Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shymkent and Petropavl

For one person, living costs are similar in Shymkent and in Petropavl: $804 and $821 a month, rent and utilities included.

38

Cost of Living Index in Shymkent
Learn more

Shymkent Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Petropavl
Learn more

Petropavl Living Index

Jump to prices

Shymkent

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$804

/mo nomad

Petropavl

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shymkent and in Petropavl

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $804 in Shymkent versus $821 in Petropavl.

Shymkent $804
Petropavl $821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,385 in Shymkent versus $1,485 in Petropavl.

Shymkent $1,385
Petropavl $1,485

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,965 in Shymkent versus $2,150 in Petropavl.

Shymkent $1,965
Petropavl $2,150

Monthly costs are close between Shymkent and Petropavl; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shymkent 41% lower, Petropavl 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.24 ₸5,040

$14.58 ₸6,540

-22.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.91 ₸15.2K

$31.26 ₸14.0K

8.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.67 ₸2,991

$9.48 ₸4,250

-29.64%

Cappuccino

$2.41 ₸1,079

$2.78 ₸1,245

-13.31%

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

$1.05 ₸469

$1.45 ₸651

-27.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₸226

$0.69 ₸311

-27.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.14 ₸512

$1.53 ₸685

-25.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 ₸612

$2.63 ₸1,180

-48.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ₸644

$1.16 ₸520

24.14%

White Bread (500g)

$0.43 ₸195

$0.73 ₸328

-41.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.81 ₸810

$2.11 ₸946

-14.22%

Eggs

$1.74 ₸779

$2.04 ₸914

-14.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 ₸4,593

$10.70 ₸4,797

-4.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.33 ₸2,389

$6.05 ₸2,714

-11.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.48 ₸3,802

$10.20 ₸4,576

-16.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.15 ₸516

$1.56 ₸701

-26.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 ₸972

$2.19 ₸981

-0.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 ₸1,098

$1.85 ₸831

32.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 ₸634

$1.29 ₸580

9.30%

Potato (1kg)

$0.51 ₸230

$0.66 ₸294

-22.73%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 ₸183

$0.75 ₸337

-45.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 ₸431

$2.61 ₸1,168

-63.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 ₸380

$1.13 ₸509

-24.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.38 ₸1,069

$2.41 ₸1,082

-1.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.55 ₸2,041

$7.95 ₸3,565

-42.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ₸462

$1.13 ₸506

-8.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ₸690

$2.04 ₸916

-24.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.14 ₸62.8

$0.25 ₸113

-44.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.91 ₸409

$0.68 ₸304

33.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ₸168

$0.96 ₸430

-61.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.99 ₸4,479

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.66 ₸295

$0.69 ₸308

-4.35%

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

$27.2K ₸12.2M

$22.5K ₸10.1M

21.17%

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

$29.5K ₸13.2M

$26.8K ₸12.0M

10.02%

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

$46.66 ₸20.9K

$58.1 ₸26.0K

-19.62%

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

$9.48 ₸4,251

$17.90 ₸8,029

-47.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.26 ₸6,841

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.10 ₸17.5K

$28.49 ₸12.8K

37.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.81 ₸3,952

Cinema Ticket

$5.61 ₸2,516

$4.85 ₸2,175

15.67%

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

$57.1 ₸25.6K

$87.3 ₸39.1K

-34.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.07 ₸16.6K

$44.02 ₸19.7K

-15.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.63 ₸15.1K

$32.90 ₸14.8K

2.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$182 ₸81.7K

$66.0 ₸29.6K

175.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.9 ₸23.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$342 ₸153.2K

$343 ₸153.9K

-0.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$204 ₸91.3K

$219 ₸98.4K

-7.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$692 ₸310.3K

$979 ₸438.9K

-29.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$545 ₸244.5K

$760 ₸340.8K

-28.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,105 ₸495.3K

$890 ₸399.0K

24.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$978 ₸438.5K

$986 ₸442.2K

-0.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$445 ₸199.5K

$293 ₸131.3K

51.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.25

-8.75%

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

Last update for Shymkent: November 2, 2026

Last update for Petropavl: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shymkent

$204 25.3%

Petropavl

$219 26.7% 7.7% $16

Groceries & Markets

Shymkent

$185 23%

Petropavl

$216 26.4% 17% $31

Eating Out

Shymkent

$153 19.1%

Petropavl

$200 24.4% 30.3% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Shymkent

$137 17.1%

Petropavl

$64 * 7.8% 53.1% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shymkent

$71 8.9%

Petropavl

$76 * 9.3% 6.4% $4.6

Sport & Entertainment

Shymkent

$50 6.3%

Petropavl

$38 4.7% 24.1% $12

Getting Around

Shymkent

$3.3 * 0.4%

Petropavl

$6.5 * 0.8% 94.3% $3.2

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 $342 in Shymkent and $343 in Petropavl. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shymkent pays 52% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $34 in Shymkent vs $31 in Petropavl. Groceries flip the comparison at $185 vs $216, with Shymkent cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Shymkent

🇰🇿 Petropavl

🕒 Local time

19:01 7:01 PM

Same time as Shymkent

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,222,055

222,703

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.23 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.99 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.23 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shymkent Petropavl 1,400 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Shymkent
Petropavl

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 Petropavl: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 52% higher in Shymkent, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $342 in Shymkent versus $343 in Petropavl. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Petropavl. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Petropavl – a meal for two runs $31 versus $34 in Shymkent. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

Safety-wise, Shymkent and Petropavl are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.