Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shymkent and Taraz

For one person, living is cheaper in Taraz: $629 a month against $808 in Shymkent, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Shymkent
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Shymkent Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Taraz
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Taraz Living Index

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Shymkent

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$808

/mo nomad

Taraz

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$629

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shymkent and in Taraz

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $808 in Shymkent versus $629 in Taraz.

Shymkent $808
Taraz $629

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,390 in Shymkent versus $1,004 in Taraz.

Shymkent $1,390
Taraz $1,004

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,971 in Shymkent versus $1,379 in Taraz.

Shymkent $1,971
Taraz $1,379

Living in Shymkent is roughly 28% more expensive than in Taraz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shymkent 40% lower, Taraz 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.25 ₸5,086

$8.90 ₸4,024

26.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.35 ₸15.1K

$21.83 ₸9,869

52.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.50 ₸2,938

$6.67 ₸3,014

-2.55%

Cappuccino

$2.54 ₸1,147

$1.52 ₸686

67.11%

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

$1.03 ₸467

$0.85 ₸385

21.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₸246

$0.45 ₸204

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.09 ₸492

$1.09 ₸491

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₸609

$1.80 ₸815

-25.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ₸661

$1.12 ₸508

30.36%

White Bread (500g)

$0.41 ₸184

$0.44 ₸199

-6.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 ₸811

$1.34 ₸607

33.58%

Eggs

$1.73 ₸783

$1.74 ₸788

-0.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.04 ₸4,538

$10.32 ₸4,666

-2.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.26 ₸2,376

$5.23 ₸2,364

0.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.98 ₸4,059

$8.27 ₸3,739

8.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.19 ₸538

$1.19 ₸539

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 ₸957

$2.13 ₸963

-0.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 ₸1,166

$2.53 ₸1,146

1.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.35 ₸610

$1.36 ₸613

-0.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 ₸250

$0.54 ₸245

1.85%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 ₸184

$0.43 ₸197

-4.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 ₸397

$0.95 ₸430

-7.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₸376

$0.84 ₸382

-1.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.46 ₸1,114

$2.38 ₸1,078

3.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.55 ₸2,057

$4.36 ₸1,972

4.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ₸466

$1.03 ₸464

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 ₸683

$1.54 ₸695

-1.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.14 ₸64.0

$0.23 ₸103

-39.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 ₸395

$0.85 ₸386

2.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 ₸156

$0.35 ₸157

-2.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.02 ₸4,532

$3.93 ₸1,777

154.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 ₸291

$0.61 ₸274

4.92%

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

$27.2K ₸12.3M

$27.3K ₸12.4M

-0.59%

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

$29.0K ₸13.1M

$27.8K ₸12.5M

4.68%

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

$47.29 ₸21.4K

$46.43 ₸21.0K

1.85%

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

$9.60 ₸4,338

$8.97 ₸4,053

7.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.79 ₸6,685

$9.02 ₸4,079

63.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.82 ₸17.5K

$36.72 ₸16.6K

5.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.82 ₸3,986

Cinema Ticket

$5.68 ₸2,567

$4.48 ₸2,027

26.79%

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

$57.8 ₸26.1K

$56.9 ₸25.7K

1.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.55 ₸17.0K

$26.07 ₸11.8K

44.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.85 ₸15.3K

$33.82 ₸15.3K

0.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$187 ₸84.4K

$110 ₸49.7K

69.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.9 ₸23.9K

$53.3 ₸24.1K

-0.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$338 ₸153.0K

$267 ₸120.7K

26.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$203 ₸92.0K

$112 ₸50.8K

80.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$698 ₸315.6K

$447 ₸202.1K

56.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$545 ₸246.2K

$203 ₸91.7K

168.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,104 ₸499.1K

$839 ₸379.3K

31.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$986 ₸445.6K

$600 ₸271.3K

64.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$442 ₸199.6K

$273 ₸123.2K

62.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.25

17.83

2.36%

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

Last update for Shymkent: October 19, 2026

Last update for Taraz: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shymkent

$203 25.2%

Taraz

$112 17.9% 44.7% $91

Groceries & Markets

Shymkent

$185 22.9%

Taraz

$179 28.4% 3.3% $6.2

Eating Out

Shymkent

$154 19.1%

Taraz

$124 19.7% 19.9% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Shymkent

$140 17.3%

Taraz

$100 16% 28.3% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shymkent

$72 8.9%

Taraz

$64 10.2% 10.1% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

Shymkent

$50 6.2%

Taraz

$46 7.3% 8.9% $4.5

Getting Around

Shymkent

$3.2 * 0.4%

Taraz

$3.5 * 0.6% 11.1% $0.3

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 $338 in Shymkent and $267 in Taraz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shymkent pays 62% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $33.00 in Shymkent vs $22.00 in Taraz for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $185 vs $179 per month, with Taraz cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Shymkent

🇰🇿 Taraz

🕒 Local time

01:16 1:16 AM

Same time as Shymkent

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,222,055

431,160

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Shymkent Taraz 160 km

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Shymkent
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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

Shymkent vs Taraz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shymkent and Taraz differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($808 vs $629 including rent). Taraz is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 62% 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: $338 in Shymkent versus $267 in Taraz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $57.8 in Shymkent versus $56.9 in Taraz. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Taraz – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $33.00 in Shymkent. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Taraz 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 Taraz are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Taraz gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Shymkent. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.