Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tashkent and Balga

For one person, living is cheaper in Tashkent: $1,038 a month against $2,511 in Balga, rent and utilities included – about $17,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Tashkent
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Tashkent Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Balga
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Balga Living Index

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Tashkent

🇺🇿 Uzbekistan

$1,038

/mo nomad

Balga

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,511

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tashkent and in Balga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,038 in Tashkent versus $2,511 in Balga.

Tashkent $1,038
Balga $2,511

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,636 in Tashkent versus $3,781 in Balga.

Tashkent $1,636
Balga $3,781

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,234 in Tashkent versus $5,052 in Balga.

Tashkent $2,234
Balga $5,052

Living in Tashkent costs roughly 59% less than in Balga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tashkent is 23% below, Balga is 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.54 UZS 78.8K

$19.89 A$28.62

-67.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.23 UZS 412.5K

$84.9 A$122

-59.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.12 UZS 61.7K

$10.54 A$15.16

-51.42%

Cappuccino

$2.62 UZS 31.6K

$4.47 A$6.43

-41.39%

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

$0.71 UZS 8,593

$2.83 A$4.08

-74.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 UZS 3,921

$2.21 A$3.18

-85.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 UZS 26.0K

$8.33 A$11.98

-74.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 UZS 45.7K

$8.48 A$12.21

-55.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 UZS 15.2K

$1.71 A$2.46

-26.32%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 UZS 10.4K

$3.14 A$4.52

-72.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 UZS 19.8K

$1.97 A$2.83

-16.75%

Eggs

$1.78 UZS 21.4K

$5.30 A$7.62

-66.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.93 UZS 95.5K

$9.50 A$13.66

-16.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.19 UZS 50.5K

$9.43 A$13.57

-55.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.60 UZS 151.8K

$13.90 A$20.00

-9.35%

Apples (1kg)

$1.53 UZS 18.5K

$4.60 A$6.61

-66.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 UZS 21.7K

$3.10 A$4.45

-41.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 UZS 28.0K

$3.42 A$4.92

-32.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.71 UZS 20.7K

$4.99 A$7.18

-65.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 UZS 6,683

$2.82 A$4.05

-80.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.38 UZS 4,526

$1.98 A$2.84

-80.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 UZS 12.4K

$2.25 A$3.23

-54.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 UZS 5,799

$1.32 A$1.90

-63.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.07 UZS 24.9K

$41.48 A$59.7

-95.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.66 UZS 92.3K

$12.65 A$18.21

-39.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 UZS 16.4K

$4.32 A$6.21

-68.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 UZS 43.9K

$3.55 A$5.11

2.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 UZS 1,937

$2.62 A$3.77

-93.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.52 UZS 150.8K

$73.4 A$106

-82.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 UZS 9,790

$3.57 A$5.14

-77.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 UZS 4,376

$1.43 A$2.06

-74.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 UZS 39.8K

$41.05 A$59.1

-91.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 UZS 13.9K

$1.39 A$2.00

-17.27%

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

$16.6K UZS 200.4M

$27.0K A$38.8K

-38.33%

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

$24.0K UZS 289.1M

$29.2K A$42.0K

-17.79%

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

$68.1 UZS 821.0K

$194 A$279

-64.87%

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

$4.49 UZS 54.1K

$32.84 A$47.26

-86.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.64 UZS 164.4K

$62.9 A$90.5

-78.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.6 UZS 754.2K

$63.7 A$91.7

-1.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.78 UZS 226.3K

$17.91 A$25.77

4.86%

Cinema Ticket

$5.98 UZS 72.1K

$17.18 A$24.72

-65.19%

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

$328 UZS 4.0M

$2,261 A$3,253

-85.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,455 UZS 113.9M

$22.8K A$32.9K

-58.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.10 UZS 591.7K

$76.6 A$110

-35.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.8 UZS 708.4K

$64.9 A$93.4

-9.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 UZS 1.4M

$121 A$174

-6.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 UZS 1.7M

$165 A$237

-15.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$600 UZS 7.2M

$1,321 A$1,901

-54.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 UZS 4.6M

$1,147 A$1,650

-66.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 UZS 14.6M

$2,150 A$3,094

-43.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$714 UZS 8.6M

$1,981 A$2,851

-63.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,585 UZS 19.1M

$5,585 A$8,037

-71.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$945 UZS 11.4M

$5,491 A$7,902

-82.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$711 UZS 8.6M

$3,320 A$4,778

-78.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

23.31

5.91

294.42%

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

Last update for Tashkent: October 12, 2026

Last update for Balga: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tashkent

$382 36.8%

Balga

$1.1K 45.7% 200% $765

Groceries & Markets

Tashkent

$195 18.8%

Balga

$366 14.6% 87.4% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Tashkent

$162 15.6%

Balga

$192 7.7% 18.4% $30

Eating Out

Tashkent

$122 11.7%

Balga

$323 12.9% 166% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tashkent

$86 8.3%

Balga

$290 11.5% 236% $203

Sport & Entertainment

Tashkent

$75 7.2%

Balga

$98 3.9% 31.5% $24

Getting Around

Tashkent

$16 1.5%

Balga

$95 3.8% 499% $79

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $600 in Tashkent and $1,321 in Balga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Balga pays 367% 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: $34.00 in Tashkent vs $85.0 in Balga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $195 vs $366 per month, with Tashkent cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇿 Tashkent

🇦🇺 Balga

🕒 Local time

01:46 1:46 AM

04:46 4:46 AM

3 h ahead of Tashkent

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,956,384 Capital

12,685

💱 Currency

Uzbekistani Som UZS soʻm

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 UZS = 8.3 USD

100,000 UZS = 7.38 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to UZS – Uzbekistani Som Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇿 Uzbekistani Som (soʻm)

Uzbekistani Som exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 12,051 UZS (100,000 UZS = 8.3 USD). 1 EUR = 13,549 UZS (100,000 UZS = 7.38 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to UZS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tashkent Balga 9,430 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Tashkent
Balga

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

Tashkent vs Balga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tashkent and Balga differ by about 142% in total monthly costs ($1,038 vs $2,511 including rent). Tashkent is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 367% lower in Balga. 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: $600 in Tashkent versus $1,321 in Balga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Tashkent – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $85.0 in Balga. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,038 per month in Tashkent versus $2,511 in Balga – a 142% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,038 in Tashkent versus $2,511 in Balga, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tashkent but tight or insufficient in Balga. The gap between the two cities makes Tashkent 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, Tashkent and Balga 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 Tashkent gentler on the wallet – expenses run 142% less than in Balga. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.