Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shymkent and Pavlodar

For one person, living is cheaper in Pavlodar: $734 a month against $802 in Shymkent, rent and utilities included – about $820 less a year. The total is higher in Shymkent despite lower rent and utilities.

39

Cost of Living Index in Shymkent
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Shymkent Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Pavlodar
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Pavlodar Living Index

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Shymkent

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$802

/mo nomad

Pavlodar

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$734

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shymkent and in Pavlodar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $802 in Shymkent versus $734 in Pavlodar.

Shymkent $802
Pavlodar $734

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,384 in Shymkent versus $1,147 in Pavlodar.

Shymkent $1,384
Pavlodar $1,147

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,965 in Shymkent versus $1,561 in Pavlodar.

Shymkent $1,965
Pavlodar $1,561

Living in Shymkent is roughly 9% more expensive than in Pavlodar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shymkent 41% lower, Pavlodar 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 ₸5,001

$6.55 ₸2,970

68.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.16 ₸15.0K

$22.12 ₸10.0K

49.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.74 ₸3,055

$9.00 ₸4,084

-25.11%

Cappuccino

$2.43 ₸1,102

$1.74 ₸788

39.66%

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

$1.07 ₸486

$1.19 ₸540

-10.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₸246

$0.48 ₸220

12.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.09 ₸493

$1.08 ₸490

0.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 ₸616

$1.37 ₸622

-0.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ₸654

$1.03 ₸469

39.81%

White Bread (500g)

$0.44 ₸199

$0.34 ₸152

29.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 ₸817

$1.36 ₸618

32.35%

Eggs

$1.69 ₸768

$1.56 ₸709

8.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.03 ₸4,548

$5.41 ₸2,456

85.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.29 ₸2,398

$4.63 ₸2,098

14.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.59 ₸3,895

$6.82 ₸3,093

25.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.20 ₸545

$1.42 ₸643

-15.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 ₸1,002

$1.69 ₸765

30.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 ₸1,155

$1.72 ₸782

48.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 ₸649

$1.70 ₸773

-15.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.51 ₸233

$0.91 ₸415

-43.96%

Onion (1kg)

$0.43 ₸195

$0.72 ₸325

-40.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 ₸410

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ₸382

$0.76 ₸346

10.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.46 ₸1,117

$2.51 ₸1,136

-1.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.54 ₸2,060

$7.06 ₸3,204

-35.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 ₸471

$1.30 ₸590

-20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 ₸719

$2.20 ₸999

-27.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 ₸77.7

$0.36 ₸162

-52.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.41 ₸640

-39.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ₸169

$1.19 ₸539

-68.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.72 ₸4,411

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.66 ₸300

$0.69 ₸311

-4.35%

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

$27.6K ₸12.5M

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

$29.7K ₸13.5M

$26.3K ₸11.9M

13.02%

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

$47.21 ₸21.4K

$66.4 ₸30.1K

-28.85%

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

$9.45 ₸4,285

$11.31 ₸5,130

-16.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.85 ₸6,737

$27.05 ₸12.3K

-45.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.00 ₸17.7K

$31.63 ₸14.3K

23.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.61 ₸3,904

$11.01 ₸4,995

-21.80%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₸2,561

$4.46 ₸2,024

26.68%

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

$58.0 ₸26.3K

$133 ₸60.2K

-56.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,420 ₸2.0M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.30 ₸16.5K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.52 ₸15.7K

$25.25 ₸11.5K

36.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$184 ₸83.5K

$75.3 ₸34.2K

144.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.4 ₸23.8K

$98.7 ₸44.8K

-46.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$341 ₸154.8K

$274 ₸124.3K

24.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$201 ₸91.3K

$219 ₸99.5K

-8.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$694 ₸314.8K

$556 ₸252.3K

24.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$548 ₸248.8K

$437 ₸198.2K

25.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,121 ₸508.4K

$1,081 ₸490.2K

3.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$970 ₸440.1K

$872 ₸395.6K

11.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$439 ₸199.0K

$707 ₸320.6K

-37.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.25

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

Last update for Shymkent: October 25, 2026

Last update for Pavlodar: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shymkent

$201 25.1%

Pavlodar

$219 29.9% 8.9% $18

Groceries & Markets

Shymkent

$185 23.1%

Pavlodar

$156 * 21.3% 15.7% $29

Eating Out

Shymkent

$152 19%

Pavlodar

$115 15.7% 24.4% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Shymkent

$138 17.2%

Pavlodar

$90 * 12.2% 35.2% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shymkent

$72 8.9%

Pavlodar

$105 14.3% 46.4% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Shymkent

$50 6.3%

Pavlodar

$41 5.5% 19.4% $9.7

Getting Around

Shymkent

$3.4 * 0.4%

Pavlodar

$8.8 * 1.2% 158% $5.4

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 $341 in Shymkent and $274 in Pavlodar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pavlodar pays 61% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $33 in Shymkent vs $22 in Pavlodar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $185 vs $156 per month, with Pavlodar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Shymkent

🇰🇿 Pavlodar

🕒 Local time

12:03 12:03 PM

Same time as Shymkent

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,222,055

334,830

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Shymkent Pavlodar 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Shymkent
Pavlodar

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 Pavlodar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $802 in Shymkent and $734 in Pavlodar, so Pavlodar is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 38% lower in Shymkent. 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: $341 in Shymkent versus $274 in Pavlodar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Shymkent. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $802 per month in Shymkent versus $734 in Pavlodar – Pavlodar is about 8% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Pavlodar 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.