Last update: Nov 2026 6.1M

Cost of Living in Turkmenistan

Name: Turkmenistan
Address: TM

Across Turkmenistan, living costs for one person average $3,389 a month, including rent and utilities, which take just under half of the total. Other living expenses average about $59 a day.

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🇹🇲 Turkmenistan

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Turkmenistan

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

Average monthly costs for a single person come to about $3,389 including rent across Turkmenistan.

$3,389 /mo

Estimated average monthly cost for a couple: $5,088 including rent across Turkmenistan.

$5,088 /mo

Average monthly costs for a family of three come to about $6,786 including rent across Turkmenistan.

$6,786 /mo

Living costs in Turkmenistan vary widely – from $471 in the most affordable city to $3,421 in the most expensive one, spanning a $2,950 range across 6 cities.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.61 TMT 95.8

$14.30 TMT 47.90

$57.2 TMT 192

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.2 TMT 285

$58.9 TMT 197

$341 TMT 1,141

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.16 TMT 44.08

$11.69 TMT 39.17

$16.08 TMT 53.9

Cappuccino

$7.27 TMT 24.36

$2.91 TMT 9.74

$11.64 TMT 38.98

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

$2.81 TMT 9.41

$1.48 TMT 4.96

$4.43 TMT 14.85

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 TMT 3.03

$0.57 TMT 1.91

$1.43 TMT 4.78

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.47 TMT 18.32

$4.32 TMT 14.46

$14.38 TMT 48.18

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.96 TMT 43.42

$8.64 TMT 28.95

$17.28 TMT 57.9

Milk (1 liter)

$4.26 TMT 14.26

$2.82 TMT 9.43

$5.64 TMT 18.90

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 TMT 6.62

$1.43 TMT 4.78

$4.27 TMT 14.30

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.56 TMT 18.62

$2.86 TMT 9.59

$13.18 TMT 44.17

Eggs

$5.93 TMT 19.87

$3.96 TMT 13.26

$6.78 TMT 22.72

Local Cheese (1kg)

$34.11 TMT 114

$23.08 TMT 77.3

$43.27 TMT 145

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.28 TMT 61.2

$8.60 TMT 28.82

$28.67 TMT 96.1

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.86 TMT 83.3

$17.21 TMT 57.7

$34.41 TMT 115

Apples (1kg)

$4.56 TMT 15.28

$1.72 TMT 5.77

$7.28 TMT 24.38

Banana (1kg)

$8.56 TMT 28.67

$3.17 TMT 10.63

$11.51 TMT 38.57

Oranges (1kg)

$7.46 TMT 24.99

$2.58 TMT 8.64

$10.61 TMT 35.56

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 TMT 12.61

$1.44 TMT 4.84

$4.90 TMT 16.42

Potato (1kg)

$2.29 TMT 7.67

$1.04 TMT 3.48

$2.80 TMT 9.39

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 TMT 4.86

$1.13 TMT 3.78

$1.97 TMT 6.59

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.66 TMT 8.90

$1.43 TMT 4.78

$3.41 TMT 11.43

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 TMT 3.72

$0.85 TMT 2.86

$1.42 TMT 4.77

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.86 TMT 86.6

$17.25 TMT 57.8

$28.74 TMT 96.3

Wine (Bottle)

$40.27 TMT 135

$4.03 TMT 13.49

$86.3 TMT 289

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.07 TMT 16.98

$3.14 TMT 10.53

$5.72 TMT 19.17

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 TMT 9.77

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 TMT 0.53

$0.33 TMT 1.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.03 TMT 33.61

$8.61 TMT 28.83

$11.47 TMT 38.43

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 TMT 9.84

$1.47 TMT 4.94

$2.94 TMT 9.84

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 TMT 3.04

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.79 TMT 29.45

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.44 TMT 1.48

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

$43.8K TMT 146.7K

$42.7K TMT 143.1K

$44.9K TMT 150.3K

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

$58.9K TMT 197.2K

$47.1K TMT 157.8K

$70.6K TMT 236.7K

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

$579 TMT 1,941

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

$54.6 TMT 183

$28.39 TMT 95.1

$65.3 TMT 219

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$99.5 TMT 333

$80.7 TMT 270

$144 TMT 483

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$201 TMT 675

$14.73 TMT 49.35

$295 TMT 987

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.20 TMT 151

$34.61 TMT 116

$57.7 TMT 193

Cinema Ticket

$8.52 TMT 28.54

$5.68 TMT 19.04

$14.19 TMT 47.54

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

$23.15 TMT 77.6

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.7K TMT 89.5K

$25.8K TMT 86.6K

$26.9K TMT 90.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.9 TMT 187

$25.79 TMT 86.4

$86.0 TMT 288

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$116 TMT 388

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$364 TMT 1,220

$157 TMT 526

$571 TMT 1,913

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$196 TMT 657

$174 TMT 584

$218 TMT 730

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,434 TMT 4,804

$869 TMT 2,911

$2,028 TMT 6,793

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 TMT 3,421

$583 TMT 1,955

$1,459 TMT 4,887

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,827 TMT 6,121

$877 TMT 2,938

$2,923 TMT 9,794

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 TMT 6,645

$1,469 TMT 4,922

$2,645 TMT 8,860

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,515 TMT 11.8K

$3,182 TMT 10.7K

$4,288 TMT 14.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,839 TMT 9,511

$2,528 TMT 8,470

$2,994 TMT 10.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$701 TMT 2,347

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.5

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

Last update: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Turkmenistan $3,389

Accommodation & Living

$1K 30.1%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

$734 21.6%

Groceries & Markets

$645 19%

Eating Out

$424 12.5%

Clothing & Footwear

$329 9.7%

Sport & Entertainment

$218 6.4%

Getting Around

$18 0.5%

Cost Breakdown

National average salary: $491. With average costs at $3,389, it doesn’t cover a typical monthly budget. Expats and remote workers with foreign income benefit most.

Expect to spend about $530 monthly on groceries. Dining out at a mid-range restaurant averages $87 for two.

In Ashgabat (capital), expect about $3,421 per month, while Mary offers the lowest costs at $471 – which city you pick has a tangible effect on the budget.

Cost Highlights

Overall cost of living ($3,389) is 151% above the global median of $1,352.

Average rent ($1,443) is 117% above the global median of $664.

Dinner for two at a restaurant ($87) is 85% above the global median of $47.

Public transport ($10) is 70% below the global median of $33.

Good to know

🕒 Local time

00:20 12:20 AM

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,117,933

💱 Currency

Turkmenistani Manat TMT m

📈 Exchange rate

1 TMT = 0.299 USD

1 TMT = 0.268 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

By City in Turkmenistan

Lowest

Highest

Rank	City	Population	Living Index	Solo costs (no rent) / month	Solo costs (with rent) / month	Family of 3 costs (no rent) / month	Family of 3 costs (with rent) / month	Mobile download speed (Mbps)	Internet download speed (Mbps)
1	Abadan	39481	106	$1,632	$2,216	$3,887	$4,471	37.05	92.37
2	Ashgabat	909000	164	$1,838	$3,421	$4,336	$6,831	127.21	92.37
3	Kaka	33315	106	$1,625	$2,207	$3,862	$4,444	193.84	1.09
4	Mary	123000		$471	$471	$956	$956	19.17	68.93
5	Turkmenabat	830000						22.57	6.88
6	Turkmenbasi	91745						29.34	9.15

Turkmenistan Median Internet Speeds (Updated April 2026)

Mobile

Mbps

Fixed Broadband

Mbps

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cost of Living in Turkmenistan - Frequently Asked Questions

Turkmenistan generally offers moderate affordability for travelers and longer stays, especially outside major cities. Cost of Living in Turkmenistan varies by area, with local markets and street food keeping daily meals economical, while imported items can push up costs. Housing is often affordable in smaller towns if you’re open to local arrangements, though choices may be tighter in the capital. Public transit and shared taxis provide inexpensive options, and walking or cycling around town keeps expenses down. For longer stays, negotiate a fair longer-term rate in housing and be mindful of service charges in formal accommodations. Tip: map out expat-friendly neighborhoods and set a flexible budget that accounts for occasional price spikes.

Daily life centers on balancing housing, food, transport, and errands across neighborhoods that fit your pace. You’ll find a range of housing – from modest apartments to satellite towns – often with negotiable terms for longer stays. Turkmenistan living cost tends to be lower outside the capital, though you may see higher prices for imported goods or services tied to the expat scene in Ashgabat. To keep costs predictable, cook at home with local produce, use public transit or shared taxis, and shop at markets for fresh staples. For work and errands, seek up-to-date listings and ask locals for reliable, affordable options. Tip: build a simple monthly budget and track it weekly.

Quality of life comes from reliable services, access to healthcare, internet, and a pace that suits you. When choosing a neighborhood, look for proximity to markets, cafes, and quiet streets. A simple budgeting framework helps: categorize housing, food, transport, and personal expenses; assign a monthly cap for each; and review it weekly to accommodate seasonal shifts – for example hotter months may increase cooling costs and outdoor activity opportunities. Stay flexible and tap into local networks for deals on coworking spaces or gym memberships. Tip: keep a small contingency fund and rotate weekend outings to balance savings with new experiences.

Turkmenistan covers a wide cost spectrum. As of 2026, monthly expenses run from about $471 in budget-friendly smaller cities to $3,421 in the priciest areas. The gap is big enough to meaningfully affect lifestyle for anyone on a fixed income.

Monthly costs in Turkmenistan range from $471 to $3,421 depending on the city, so you’ll need a solid income to live comfortably here.

Ashgabat sits at the top of the rental market in Turkmenistan, with regional cities offering noticeably better value. Even moving a short distance from major urban centers can save you a significant amount on housing.

Outside major cities, $3,000 covers essentials in Turkmenistan just fine. In Ashgabat and other expensive hubs, expect much tighter budgeting with little room for extras.