Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taraz and Shymkent

For one person, living is cheaper in Taraz: $626 a month against $802 in Shymkent, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Taraz
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Taraz Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Shymkent
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Shymkent Living Index

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Taraz

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$626

/mo nomad

Shymkent

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$802

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taraz and in Shymkent

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $626 in Taraz versus $802 in Shymkent.

Taraz $626
Shymkent $802

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,001 in Taraz versus $1,384 in Shymkent.

Taraz $1,001
Shymkent $1,384

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,375 in Taraz versus $1,965 in Shymkent.

Taraz $1,375
Shymkent $1,965

Living in Taraz costs roughly 22% less than in Shymkent, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Taraz 54% lower, Shymkent 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.83 ₸4,023

$11.02 ₸5,022

-19.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.00 ₸10.0K

$33.16 ₸15.1K

-33.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.68 ₸3,043

$6.74 ₸3,068

-0.89%

Cappuccino

$1.56 ₸713

$2.43 ₸1,107

-35.80%

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

$0.92 ₸420

$1.07 ₸488

-14.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ₸192

$0.54 ₸247

-22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.13 ₸516

$1.09 ₸495

3.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 ₸820

$1.36 ₸618

32.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 ₸493

$1.44 ₸657

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.44 ₸199

$0.44 ₸200

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 ₸615

$1.80 ₸821

-25.00%

Eggs

$1.69 ₸772

$1.69 ₸771

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.17 ₸4,634

$10.03 ₸4,568

1.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.16 ₸2,350

$5.29 ₸2,409

-2.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.26 ₸3,761

$8.59 ₸3,912

-3.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.21 ₸549

$1.20 ₸547

0.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 ₸989

$2.21 ₸1,006

-1.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 ₸1,179

$2.55 ₸1,160

1.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 ₸624

$1.43 ₸652

-4.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.51 ₸233

$0.51 ₸234

Onion (1kg)

$0.44 ₸199

$0.43 ₸196

2.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 ₸403

$0.90 ₸411

-2.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ₸365

$0.84 ₸384

-4.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.39 ₸1,090

$2.46 ₸1,121

-2.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.38 ₸1,993

$4.54 ₸2,069

-3.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 ₸490

$1.04 ₸473

3.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₸696

$1.59 ₸722

-3.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 ₸96.4

$0.17 ₸78.0

23.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.86 ₸391

2.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ₸170

$0.37 ₸169

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.07 ₸1,852

$9.72 ₸4,429

-58.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 ₸298

$0.66 ₸301

-1.52%

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

$27.6K ₸12.6M

0.03%

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

$27.5K ₸12.5M

$29.7K ₸13.5M

-7.28%

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

$47.53 ₸21.7K

$47.21 ₸21.5K

0.68%

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

$8.64 ₸3,936

$9.45 ₸4,303

-8.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.98 ₸4,089

$14.85 ₸6,766

-39.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.00 ₸16.4K

$39.00 ₸17.8K

-7.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.61 ₸3,920

Cinema Ticket

$4.54 ₸2,069

$5.65 ₸2,572

-19.65%

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

$58.8 ₸26.8K

$58.0 ₸26.4K

1.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.93 ₸12.3K

$36.30 ₸16.5K

-25.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.47 ₸15.7K

$34.52 ₸15.7K

-0.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 ₸50.4K

$184 ₸83.8K

-39.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.0 ₸24.2K

$52.4 ₸23.9K

1.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$263 ₸120.0K

$341 ₸155.4K

-22.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$109 ₸49.8K

$201 ₸91.7K

-45.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$435 ₸198.0K

$694 ₸316.1K

-37.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$200 ₸91.1K

$548 ₸249.8K

-63.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$858 ₸391.0K

$1,121 ₸510.5K

-23.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$600 ₸273.3K

$970 ₸441.9K

-38.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$282 ₸128.2K

$439 ₸199.8K

-35.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

17.83

18.25

-2.30%

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

Last update for Taraz: October 25, 2026

Last update for Shymkent: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Taraz

$177 28.4%

Shymkent

$185 23.1% 4.4% $7.8

Eating Out

Taraz

$124 19.8%

Shymkent

$152 19% 22.6% $28

Accommodation & Living

Taraz

$109 17.5%

Shymkent

$201 25.1% 84.2% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Taraz

$101 16.2%

Shymkent

$138 17.2% 36.5% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taraz

$65 10.4%

Shymkent

$72 8.9% 9.7% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

Taraz

$45 7.2%

Shymkent

$50 6.3% 11.5% $5.2

Getting Around

Taraz

$3.6 * 0.6%

Shymkent

$3.4 * 0.4% 5.3% $0.2

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 $263 in Taraz and $341 in Shymkent. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shymkent pays 56% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $22 in Taraz vs $33 in Shymkent for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $177 vs $185 per month, with Taraz cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Taraz

🇰🇿 Shymkent

🕒 Local time

07:50 7:50 AM

Same time as Taraz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

431,160

1,222,055

💱 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

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Taraz Shymkent 160 km

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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

Taraz vs Shymkent: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $626 in Taraz and $802 in Shymkent, so Taraz is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 36% lower in Taraz. 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: $263 in Taraz versus $341 in Shymkent. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $59 in Taraz versus $58 in Shymkent. 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 versus $33 in Shymkent. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $626 in Taraz versus $802 in Shymkent, a $800 budget is realistic in Taraz but tight or insufficient in Shymkent. The gap between the two cities makes Taraz the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

It comes down to priorities – Taraz wins on affordability, Shymkent on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.