Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tashkent and Karaganda

For one person, living is cheaper in Karaganda: $929 a month against $1,048 in Tashkent, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Tashkent
Learn more

Tashkent Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Karaganda
Learn more

Karaganda Living Index

Jump to prices

Tashkent

🇺🇿 Uzbekistan

$1,048

/mo nomad

Karaganda

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$929

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tashkent and in Karaganda

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

A single person spends $1,048 per month in Tashkent vs $929 in Karaganda, rent included.

Tashkent $1,048
Karaganda $929

A couple spends around $1,646 per month in Tashkent vs $1,498 in Karaganda, rent included.

Tashkent $1,646
Karaganda $1,498

A family of three spends $2,244 per month in Tashkent vs $2,067 in Karaganda, rent included.

Tashkent $2,244
Karaganda $2,067

Tashkent costs about 13% more than Karaganda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Tashkent and Karaganda are more affordable than the global median – Tashkent 23% lower, Karaganda 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.73 UZS 81.1K

$9.92 ₸4,483

-32.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.94 UZS 397.0K

$34.77 ₸15.7K

-5.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.13 UZS 61.9K

$5.62 ₸2,540

-8.72%

Cappuccino

$2.55 UZS 30.7K

$1.90 ₸861

34.21%

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

$0.70 UZS 8,488

$0.87 ₸392

-19.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 UZS 3,955

$0.64 ₸290

-48.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.09 UZS 25.2K

$1.37 ₸618

52.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 UZS 45.4K

$2.81 ₸1,271

34.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 UZS 15.7K

$1.33 ₸602

-2.26%

White Bread (500g)

$0.85 UZS 10.2K

$0.48 ₸219

77.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 UZS 19.7K

$1.34 ₸605

21.64%

Eggs

$1.80 UZS 21.6K

$1.87 ₸845

-3.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.04 UZS 96.9K

$13.37 ₸6,043

-39.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 UZS 49.1K

$5.55 ₸2,510

-26.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.49 UZS 150.6K

$11.16 ₸5,043

11.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.49 UZS 18.0K

$1.51 ₸683

-1.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 UZS 21.8K

$1.89 ₸857

-4.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 UZS 26.4K

$2.78 ₸1,255

-21.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.70 UZS 20.5K

$2.09 ₸944

-18.66%

Potato (1kg)

$0.60 UZS 7,171

$0.63 ₸284

-4.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.37 UZS 4,488

$0.54 ₸245

-31.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 UZS 12.3K

$1.04 ₸469

-1.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 UZS 5,351

$0.70 ₸315

-37.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.95 UZS 23.5K

$2.18 ₸985

-10.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 UZS 88.4K

$8.40 ₸3,798

-12.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 UZS 15.9K

$1.36 ₸616

-2.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 UZS 42.7K

$2.11 ₸955

68.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 UZS 1,786

$0.23 ₸104

-34.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.30 UZS 148.2K

$15.45 ₸6,982

-20.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 UZS 10.4K

$1.23 ₸558

-30.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 UZS 4,382

$1.24 ₸562

-70.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 UZS 38.4K

$3.22 ₸1,457

-1.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 UZS 13.6K

$0.52 ₸236

117.31%

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

$17.3K UZS 208.5M

$21.6K ₸9.8M

-20.06%

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

$20.7K UZS 249.8M

$32.3K ₸14.6M

-35.75%

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

$67.2 UZS 809.7K

$72.6 ₸32.8K

-7.41%

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

$4.40 UZS 53.0K

$9.86 ₸4,457

-55.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.35 UZS 160.9K

$11.82 ₸5,342

12.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 UZS 813.2K

$45.55 ₸20.6K

48.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.05 UZS 217.5K

$18.09 ₸8,179

-0.22%

Cinema Ticket

$5.66 UZS 68.2K

$5.29 ₸2,390

6.99%

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

$333 UZS 4.0M

$133 ₸59.9K

150.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,238 UZS 111.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.73 UZS 599.3K

$60.5 ₸27.4K

-17.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 UZS 698.6K

$57.6 ₸26.0K

0.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 UZS 1.3M

$79.0 ₸35.7K

41.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 UZS 1.6M

$85.7 ₸38.7K

56.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$595 UZS 7.2M

$400 ₸180.6K

48.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$395 UZS 4.8M

$274 ₸123.7K

44.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 UZS 14.3M

$730 ₸330.1K

62.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$735 UZS 8.9M

$543 ₸245.7K

35.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,621 UZS 19.5M

$1,053 ₸475.8K

53.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$944 UZS 11.4M

$695 ₸314.0K

35.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$716 UZS 8.6M

$566 ₸256.1K

26.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

23.31

19.25

21.09%

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

Last update for Tashkent: October 19, 2026

Last update for Karaganda: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tashkent

$395 37.7%

Karaganda

$274 29.5% 30.7% $121

Groceries & Markets

Tashkent

$193 18.4%

Karaganda

$216 23.3% 11.9% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Tashkent

$159 15.2%

Karaganda

$127 13.7% 20% $32

Eating Out

Tashkent

$122 11.6%

Karaganda

$138 14.8% 12.7% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tashkent

$85 8.1%

Karaganda

$94 10.2% 11% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Tashkent

$79 7.5%

Karaganda

$56 6% 28.8% $23

Getting Around

Tashkent

$16 1.5%

Karaganda

$24 2.6% 52.9% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $595 in Tashkent versus $400 in Karaganda. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 26% higher in Tashkent, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33.00 in Tashkent versus $35.00 in Karaganda. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $216 – making Tashkent the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇿 Tashkent

🇰🇿 Karaganda

🕒 Local time

18:19 6:19 PM

19:19 7:19 PM

1 h ahead of Tashkent

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,956,384 Capital

520,486

💱 Currency

Uzbekistani Som UZS soʻm

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 UZS = 8.3 USD

100,000 UZS = 7.38 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to UZS – Uzbekistani Som Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇿 Uzbekistani Som (soʻm)

Uzbekistani Som exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 12,051 UZS (100,000 UZS = 8.3 USD). 1 EUR = 13,548 UZS (100,000 UZS = 7.38 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to UZS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tashkent Karaganda 990 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Tashkent
Karaganda

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 Karaganda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,048 in Tashkent, $929 in Karaganda – roughly 13% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,572 per month in Tashkent and $1,393 in Karaganda. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karaganda, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 26% less in Karaganda. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $333 per month in Tashkent and $133 in Karaganda. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Karaganda, where all-in costs run around $929, than in Tashkent at $1,048. In Karaganda it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tashkent it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Karaganda – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Karaganda. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tashkent makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.