent.

Petropavl $2,150
Shymkent $1,965

Monthly costs are close between Petropavl and Shymkent; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Petropavl 39% lower, Shymkent 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.58 ₸6,575

$11.24 ₸5,066

29.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.26 ₸14.1K

$33.91 ₸15.3K

-7.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.48 ₸4,273

$6.67 ₸3,007

42.13%

Cappuccino

$2.78 ₸1,251

$2.41 ₸1,085

15.35%

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

$1.45 ₸654

$1.05 ₸472

38.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 ₸313

$0.50 ₸227

38.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 ₸689

$1.14 ₸515

34.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₸1,186

$1.36 ₸615

93.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 ₸523

$1.44 ₸647

-19.44%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 ₸329

$0.43 ₸196

69.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 ₸951

$1.81 ₸814

16.57%

Eggs

$2.04 ₸919

$1.74 ₸783

17.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.70 ₸4,823

$10.24 ₸4,617

4.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.05 ₸2,729

$5.33 ₸2,402

13.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.20 ₸4,600

$8.48 ₸3,822

20.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.56 ₸705

$1.15 ₸519

35.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 ₸986

$2.17 ₸977

0.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 ₸835

$2.45 ₸1,104

-24.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 ₸583

$1.41 ₸637

-8.51%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₸295

$0.51 ₸231

29.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.75 ₸338

$0.41 ₸184

82.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 ₸1,174

$0.96 ₸433

171.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 ₸512

$0.85 ₸382

32.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.41 ₸1,088

$2.38 ₸1,074

1.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.95 ₸3,584

$4.55 ₸2,052

74.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 ₸508

$1.03 ₸464

9.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 ₸921

$1.54 ₸694

32.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₸114

$0.14 ₸63.1

78.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 ₸306

$0.91 ₸411

-25.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 ₸433

$0.37 ₸168

159.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.99 ₸4,502

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.69 ₸310

$0.66 ₸297

4.55%

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

$22.5K ₸10.1M

$27.2K ₸12.3M

-17.47%

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

$26.8K ₸12.1M

$29.5K ₸13.3M

-9.11%

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

$58.1 ₸26.2K

$46.66 ₸21.0K

24.41%

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

$17.90 ₸8,071

$9.48 ₸4,273

88.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.26 ₸6,878

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.49 ₸12.8K

$39.10 ₸17.6K

-27.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.81 ₸3,973

Cinema Ticket

$4.85 ₸2,187

$5.61 ₸2,529

-13.55%

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

$87.3 ₸39.3K

$57.1 ₸25.8K

52.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.02 ₸19.8K

$37.07 ₸16.7K

18.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.90 ₸14.8K

$33.63 ₸15.2K

-2.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.0 ₸29.8K

$182 ₸82.1K

-63.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.9 ₸23.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$343 ₸154.8K

$342 ₸154.0K

0.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$219 ₸98.9K

$204 ₸91.8K

7.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 ₸441.3K

$692 ₸311.9K

41.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$760 ₸342.6K

$545 ₸245.8K

39.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$890 ₸401.1K

$1,105 ₸497.9K

-19.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$986 ₸444.6K

$978 ₸440.8K

0.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$293 ₸132.0K

$445 ₸200.6K

-34.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.25

9.59%

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

Last update for Petropavl: November 2, 2026

Last update for Shymkent: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Petropavl

$219 26.7%

Shymkent

$204 25.3% 7.2% $16

Groceries & Markets

Petropavl

$216 26.4%

Shymkent

$185 23% 14.5% $31

Eating Out

Petropavl

$200 24.4%

Shymkent

$153 19.1% 23.3% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Petropavl

$76 * 9.3%

Shymkent

$71 8.9% 6% $4.6

Clothing & Footwear

Petropavl

$64 * 7.8%

Shymkent

$137 17.1% 113% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Petropavl

$38 4.7%

Shymkent

$50 6.3% 31.8% $12

Getting Around

Petropavl

$6.5 * 0.8%

Shymkent

$3.3 * 0.4% 48.5% $3.2

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 $343 in Petropavl and $342 in Shymkent. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shymkent pays 52% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $31 in Petropavl vs $34 in Shymkent. Groceries flip the comparison at $216 vs $185, with Shymkent cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Petropavl

🇰🇿 Shymkent

🕒 Local time

19:57 7:57 PM

Same time as Petropavl

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

222,703

1,222,055

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Petropavl Shymkent 1,400 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Petropavl
Shymkent

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

Petropavl vs Shymkent: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 34% lower in Petropavl. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $343 in Petropavl versus $342 in Shymkent. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Petropavl. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Petropavl – a meal for two runs $31 versus $34 in Shymkent. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Shymkent gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Petropavl and Shymkent are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.