Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shymkent and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Shymkent: $809 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $39,300 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
196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Shymkent

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$809

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shymkent and in London

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 London actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $809 per month in Shymkent vs $4,086 in London, rent included.

Shymkent $809
London $4,086

A couple spends around $1,366 per month in Shymkent vs $5,816 in London, rent included.

Shymkent $1,366
London $5,816

A family of three spends $1,924 per month in Shymkent vs $7,546 in London, rent included.

Shymkent $1,924
London $7,546

Shymkent is about 80% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Shymkent sits 40% below the global median, while London is 205% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.06 ₸4,979

$26.62 £20.12

-58.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.96 ₸15.3K

$108 £81.3

-68.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.48 ₸2,915

$10.39 £7.86

-37.63%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ₸1,125

$5.79 £4.38

-56.82%

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

$1.08 ₸486

$3.01 £2.27

-64.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₸227

$2.15 £1.63

-76.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₸478

$9.35 £7.07

-88.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 ₸583

$7.84 £5.93

-83.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 ₸654

$1.79 £1.35

-18.99%

White Bread (500g)

$0.44 ₸198

$2.06 £1.56

-78.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 ₸787

$2.31 £1.74

-24.24%

Eggs

$1.65 ₸743

$5.05 £3.82

-67.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.07 ₸4,535

$12.57 £9.50

-19.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.11 ₸2,300

$10.66 £8.05

-52.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.41 ₸3,787

$17.13 £12.95

-50.90%

Apples (1kg)

$1.19 ₸537

$3.03 £2.29

-60.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 ₸978

$1.41 £1.07

53.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 ₸1,101

$3.05 £2.31

-19.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.35 ₸608

$3.38 £2.56

-60.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.51 ₸229

$1.67 £1.26

-69.46%

Onion (1kg)

$0.40 ₸181

$1.73 £1.31

-76.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 ₸416

$1.41 £1.07

-34.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₸355

$1.79 £1.35

-55.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.42 ₸1,091

$23.22 £17.55

-89.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.40 ₸1,981

$12.99 £9.82

-66.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 ₸479

$3.18 £2.41

-66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 ₸682

$4.41 £3.34

-65.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 ₸68.0

$3.87 £2.93

-96.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$250 £189

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 ₸375

$5.71 £4.31

-85.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 ₸163

$3.33 £2.51

-89.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.79 ₸4,408

$57.9 £43.77

-83.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 ₸271

$2.04 £1.54

-70.59%

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

$27.8K ₸12.5M

$37.5K £28.4K

-26.01%

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

$29.1K ₸13.1M

$40.9K £30.9K

-28.95%

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

$47.16 ₸21.2K

$376 £284

-87.46%

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

$9.06 ₸4,078

$17.88 £13.51

-49.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.10 ₸6,799

$40.01 £30.25

-62.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.81 ₸17.5K

$61.2 £46.23

-36.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.55 ₸3,849

$21.07 £15.93

-59.42%

Cinema Ticket

$5.63 ₸2,533

$17.95 £13.57

-68.64%

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

$56.9 ₸25.6K

$2,865 £2,166

-98.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.94 ₸16.2K

$116 £87.7

-69.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.11 ₸14.9K

$54.1 £40.88

-38.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$181 ₸81.6K

$127 £95.7

43.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.4 ₸23.1K

$159 £120

-67.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$333 ₸149.8K

$2,853 £2,157

-88.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$197 ₸88.8K

$2,301 £1,740

-91.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$693 ₸311.9K

$5,201 £3,932

-86.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$556 ₸250.3K

$3,723 £2,814

-85.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,109 ₸499.1K

$19.0K £14.4K

-94.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$975 ₸439.0K

$7,881 £5,957

-87.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$437 ₸196.9K

$4,818 £3,642

-90.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.25

4.65

292.47%

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

Last update for Shymkent: October 5, 2026

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shymkent

$197 24.9%

London

$2.3K 56.5% 1067% $2.1K

Groceries & Markets

Shymkent

$182 23%

London

$349 8.6% 92.3% $168

Eating Out

Shymkent

$152 19.2%

London

$397 9.7% 161% $245

Clothing & Footwear

Shymkent

$136 17.2%

London

$205 5% 51.2% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shymkent

$71 9%

London

$434 10.7% 509% $363

Sport & Entertainment

Shymkent

$50 6.3%

London

$97 2.4% 93.9% $47

Getting Around

Shymkent

$3.3 * 0.4%

London

$288 7.1% 8758% $285

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 $2,853 in London. 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 1001% higher in London, 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 $108 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $182 vs $349 – making Shymkent the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Shymkent

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

13:35 1:35 PM

08:35 8:35 AM

5 h behind Shymkent

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,222,055

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR 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).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shymkent London 5,190 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Shymkent
London

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 London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $809 in Shymkent, $4,086 in London – roughly 405% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,213 per month in Shymkent and $6,129 in London. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $809 in Shymkent and $4,086 in London. That's a gap of about 405%.

Kindergarten costs $56.9 per month in Shymkent and $2,865 in London. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shymkent, where all-in costs run around $809, than in London at $4,086. In Shymkent it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $809 in Shymkent to $4,086 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.