Want to know the cost of travel in Kyrgyzstan? In this post we break down the cost of travel in Kyrgyzstan to show the prices of travel, accommodation, food, drinks etc. We show what a budget traveller can expect to spend on a daily basis to help you plan a budget backpacking trip to Kyrgyzstan. We show the exact prices we paid as an example of what you can expect to spend whilst budget travelling in Kyrgyzstan.
Frugal Travellers’ budget guide to Kyrgyzstan
What is the cost of travel in Kyrgyzstan?
Well, we have been travelling here for almost 2 months in total and so far, per person, per day it has cost us –
Som 1,025 / US $14.76 / £11.44 / AUS $20.11
We spent less than US $15 per person per day!
This is working on the current exchange rate on 22 August 2018. Check the current exchange rate on xe.com
Read – Travel Costs and Information for Iraqi Kurdistan
SO… what can I expect to spend on everyday things in Kyrgyzstan?
We’ll go through what we spent as an example of what you can expect to spend whilst travelling in Kyrgyzstan. We’ll cover the usual travelling expenses categories.
- Accommodation
- Getting around
- Food
- Drinks
- Miscellaneous costs
Accommodation
We tend to go for the cheapest double room we can find. Sometimes we end up in a dorm if there is no other choice. We looked for Yurts to stay in because they are just so cool and are definitely a highlight of travel in Kyrgyzstan.
Note : We often use booking.com to find places or we get recommendations from other travellers but we don’t always book in advance. We found that often you can negotiate a cheaper rate if you just rock up. We did that in Bishkek as we stayed for a long time. Of course you can always book in advance if you prefer using the links below.
Accommodation prices per person
- Bishkek – Friends guesthouse – double room – 400 Som
- Karakol – KBH Hostel – dorm bed – 400 Som
- Tong (Issy-Kul lake) – Aylun guesthouse – Yurt with breakfast – 700 Som
- Jeti Oguz – No name local Kyrgyz guesthouse – double room – 250 Som
- Jyrgylan – Ak Shoola homestay – double with dinner and breakfast – 1000 Som
- Arslanbob – CBT guesthouse Zaina – double with dinner and breakfast – 750 Som
- Osh – Lovely home for you – double room – 480 Som
- Sary Mogul – CBT guesthouse – dorm bed with breakfast and dinner – 1000 Som
- Lenin Peak – CBT Yurt camp – Yurt with dinner and breakfast – 1000 Som
400 Som = US$5.83 / £4.53 / AU$7.95
Camping on the Ala-Kol lake trek – 150 Som to take a tent into the national park, then free to camp every night. I paid 400 Som per night for tent hire from a local agency. Read all about the amazing Ala-Kol lake trek here! If you bring your own tent to Kyrgyzstan then accommodation prices all of a sudden become very cheap. There are many places to camp free or you can often pay hostels a small amount of money to camp in their grounds and use their facilities.
Getting around
Getting around in Kyrgyzstan can be a bit of a challenge. There is no real regular bus service like in most other countries. Instead you take marshrutkas (Public minibuses) that do not always have a schedule and sometimes only leave when full. Or there are shared taxis which are cars or people carriers that rent a seat out to individual travellers. The price isn’t always fixed and you have to negotiate your fare. Find out what you should be paying in advance from locals so you do not get overcharged.
Where there is a Kacca (Ticket office) in a bus station it is always better to buy your ticket there to avoid being overcharged. In this section we show what we paid per person as an example.
Marshrutkas and shared taxis
Prices per person
Chinese border to Sary Mogul – Shared taxi – 850 Som
Sary Mogul to Osh – Shared taxi – 400 Som
Batken to Osh – Marshrutka – 307 Som
Osh to Arslanbob – Mixture of 3 separate Marshrutkas – Total cost – 420 Som
Arslanbob to Bishkek – Marshrutka then Shared taxi – Total cost – 1400 Som
Bishkek to Karakol – Marshrutka – 400 Som
Karakol to Jyrgylan – Marshrutka – 110 Som
Karakol to Jeti Oguz resort – Marshrutka – 100 Som
Karakol to Bokonbaev – Marshrutka – 150 Som
Bokonbaev to Bishkek – Marshrutka – 300 Som
Bishkek to Almaty (Kazakhstan) – 400 Som
400 Som = US$5.83 / £4.53 / AU$7.95
Train
There is only 1 domestic train service in Kyrgyzstan which is painfully slow but cheap as chips. 70 Som each way! It averages 30 kph between Bishkek and Balykychy and takes 5 hours compared to the bus which takes 2. We took it just for fun!
Public Transport
Public transport in cities is very cheap and good. You can always find a Marshrutka going your way if you ask around. In Bishkek the prices are as follows :-
Marshrutkas – 10 Som
Trolley buses – 8 Som
Taxis – Vary with negotiating skills but normally around 100 Som for short trips. We rarely took them.
Tours
We did not take any package tours on horse riding trips to the lakes like many other tourists do but as a ball park figure we heard that a 3 day trip with yurt stay accommodation and food was around 7000 Som = US$102 / £79 / AU$ 139. It’s always best to ask around for recommendations off other travellers and to establish exactly what the tour includes before committing.
Eating
You can eat really cheaply in Kyrgyzstan. You have a few options depending on your budget and desire to cook. Fruit and veg are ridiculously cheap in the wonderful markets if you are on a real budget. Fast food like Kebabs, burgers or samsas (meat, cheese or potato in a pastry parcel) on the street is also a bargain filler whilst on the move.
For a sit down meal the great budget option is the stolovaya. Look for столовая. This is a Soviet style canteen where you take your tray and select your food. They are very popular with locals as are great value. Next up is the Askana – Ашкана, which are to be found on the street and around markets and are also good value. These normally have a small selection of set meals. Typically Plov, Manty or Laghman. Tourist restaurants tend to be more expensive and incur a 10-15% service charge.
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Examples of food prices
Snacks
- Kebabs – 120 Som
- Samsas – 30 Som
- Ice creams – 20 Som
Sit down meals
- Stololovayas – Salad, main course and tea – 100 – 200 Som
- Askana – main meal – 100 – 200 Som
- Shashlik (grilled meat on a skewer) – 100 Som
- Tourist restaurants – Start at around 300 Som + service charge
100 Som = US$1.45 / £1.13 / AU$1.98
Market food prices
Have a good wander around the market to check out prices before buying. Quality and prices differ wildly but often the price per kilo is marked on the produce. The prices are always way cheaper in the regions of production and they also fluctuate with the season. These fruit and veg prices are for Bishkek in August! The fresh round breads are excellent.
- Tomatoes 1 kg – 15-50
- Cucumbers 1 kg – 15-25
- Plums 1 kg – 30-50
- Apricots 1 kg – 20-70
- Cherries 1 kg – 50-100
- Raspberries 1 kg – 70-100
- Watermelon 1 kg – 15
- Round bread – 15-25
- 100g block of delicious Chechil stringy cheese – 50
- 500g of tasty local chocolate biscuits – 140
10 Som = US 14c / UK 11p / AU 20c
Drinks
Cheap and plentiful from supermarkets, local shops and street stalls. In the cities you will see sellers sitting on street corners next to barrels of cold drinks which they pour for you. The ubiquitous brand name is Shoro – Шоро. We recommend you try these local specialities. They are made from grains and dairy products. Some are an acquired taste. Sorry we can not put the price of water as we never buy it. We sterilize water using a steri-pen to reduce plastic wastage. The world has way too many plastic bottles already!
- Shoro – Шоро – 20 Som for 400ml
- Coca Cola – 65 Som for 1Litre
- Kyrgyz Cola – 38 Som for 1 litre
- Local beers – 110 Som for 1.5 Litre
- Beers in a Bishkek bar – from 90 Som for 500ml
- Wine – 125 Som for 1 litre
- Cheap Vodka – 80 Som for 500ml (Danger!!)
- Tea in a Chaikana – 10-20 Som a pot
There are many fancy coffee shops in Bishkek these days but we never frequented them being tea drinkers. I think around 200 Som for a decent cup of Joe.
100 Som = US$1.45 / £1.13 / AU$1.98
Miscellaneous Costs
There are always a few extra Miscellaneous costs when travelling. Museums, entry fees etc. Unfortunately all the museums seemed to be closed when we were in Bishkek and a lot of the entertainment like the circus, theaters and opera close up for the summer. Here are a few examples of those type of costs we incurred.
- Cinema entry in Bishkek – 180 Som for the matinee
- Beeline local Sim card – 95 Som for 1 week 4GB data (unlimited data between 1 and 7 am)
- Entrance to Bird of Prey festival – 800 Som
- Weigh yourself on the street – 5 Som
- Cheap Kalpak (felt Kyrgyz traditional hat, see below) – 280 Som
The True Cost of Travel in Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan is an excellent country to travel in and you can get around and live quite comfortably on as little as 1000 Som or US$15 a day if you are moving slowly. This is budget travel. If you are on a quick, short holiday you are probably going to want to do things a bit differently. You may take more taxis in cities or faster shared taxis between destinations. Add on some inclusive tours and eating in tourist restaurants and your budget will rise even more so double that. On $50 a day you’ll be living very well.
We spent less than US $15 per person per day!
We all do things differently and chose our budgets to reflect our comfort zones. All in All Kyrgyzstan is an incredibly good value for money destination. Probably the best in Central Asia. However you travel here I’m sure you’ll have a great experience and, like us, will leave only wanting to come back for more!
How to travel the world as a Frugal Traveller
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We hope this article, What is the cost of travel in Kyrgyzstan? has been of use to anyone planning a travel budget to Kyrgyzstan. Prices do change rapidly and also we may have missed many things out. If you would like to add anything or amend any figures or if you have any questions, please write a comment in the form below. We’d love to hear from you!
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One thought on “What is the cost of travel in Kyrgyzstan?”
Very informative & helpful.