Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samarkand and Bukhara

For one person, living is cheaper in Bukhara: $495 a month against $636 in Samarkand, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Samarkand
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Samarkand Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Bukhara
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Bukhara Living Index

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Samarkand

🇺🇿 Uzbekistan

$636

/mo nomad

Bukhara

🇺🇿 Uzbekistan

$495

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Samarkand and in Bukhara

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

A single person spends $636 per month in Samarkand vs $495 in Bukhara, rent included.

Samarkand $636
Bukhara $495

A couple spends around $1,013 per month in Samarkand vs $760 in Bukhara, rent included.

Samarkand $1,013
Bukhara $760

A family of three spends $1,391 per month in Samarkand vs $1,024 in Bukhara, rent included.

Samarkand $1,391
Bukhara $1,024

Samarkand costs about 28% more than Bukhara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Samarkand and Bukhara are more affordable than the global median – Samarkand 53% lower, Bukhara 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.82 UZS 81.5K

$6.94 UZS 83.0K

-1.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.65 UZS 235.0K

$15.86 UZS 189.7K

23.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.78 UZS 57.2K

$4.27 UZS 51.1K

11.94%

Cappuccino

$2.54 UZS 30.4K

$1.81 UZS 21.6K

40.33%

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

$0.76 UZS 9,039

$0.62 UZS 7,450

22.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.21 UZS 2,497

$0.31 UZS 3,682

-32.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.64 UZS 19.7K

$2.07 UZS 24.8K

-20.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 UZS 27.1K

$2.36 UZS 28.2K

-4.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 UZS 12.8K

$1.06 UZS 12.6K

0.94%

White Bread (500g)

$0.32 UZS 3,790

$0.36 UZS 4,342

-11.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 UZS 19.1K

$1.29 UZS 15.4K

23.26%

Eggs

$1.33 UZS 15.9K

$1.41 UZS 16.9K

-5.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.19 UZS 97.9K

$10.38 UZS 124.2K

-21.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.19 UZS 50.1K

$3.62 UZS 43.3K

15.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.48 UZS 125.4K

$8.39 UZS 100.3K

24.91%

Apples (1kg)

$0.86 UZS 10.3K

$1.22 UZS 14.5K

-29.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 UZS 21.0K

$1.72 UZS 20.6K

2.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 UZS 20.4K

$2.49 UZS 29.7K

-31.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.71 UZS 20.4K

$1.89 UZS 22.6K

-9.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.51 UZS 6,156

$0.54 UZS 6,454

-5.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.15 UZS 1,820

$0.26 UZS 3,078

-42.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.26 UZS 3,139

$0.19 UZS 2,256

36.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 UZS 4,888

$0.35 UZS 4,149

17.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.65 UZS 19.8K

$2.14 UZS 25.6K

-22.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.44 UZS 41.1K

$4.16 UZS 49.7K

-17.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 UZS 12.2K

$1.10 UZS 13.2K

-7.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 UZS 24.4K

$3.41 UZS 40.7K

-40.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 UZS 2,859

$0.15 UZS 1,787

60.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$3.42 UZS 40.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.33 UZS 3,900

$0.32 UZS 3,828

3.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 UZS 3,887

$0.24 UZS 2,849

33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 UZS 40.6K

$6.02 UZS 72.0K

-43.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 UZS 14.2K

$1.23 UZS 14.7K

-3.25%

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

$17.3K UZS 207.0M

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

$21.1K UZS 252.5M

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

$41.16 UZS 492.3K

$30.62 UZS 366.2K

34.42%

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

$3.92 UZS 46.9K

$4.60 UZS 55.0K

-14.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.63 UZS 163.0K

$11.53 UZS 137.9K

18.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.16 UZS 468.4K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.56 UZS 78.5K

Cinema Ticket

$3.21 UZS 38.4K

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

$380 UZS 4.5M

$76.4 UZS 913.1K

397.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,387 UZS 88.4M

$2,357 UZS 28.2M

213.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.48 UZS 245.0K

$14.79 UZS 176.9K

38.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 UZS 493.9K

$30.25 UZS 361.8K

36.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 UZS 901.5K

$59.9 UZS 716.3K

25.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.2 UZS 707.5K

$60.3 UZS 720.6K

-1.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$239 UZS 2.9M

$200 UZS 2.4M

19.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$164 UZS 2.0M

$100 UZS 1.2M

63.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$457 UZS 5.5M

$253 UZS 3.0M

80.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$319 UZS 3.8M

$121 UZS 1.4M

163.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,248 UZS 14.9M

$621 UZS 7.4M

100.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$536 UZS 6.4M

$294 UZS 3.5M

82.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$306 UZS 3.7M

$338 UZS 4.0M

-9.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

23.31

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

Last update for Samarkand: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bukhara: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Samarkand

$164 25.8%

Bukhara

$100 20.3% 38.8% $64

Groceries & Markets

Samarkand

$157 24.6%

Bukhara

$163 32.9% 4.1% $6.4

Eating Out

Samarkand

$116 18.3%

Bukhara

$109 22% 6.2% $7.2

Clothing & Footwear

Samarkand

$88 13.9%

Bukhara

$74 15% 15.9% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Samarkand

$59 9.2%

Bukhara

$47 9.4% 20.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Samarkand

$46 7.2%

Bukhara

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Samarkand

$6.3 1%

Bukhara

$2.1 * 0.4% 66.6% $4.2

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $239 in Samarkand versus $200 in Bukhara. 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 11% higher in Bukhara, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Samarkand versus $16 in Bukhara. Groceries tell a different story – $157 in Samarkand vs $163 in Bukhara – so Samarkand wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇿 Samarkand

🇺🇿 Bukhara

🕒 Local time

12:52 12:52 PM

Same time as Samarkand

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

573,200

272,500

💱 Currency

Uzbekistani Som UZS soʻm

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 UZS = 8.36 USD

100,000 UZS = 7.51 EUR

100,000 UZS = 8.36 USD

100,000 UZS = 7.51 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Samarkand Bukhara 220 km

From you

Samarkand
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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

Samarkand vs Bukhara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $636 in Samarkand, $495 in Bukhara – roughly 28% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $953 per month in Samarkand and $743 in Bukhara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bukhara, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $200 there versus $239 in Samarkand.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $636 in Samarkand and $495 in Bukhara. That’s a gap of about 28%.

Kindergarten costs $380 per month in Samarkand and $76 in Bukhara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $636 in Samarkand and $495 in Bukhara, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Bukhara – 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.