Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shymkent and Berlin

For one person, living is cheaper in Shymkent: $809 a month against $2,545 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $20,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Shymkent
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Shymkent Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
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Berlin Living Index

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Shymkent

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$809

/mo nomad

Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,545

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shymkent and in Berlin

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

A single person spends $809 per month in Shymkent vs $2,545 in Berlin, rent included.

Shymkent $809
Berlin $2,545

A couple spends around $1,366 per month in Shymkent vs $3,901 in Berlin, rent included.

Shymkent $1,366
Berlin $3,901

A family of three spends $1,924 per month in Shymkent vs $5,257 in Berlin, rent included.

Shymkent $1,924
Berlin $5,257

Shymkent is about 68% cheaper than Berlin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Shymkent sits 40% below the global median, while Berlin is 90% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.06 ₸4,979

$16.81 €14.99

-34.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.96 ₸15.3K

$79.6 €71.0

-57.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.48 ₸2,915

$13.38 €11.93

-51.57%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ₸1,125

$4.27 €3.81

-41.45%

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

$1.08 ₸486

$3.40 €3.03

-68.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₸227

$3.12 €2.78

-83.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₸478

$5.48 €4.88

-80.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 ₸583

$4.56 €4.06

-71.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 ₸654

$1.27 €1.13

14.17%

White Bread (500g)

$0.44 ₸198

$2.45 €2.18

-82.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 ₸787

$3.30 €2.94

-46.97%

Eggs

$1.65 ₸743

$4.45 €3.97

-62.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.07 ₸4,535

$17.10 €15.25

-41.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.11 ₸2,300

$12.19 €10.87

-58.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.41 ₸3,787

$18.30 €16.32

-54.04%

Apples (1kg)

$1.19 ₸537

$3.58 €3.19

-66.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 ₸978

$1.98 €1.76

9.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 ₸1,101

$3.27 €2.91

-25.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.35 ₸608

$3.81 €3.40

-64.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.51 ₸229

$2.13 €1.90

-76.06%

Onion (1kg)

$0.40 ₸181

$2.21 €1.97

-81.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 ₸416

$1.49 €1.33

-38.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₸355

$1.01 €0.90

-21.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.42 ₸1,091

$10.49 €9.36

-76.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.40 ₸1,981

$6.76 €6.03

-34.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 ₸479

$1.34 €1.20

-20.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 ₸682

$2.10 €1.87

-28.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 ₸68.0

$4.37 €3.90

-96.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.0 €63.3

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 ₸375

$5.29 €4.72

-84.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 ₸163

$3.05 €2.72

-88.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.79 ₸4,408

$36.30 €32.36

-73.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 ₸271

$2.28 €2.03

-73.68%

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

$27.8K ₸12.5M

$33.2K €29.6K

-16.42%

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

$29.1K ₸13.1M

$39.1K €34.8K

-25.60%

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

$47.16 ₸21.2K

$379 €338

-87.57%

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

$9.06 ₸4,078

$19.31 €17.22

-53.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.10 ₸6,799

$48.41 €43.17

-68.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.81 ₸17.5K

$40.31 €35.94

-3.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.55 ₸3,849

$35.51 €31.66

-75.92%

Cinema Ticket

$5.63 ₸2,533

$15.53 €13.85

-63.75%

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

$56.9 ₸25.6K

$144 €128

-60.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.94 ₸16.2K

$94.6 €84.4

-62.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.11 ₸14.9K

$46.33 €41.31

-28.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$181 ₸81.6K

$103 €92.1

75.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.4 ₸23.1K

$141 €126

-63.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$333 ₸149.8K

$1,488 €1,327

-77.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$197 ₸88.8K

$1,098 €979

-82.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$693 ₸311.9K

$2,665 €2,376

-74.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$556 ₸250.3K

$2,080 €1,855

-73.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,109 ₸499.1K

$8,578 €7,648

-87.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$975 ₸439.0K

$5,438 €4,849

-82.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$437 ₸196.9K

$3,487 €3,109

-87.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.25

3.8

380.26%

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

Last update for Shymkent: October 5, 2026

Last update for Berlin: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shymkent

$197 24.9%

Berlin

$1.1K 43.3% 457% $901

Groceries & Markets

Shymkent

$182 23%

Berlin

$351 13.8% 92.9% $169

Eating Out

Shymkent

$152 19.2%

Berlin

$289 11.4% 89.6% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Shymkent

$136 17.2%

Berlin

$174 6.8% 27.8% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shymkent

$71 9%

Berlin

$447 17.6% 527% $376

Sport & Entertainment

Shymkent

$50 6.3%

Berlin

$71 2.8% 42.6% $21

Getting Around

Shymkent

$3.3 * 0.4%

Berlin

$109 4.3% 3254% $106

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $333 in Shymkent versus $1,488 in Berlin. 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 697% higher in Berlin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34.00 in Shymkent versus $80.0 in Berlin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $182 vs $351 – making Shymkent the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Shymkent

🇩🇪 Berlin

🕒 Local time

15:05 3:05 PM

11:05 11:05 AM

4 h behind Shymkent

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,222,055

3,769,962 Capital

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 450 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shymkent Berlin 4,260 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Shymkent
Berlin

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

Shymkent vs Berlin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 215%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,213 per month in Shymkent and $3,818 in Berlin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shymkent, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34.00 in Shymkent and $80.0 in Berlin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 93% more in Berlin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shymkent, where all-in costs run around $809, than in Berlin at $2,545. In Shymkent it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shymkent – 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.

If budget matters most, go with Shymkent. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Berlin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.