Many travelers who visit Kyrgyzstan often ask questions such as: “How much money should I take with me?”, “Are consumer prices high in Kyrgyzstan?”, “How much does it cost per day?”, “Is food expensive here?”, “Do I need a SIM card here?”.
Today we will answer all these questions so that each of our travelers is fully aware of these details.
How much money should a tourist take with him when traveling in Kyrgyzstan?
For 2022, the minimum budget for one day in Kyrgyzstan is 12 USD per person. For this amount, a tourist will be able to book an inexpensive hostel in Bishkek, take two public transport tickets, and also eat 2 times in a local canteen.
If the tourist wants to spend the night in a more comfortable room, travel by taxi, and visit local restaurants, then the price for one day will be about 50 USD per person.
Kyrgyzstan is considered one of the most budgetary countries. Here you can not only visit the best places for a small amount, but also taste unforgettable national dishes of huge portions with exquisite meat.
How much does an internet package cost?
Kyrgyzstan is considered one of the countries where the Internet is very cheap.
In Kyrgyzstan, mobile communication services are provided to the population by three telecom operators: O!, Megacom and Beeline. Each company is making efforts to increase the number of its subscribers.
Therefore, in each of the regions of Kyrgyzstan, you can find that somewhere the locals use the Beeline mobile operator, somewhere Megacom, and in some areas the majority of the locals use O!
Let’s find out what popular traffic plans exist for each of the mobile operators:
- О!
- 145 KGS – 10 GB of internet, 5 minutes of calls to any mobile operators, free calls to O!
- 285 KGS – Unlimited internet for 7 days, 60 minutes of calls to any mobile operators, free calls to O!
- 395 KGS – 30 GB of Internet for 30 days, 15 minutes of calls to any mobile operators, free calls to O!
- 495 KGS – Unlimited internet for 30 days, 60 minutes of calls to any mobile operators, free calls to O!
2. Megacom
- 80 KGS – 500 MB of internet every day for 7 days, 10 minutes of calls to any mobile operators, free calls to Megacom, free 100 SMS to Megacom operator!
- 225 KGS – 500 MB of internet every day for 30 days, 10 minutes of calls to any mobile operators, free calls to Megacom, free 100 SMS to Megacom operator!
- 300 KGS – Unlimited internet for 30 days, free calls to Megacom, free 200 SMS to Megacom operator!
3. Beeline
- 120 KGS – 5 GB of internet for 7 days, free calls to Beeline, free SMS to Beeline!
- 285 KGS – 20 GB of internet for 30 days, unlimited for such APPs as WhatsApp, ZOOM, Telegram, Skype, Google Classroom, Kelbil
- 490 KGS – 30 GB of internet for 30 days, 60 minutes of calls to any mobile operators, free calls to Beeline!
Upon arrival, each of the travelers has the opportunity to purchase a SIM card of any mobile operator at the airport for free.
If a tourist wants to stay in Kyrgyzstan for more than a month, we recommend connecting a corporate tariff plan that provides 40 GB of free Internet for a month, as well as free calls and SMS. The cost of such a traffic plan is 250 KGS (3.1 USD).
Accommodation costs
Accommodation in Kyrgyzstan is very cheap, but it also depends on the location of the area.
In small towns, the minimum cost of accommodation in hostels is from 350 KGS (4.3 USD) and up per night. In the capital, one night stay in a hostel is 550 KGS (6.8 USD).
Let’s look at the cost of living in large and small cities of Kyrgyzstan.
Bishkek is the capital of Kyrgyzstan, so the prices for accommodation here are more expensive than in other cities:
- The most budget option is hostel accommodation – from 550 KGS (6.8 USD) per person / per night
- Guest houses – from 700 KGS (8.7 USD) per person / per night
- Apartment rental – from 1100 KGS (13.75 USD) per person / per night
- 3 star hotels – from 1600 KGS (20 USD) per person / per night
- 4 star hotels – from 2400 KGS (30 USD) per person / per night
- 5 star hotels – from 5800 KGS (72.5 USD) per person / per night
2. Osh
Osh is the second largest city in Kyrgyzstan, it is also called the southern capital, for this reason, Osh has almost the same accommodation prices as Bishkek.
- Hostels – from 350 KGS (4.4 USD) per person / per night
- Guest houses – from 700 KGS (8.7 USD) per person / per night
- Apartment rental – from 1000 KGS (12.5 USD) per person / per night
- 3 star hotels – from 1600 KGS (20 USD) per person / per night
- 4 star hotels – from 2800 KGS (35 USD) per person / per night
- 5 star hotels – from 6400 KGS (80 USD) per person / per night
3. Jalal Abad
Jalal-Abad is the third largest city of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, located in the south of the country in the foothills of the Tien Shan Range at an altitude of 763 meters above sea level.
Despite the fact that prices in Hostels and guest houses are more expensive than in big cities, living conditions are better here.
- Hostels – from 600 KGS (7.5 USD) per person / per night
- Guest houses – from 700 KGS (8.7 USD) per person / per night
- Apartment rental – from 900 KGS (11.2 USD) per person / per night
- 3 star hotels – from 1600 KGS (20 USD) per person / per night
- 4 star hotels – from 3600 KGS (45 USD) per person / per night
- 5 star hotels – from 6800 KGS (85 USD) per person / per night
In other regions of the country, you can stay in guest houses – 900-1000 KGS (11.2 – 12.5 USD) per person / per night
In Kyrgyzstan you can also experience the life of nomads and spend an unforgettable night in a Kyrgyz yurt.
Yurts are usually located in remote areas of Kyrgyzstan. The cost of living in a standard yurt – 1500 KGS (18.7 USD) per person / per night.
In addition to standard yurts, you can also spend the night in a modern yurt, which is located in the Chunkurchak gorge. The cost of living in a modern yurt – 4500 KGS (56.2 USD) per person / per night.
Food Prices
By visiting Kyrgyzstan you can taste dishes prepared from incredibly tasty meat for a small amount of money.
In 2021, the head of the National Union of the Russian Federation for the Production of Meat recognized the meat of Kyrgyzstan as the most delicious in the world. The reason for the exquisite taste of meat is the plants in the mountainous areas where the animals feed.
The minimum amount of one lunch in local establishments in Kyrgyzstan is 120 KGS (1.5 USD). The cost of one teapot of tea is 30 KGS (0.37 USD). The minimum cost for local bread, also called “Nan”, is 15 KGS (0.18 USD).
If you come in a group, then you can order 1 kilogram of pilaf (a national dish of rice and meat), this is enough for a group of 8-10 people. The cost of one kilogram of pilaf is 1400 KGS (17.5 USD).
Also, for lovers of sour-milk products in the cities of Kyrgyzstan, almost through every street you can meet Shoro-ezheshka (It’s a popular word for a woman seller aged 30 and older) who sells such cold sour-milk drinks called “Maxim Shoro”. The cost of a glass of 0.5 liters is 28 KGS (3.5 USD).
Tourists who rent apartments and want to cook meals at home often do not know where to buy vegetables, fruits and other types of food.
Let’s look at the places where any foreigner can go to buy food:
1. Supermarket “Globus”
Globus stores are one of the largest retail chains in Kyrgyzstan with the lowest pricing policy.
At the moment, the Globus chain of stores has 37 stores. Of these: 6 hypermarkets, 25 supermarkets, 3 Express stores and 3 Bereke stores.
2. Hypermarket “Frunze”
The Frunze hypermarket chain has been pleasing the Kyrgyz people and foreign guests with the opportunity to make pleasant purchases for 7 years already. During this time, it has expanded to 26 stores in Bishkek, Osh, Jalal-Abad, the villages of Novopavlovka and Manas.
3. Grocery store “Narodny”
“Narodny” is a national chain of stores in Kyrgyzstan, founded in 2002. At present, the Narodny chain of stores consists of 39 convenience stores. There are 34 stores in Bishkek and one each in the cities of Kara-Balta (Novo-Nikolaevka), Kant, Tokmok, Cholpon-Ata, and Bosteri.
Transport prices
From November 1, 2021, public transport prices have increased in Kyrgyzstan. The last time prices were changed was in 2012.
The increase in fares is due to higher fuel prices as well as higher prices for auto parts.
For 2022, the cost of one trip on public transport is: 15 KGS (0.18 USD) on a minibus (local transport minibus) and 11 som (0.13 USD) on a trolleybus.
Taxi prices are 70 KGS for landing and 12 KGS for each kilometer traveled.
If you want to travel from north to south, taxi prices from Bishkek to Osh are 1,700 KGS (21.2 USD) per person. There is also a more convenient way to get to southern Kyrgyzstan is by air, the cost of a one-way ticket is 2300 KGS (28.7 USD).
Despite the fact that recent events have had a very strong impact on the economy of Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyzstan is still considered a country with a high level of happiness.
