Cost of Living in Bishkek, 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan - For Locals, Nomads, and Tourists

Researched Updated Oct 25, 2026 Last changed Oct 31, 2026 About costs

Cost breakdown

Digital nomad: short-term stay (1-3 months). Furnished Airbnb or coliving near center, coworking, eating out ~3x/day, travel health insurance.

Expat: long-term resident (1+ years). Renting apartment in center, mix of cooking and dining out, local health insurance, settled lifestyle.

Family: middle-class 4-person family. 2-3 bedroom in suburbs, groceries for 4, international school, car/transport, family health plan.

Local: budget-conscious local resident. Renting outside center, cooking at home, public transport, local phone plan.

Tourist: short-stay visitor (1-14 days). Hotel/Airbnb nightly, all meals at restaurants, taxis, sightseeing.

CategoryCost

Housing 6 7 8 $572 $480 $743 $361 $50

Utilities 30 31 $30 $40 $44 $23 —

Internet & Mobile 3 4 10 $16 $15 $18 $15 $0

Groceries 11 12 13 14 15 $90 $166 $386 $115 $5

Transportation 1 2 $36 $45 $120 $17 $8

Dining Out 17 24 $240 $93 $260 $26 $35

Leisure Activities 19 20 25 29 $53 $120 $2,283 $43 $12

Health Insurance 22 $67 $55 $220 — $2

Visa & Legal Fees 27 28 — $25 $80 — —

Total $1,104 $1,039 $4,154 $600 $112

Itemized prices

Local prices converted to the selected currency.

Housing

Apartment (1 bedroom) 6 $457.40 $400 – $630 per month

Coworking Space 9 $148.66 per month

Airbnb (1 month) 7 $572.00 $572 – $630 per month

Coliving Space 23 $276.73 per month

Food & Dining

Coffee 18 $1.13 per cup

Beer 16 $1.20 per pint

Meal (Inexpensive) 24 $3.20 per meal

Fast Food Combo 18 $9.25 per meal

Apples 11 $1.37 per kg

Bread 14 $0.26 per loaf

Milk 11 $1.34 per liter

Rice 13 $1.13 per kg

Chicken Fillets 12 $6.34 per kg

Beef 15 $7.78 per kg

Wine (Mid-range) 16 $7.43 per bottle

Meal (Mid-range, 2 people) 17 $25.16 per meal

Water (1.5L bottle) 16 $0.57 per bottle

Transportation

Taxi Start 2 $0.55 per trip

Taxi per km 2 $0.11 per km

Monthly Transport Pass 1 $11.66 per month

Gasoline 5 $1.27 per liter

Ride-hailing (5km) 2 $1.05 per trip

Scooter Rental — per month

Services

Mobile Plan 3 $2.63 per month

Internet (60 Mbps+) 10 $12.24 per month

Gym Membership 19 $40.02 per month

Tennis Court (Weekend) 29 $9.15 per hour

SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) 3 $2.63 one-time

Entertainment

Cinema Ticket 20 $3.43 per ticket

Clothing

Jeans 16 $51.46 per pair

Summer Dress 16 $40.65 per dress

Running Shoes — per pair

Personal Care

Haircut 16 $4.00 per visit

Laundry 23 $4.57 per kg

Healthcare

Doctor Visit (GP) 21 $13.72 per visit

Pharmacy (basic meds) 16 $4.00 per purchase

About these costs

Method: Researched
Last updated: Oct 25, 2026
Last changed: Oct 31, 2026
Exchange rate: 1 USD = 87.45 KGS on Oct 19, 2026

Checked against the sources below and compared with similar cities. Numbers in the list point to these sources.

Compared with Hanoi, Tbilisi, Yerevan, Almaty

Bishkek municipal bus fare 17 KGS; standard monthly Tulpar pass 1,020 KGSOfficial
Yandex Go Economy minimum 48 KGS; up to 10 KGS/km in cityOfficial
MEGA Мега Супер ХИТ 230 — 50 GB, 230 KGS / 30 daysOfficial
MEGA Мега Чектөөсүз unlimited data 330 KGS / 4 weeks (promo)Official
Octane-95 gasoline 110.62 KGS/litre (19 Oct 2026)Index
House.kg 1BR KNU 40,000 KGS/month long-termListings
House.kg furnished 1BR KNU 50,000 KGS/monthListings
House.kg 3BR Jal hospital 65,000 KGS/monthListings
Technopark Openspace reserved desk 13,000 KGS/monthOfficial
Aknet iTV Unlim Family 60 Mbps + TV 1,070 KGS/monthOfficial
Globus Online milk BMK 3.2% 114.49 KGS / 0.975 LShop
Globus chilled chicken fillet 554 KGS/kgShop
Globus rice 99 KGS/kgShop
Globus wheat bread loaf 23 KGS / 330 gShop
Globus beef brisket 680 KGS/kgShop
Globus beer 0.5 L from 97 KGS (Zatecky Gus)Shop
Navat Bishkek dine-in menu (lagman, mains, drinks)Secondary
KFC Chuy 150a menu (latte 99 KGS; combo from 809 KGS)Shop
Strong gym evening membership 3,500 KGS/monthShop
TSUM Cinema weekday tickets from 240–400 KGSOfficial
Medcenter.kg primary neurologist consultation 1,200 KGSOfficial
SafetyWing Nomad Insurance Essential USD 62.72 / 4 weeksOfficial
People Hostel dorm bed 1,100 KGS/nightListings
Ashlyanfu Food menu (ashlyan-fu 220 KGS; mains 280–360 KGS)Shop
QSI Bishkek tuition USD 13,700/year (2026–27 guide)Secondary
Bishkek International School fees 2026–27Official
UK FCDO visa-free stays up to 30 days per 60-day periodOfficial
GU Kyzmat foreign passport registration 1,113 KGS (Mar 2026)Official
Bishkek tennis court rental from 700–800 KGS/hourSecondary
Bishkek 2026 utility bill ranges by apartment sizeSecondary
Bishkek water 15.73 KGS/m³; sewer 6.80 KGS/m³ (Jul 2026)Official

Change history

Oct 31, 2026
- Method Generated Researched
- Airbnb (1 month) 1006.28 572
- Apartment (1 bedroom) 601.48 457.4
- Apples 1.09 1.37
- Beef 8.12 7.78
- Beer 1.83 1.2
40 more changes
- Bread 0.51 0.26
- Chicken Fillets 5.49 6.34
- Cinema Ticket 5.15 3.43
- Coffee 2.4 1.13
- Coliving Space 480.27 276.73
- Coworking Space 131.5 148.66
- Dining Out local 51.46, nomad 434.53, expat 182.96, family 251.57, tourist 40.02 local 26, nomad 240, expat 93, family 260, tourist 35
- Doctor Visit (GP) 17.15 13.72
- Fast Food Combo 6.63 9.25
- Gasoline 0.86 1.27
- Groceries local 160.09, nomad 97.2, expat 205.83, family 480.27, tourist 4.57 local 115, nomad 90, expat 166, family 386, tourist 4.5
- Gym Membership 43.45 40.02
- Haircut 10.29 4
- Health Insurance local 9.15, nomad 70.9, expat 62.89, family 160.09, tourist 2.29 local 0, nomad 67.2, expat 55, family 220, tourist 2.27
- Housing local 251.57, nomad 743.28, expat 457.4, family 857.63, tourist 62.89 local 361, nomad 572, expat 480.27, family 743, tourist 50
- Internet & Mobile local 10.86, nomad 24.01, expat 17.15, family 36.59, tourist 1.72 local 14.87, nomad 16.01, family 17.5, tourist 0.09
- Internet (60 Mbps+) 12.58 12.24
- Jeans 54.89 51.46
- Laundry 6.29 4.57
- Leisure Activities local 28.59, nomad 137.22, expat 114.35, family 205.83, tourist 13.72 local 43, nomad 53, expat 120, family 2283, tourist 12
- Meal (Inexpensive) 5.15 3.2
- Meal (Mid-range, 2 people) 36.59 25.16
- Milk 1.03 1.34
- Mobile Plan 10.86 2.63
- Monthly Transport Pass 13.72 11.66
- Pharmacy (basic meds) 5.72 4
- Rice 1.66 1.13
- Ride-hailing (5km) 2.52 1.05
- Running Shoes 97.2 not set
- SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) 6.86 2.63
- Scooter Rental 7.43 not set
- Summer Dress 36.59 40.65
- Taxi Start 0.8 0.55
- Taxi per km 0.29 0.11
- Tennis Court (Weekend) 13.72 9.15
- Transportation local 13.72, nomad 74.33, expat 57.18, family 137.22, tourist 9.15 local 17, nomad 36, expat 45, family 120, tourist 8
- Utilities local 40.02, nomad 68.61, expat 62.89, family 108.63, tourist 0 local 23, nomad 30, expat 40, family 43.5, tourist 0
- Visa & Legal Fees local 0, nomad 28.59, expat 51.46, family 137.22 local 0, expat 25, family 80
- Water (1.5L bottle) 0.51 0.57
- Wine (Mid-range) 8.58 7.43
Apartment (1 bedroom), Taxi Start, Taxi per km, Monthly Transport Pass, Gasoline, Mobile Plan, Tennis Court (Weekend), Internet & Mobile, Health Insurance, Visa & Legal Fees aligned to municipal, Yandex, MEGA, GlobalPetrolPrices, Medcenter and flat.kg inputs (bishkek.gov.kg, taxi.yandex.ru, mega24.kg, globalpetrolprices.com, flat.kg)

Bishkek cost of living