Ranking of Central Asia’s most expensive cities released

According to the results of the first six months of this year, Almaty, Kazakhstan, was recognized as the most expensive city to live in among Central Asian cities. This was reported in a ranking published by the Numbeo portal.

According to the data, the cost of living index in Almaty amounted to 29.4 points, placing it 346th worldwide.

In addition:

• Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) ranked 364th with an index of 26.8;
• Astana (Kazakhstan) ranked 366th with 26.5 points;
• Tashkent (Uzbekistan) ranked 370th with an index of 26.2.

The cities of Tajikistan and Turkmenistan were not included in the ranking.

According to data from the Numbeo portal, the average monthly expenses of a family of four in Tashkent, excluding rent, are estimated at 23.39 million soums. For a single person, the average expenses amount to 6.4 million soums. The cost of living in Tashkent is 72.2 percent cheaper than in New York (excluding rent). In addition, average rental prices in Uzbekistan’s capital are 84.5 percent lower than in New York.

It is worth noting that earlier, Kazakhstan’s city of Almaty was ranked as the best city in Central Asia for 2025 in the Oxford Economics Global Cities Index. Uzbekistan’s capital, Tashkent, was placed third among the best cities in Central Asia and 471st globally. The index is compiled based on five categories: economy, human capital, quality of life, environment, and governance, and includes 1,000 cities worldwide.