Karakol at a glance
- Karakol ranks 7th of 10 priced cities in Kyrgyzstan on cost: $490 a month in essentials, 20% above Batken, the cheapest.
- The average net salary of $353 covers that 0.7×.
- 92.8 men per 100 women aged 20–39, measured at raion level.
- PM2.5 averages 6.4 µg/m³ a year, 1× the WHO guideline of 5.
Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.
Monthly cost breakdown
Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget. The middle column is the median across the 10 Kyrgyzstan cities we track, so every row says whether Karakol is the cheap side of its own market or the dear one. Green is the better side of each row.
| Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit | $490 | $451 | $39 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $247 | $219 | $28 |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $357 | $317 | $40 |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $65 | $62 | $4 |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $117 | $111 | $6 |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $51 | $50 | $2 |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $10 | $10 | same |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $353 | $318 | $34 |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $425 | $376 | $48 |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $657 | $583 | $74 |
Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in Karakol, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $5.49 | $5.21 | $0.28 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $22.87 | $21.73 | $1.14 |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $4.58 | $4.35 | $0.23 |
| Cappuccino, regular | $1.94 | $1.85 | $0.09 |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught | $1.10 | $1.04 | $0.06 |
| Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle | $1.55 | $1.48 | $0.07 |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $0.59 | $0.56 | $0.03 |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $0.31 | $0.29 | $0.02 |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $0.81 | $0.77 | $0.04 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $0.32 | $0.30 | $0.02 |
| White rice, 1 kg | $1.35 | $1.29 | $0.06 |
| Eggs, 12 | $1.38 | $1.31 | $0.06 |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $6.48 | $6.16 | $0.33 |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $3.66 | $3.48 | $0.18 |
| Apples, 1 kg | $1.10 | $1.05 | $0.05 |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $1.48 | $1.41 | $0.07 |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $1.26 | $1.20 | $0.06 |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $0.47 | $0.45 | $0.02 |
| Onions, 1 kg | $0.38 | $0.36 | $0.02 |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $0.47 | $0.45 | $0.02 |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $0.21 | $0.20 | $0.01 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly transit pass | $10.49 | $10.26 | $0.23 |
| Taxi start | $0.82 | $0.80 | $0.02 |
| Taxi, 1 km | $0.41 | $0.41 | $0.00 |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $0.84 | $0.82 | $0.02 |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² flat | $40.12 | $39.23 | $0.89 |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $10.92 | $10.68 | $0.24 |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $5.46 | $5.34 | $0.12 |
Leisure
| Gym, monthly | $42.50 | $40.38 | $2.12 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinema, one seat | $4.58 | $4.35 | $0.23 |
Dating-age sex ratio
Karakol has 92.8 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (raion level). That is the 8th-highest of 10 Kyrgyzstan cities we track. Kyrgyzstan's national figure is 98.4, so Karakol runs 6 below the country as a whole.
A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.
How Karakol ranks against every city we track
Karakol sits ahead of 87% of the 1016 cities we track on clean air. On women aged 20–39 it is ahead of 86% of 1001. Its weakest measure is local salary, ahead of only 25% of 999.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Karakol sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
Put Karakol on the board
Ratio, cost and visa for Karakol beside every other city we measure. Free, no sign-in.
Open Karakol in the research deskOr unlock the Kyrgyzstan deep-dive: visa, tax, scams, and the sub-national map.
Photo: Nikolai Bulykin, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Data updated