Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Qapshaghay and Shymkent

For one person, living is cheaper in Shymkent: $803 a month against $1,077 in Qapshaghay, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Qapshaghay
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Qapshaghay Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Shymkent
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Shymkent Living Index

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Qapshaghay

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,077

/mo nomad

Shymkent

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$803

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Qapshaghay 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 Qapshaghay and in Shymkent actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,077 in Qapshaghay versus $803 in Shymkent.

Qapshaghay $1,077
Shymkent $803

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,621 in Qapshaghay versus $1,389 in Shymkent.

Qapshaghay $1,621
Shymkent $1,389

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,166 in Qapshaghay versus $1,975 in Shymkent.

Qapshaghay $2,166
Shymkent $1,975

Living in Qapshaghay is roughly 34% more expensive than in Shymkent, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Qapshaghay 20% lower, Shymkent 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.99 ₸4,967

$11.05 ₸4,997

-0.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.25 ₸10.1K

$33.24 ₸15.0K

-33.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.64 ₸3,002

$6.62 ₸2,992

0.30%

Cappuccino

$1.83 ₸827

$2.47 ₸1,117

-25.91%

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

$1.03 ₸464

$1.08 ₸490

-4.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 ₸292

$0.51 ₸232

27.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.29 ₸583

$1.08 ₸490

19.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₸594

$1.35 ₸609

-2.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 ₸760

$1.43 ₸644

17.48%

White Bread (500g)

$0.45 ₸203

$0.44 ₸198

2.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 ₸952

$1.83 ₸829

15.30%

Eggs

$2.47 ₸1,118

$1.75 ₸789

41.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.27 ₸5,546

$10.11 ₸4,569

21.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.54 ₸2,955

$5.16 ₸2,335

26.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.87 ₸4,913

$9.00 ₸4,070

20.78%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 ₸811

$1.20 ₸540

49.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₸1,033

$2.15 ₸971

6.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 ₸1,305

$2.53 ₸1,145

14.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 ₸1,289

$1.37 ₸620

108.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸339

$0.52 ₸234

44.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 ₸263

$0.40 ₸183

45.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸731

$0.88 ₸400

84.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₸449

$0.85 ₸386

16.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.59 ₸720

$2.46 ₸1,111

-35.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.22 ₸5,070

$4.47 ₸2,019

151.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₸570

$1.07 ₸483

17.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 ₸1,088

$1.60 ₸721

50.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 ₸85.5

$0.18 ₸79.5

5.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.82 ₸7,606

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₸365

$0.87 ₸393

-6.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸290

$0.35 ₸157

82.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 ₸1,789

$9.59 ₸4,333

-58.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 ₸260

$0.61 ₸277

-6.56%

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

$21.9K ₸9.9M

$28.0K ₸12.7M

-22.02%

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

$29.7K ₸13.4M

$29.3K ₸13.2M

1.19%

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

$90.4 ₸40.9K

$46.22 ₸20.9K

95.59%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$9.48 ₸4,283

12.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.21 ₸8,233

$14.78 ₸6,683

23.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.82 ₸18.9K

$38.80 ₸17.5K

7.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.95 ₸4,047

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ₸2,935

$5.57 ₸2,517

16.52%

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

$145 ₸65.7K

$58.0 ₸26.2K

150.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,498 ₸2.0M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 ₸41.0K

$36.79 ₸16.6K

146.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.03 ₸20.8K

$34.22 ₸15.5K

34.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$141 ₸63.8K

$185 ₸83.8K

-23.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 ₸60.5K

$52.0 ₸23.5K

157.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$441 ₸199.5K

$340 ₸153.7K

29.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ₸137.7K

$203 ₸91.7K

50.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$718 ₸324.4K

$705 ₸318.7K

1.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$495 ₸223.8K

$557 ₸251.7K

-11.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,191 ₸538.3K

$1,093 ₸494.2K

8.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$769 ₸347.4K

$994 ₸449.3K

-22.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$451 ₸203.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

18.25

13.15%

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

Last update for Qapshaghay: October 10, 2026

Last update for Shymkent: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Qapshaghay

$305 28.3%

Shymkent

$203 25.3% 33.4% $102

Groceries & Markets

Qapshaghay

$246 22.8%

Shymkent

$186 23.1% 24.4% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Qapshaghay

$185 17.2%

Shymkent

$139 17.3% 25.1% $47

Eating Out

Qapshaghay

$146 13.5%

Shymkent

$152 19% 4.7% $6.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Qapshaghay

$119 11.1%

Shymkent

$70 8.8% 40.9% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Qapshaghay

$55 5.1%

Shymkent

$50 6.2% 8.9% $4.9

Getting Around

Qapshaghay

$22 2%

Shymkent

$3.3 * 0.4% 84.7% $18

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 $441 in Qapshaghay and $340 in Shymkent. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $22.00 in Qapshaghay vs $33.00 in Shymkent. Groceries flip the comparison at $246 vs $186, with Shymkent cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Qapshaghay

🇰🇿 Shymkent

🕒 Local time

14:42 2:42 PM

Same time as Qapshaghay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

42,167

1,222,055

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Qapshaghay Shymkent 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Qapshaghay
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

Qapshaghay vs Shymkent: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shymkent wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Qapshaghay. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Shymkent the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,615 in Qapshaghay and $1,205 in Shymkent 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $441 in Qapshaghay versus $340 in Shymkent. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $145 in Qapshaghay versus $58.0 in Shymkent. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Shymkent – a meal for two runs $33.00 versus $22.00 in Qapshaghay. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $803 in Shymkent versus $1,077 in Qapshaghay, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shymkent but tight or insufficient in Qapshaghay. The gap between the two cities makes Shymkent 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, Qapshaghay and Shymkent 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 Shymkent gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Qapshaghay. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.