✦ Compare
Austin vs
Bishkek
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Austin, TX vs Bishkek, KG at a glance — Bishkek, KG is 74% cheaper than Austin, TX overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $350/mo versus $1,650/mo. Top income tax: 10% vs 37%.
To keep the same standard of living in Bishkek, KG, you'd need
$19,866 / year
Bishkek, KG is 74% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (Bishkek, KG vs Austin, TX)
- Housing-83%
- Food & groceries-67%
- Transport-77%
- Utilities-57%
- Healthcare-73%
- Goods & services-68%
◎ How Austin, TX and Bishkek, KG compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Austin, TX | Bishkek, KG | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 98 | 26 |
| Housing | 109 | 18 |
| Food | 91 | 30 |
| Transport | 94 | 22 |
| Utilities | 92 | 40 |
| Healthcare | 91 | 25 |
| Goods & services | 94 | 30 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,650/mo | $350/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $1,300/mo | $220/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $3,000/mo | $700/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $5,000 | $900 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $1,023 | $3,862 |
| Inexpensive meal | $17 | $4 |
| Monthly transit pass | $42 | $12 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 37% | 10% |
| VAT / sales tax | 0% | 12% |
| Social security (employee) | 7.7% | 10% |
| Corporate tax | 21% | 10% |
| Capital gains | 20% | 10% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $4,300/mo | $430/mo |
| Minimum wage | $1,257/mo✓ | $40/mo |
| GDP per capita | $90,027✓ | $3,081✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | — | 8.2%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | No |
| English proficiency | Native | Low |
| Coworking spaces | 60 | 8 |
| Time zone | UTC-6 | UTC+6 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 61 | 51 |
| Safety index | 58 | 62 |
| Healthcare index | 76 | 45 |
| Pollution index | 40 | 70 |
| Internet speed | 200 Mbps | 45 Mbps |
| Walkability | 42 | 60 |
| Public transport | 40 | 45 |
| Family-friendly | 65 | 60 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Use caution |
| Health insurance | $450/mo | $40/mo |
| Life expectancy | 79 yr✓ | 72 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | Low |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +11 °C | -2 °C |
| July avg | +30 °C | +25 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 228 | 322 |
| Rainfall / year | 870 mm | 450 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1.5 h | 4 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: United States vs Kyrgyzstan. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (US DOL (federal), World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Austin vs Bishkek — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Austin
Texas's tech boomtown — no state income tax, live music and warmth, though prices have caught up fast.
- Currency
- US dollar ($ USD)
- Languages
- English
- Time zone
- UTC-6
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Native language
- Safety
- 58/100
- Climate
- ❄ 11°C · ☀ 30°C · 228 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 120V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Downtown · East Austin · South Congress
Good to know before you move to Bishkek
Kyrgyzstan's leafy capital sits at the foot of the Tien Shan. A flat 10% tax, very low rents and big mountains on the doorstep are pulling in a small but growing remote-work crowd.
- Currency
- Kyrgyzstani som (с KGS)
- Languages
- Kyrgyz, Russian
- Time zone
- UTC+6
- Internet
- 45 Mbps
- English
- Rarely spoken
- Safety
- 62/100
- Climate
- ❄ -2°C · ☀ 25°C · 322 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Bottled recommended
- Power
- C/F · 220V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Centre · Djal · Vostok-5
Plan your move to Austin
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Parking & carWay.com
Sponsored
Plan your move to Bishkek
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Austin to Bishkek: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Austin to Bishkek, your cost of living will be roughly 74% cheaper. Bishkek’s cost-of-living index is 26 versus 98 for Austin (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Austin cheaper than Bishkek?
Bishkek is about 74% cheaper than Austin overall — its cost-of-living index is 26 versus 98 for Austin.
Which is more expensive, Austin or Bishkek?
Austin is more expensive than Bishkek. Its cost-of-living index is 98 vs 26 (US = 100) — about 277% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Austin or Bishkek?
Rent is cheaper in Bishkek — about $350/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $1,650 in Austin.
How much do you need to earn in Bishkek to live like in Austin?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Austin is worth about $19,866 in Bishkek. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Austin or Bishkek?
Kyrgyzstan has the lower top income-tax rate — 10% versus 37% in United States.
◷ More comparisons from Austin
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.