Traveller’s question
What a trip to Kyrgyzstan costs: a daily budget and prices
On a tight budget Kyrgyzstan costs roughly 20–30 USD a day in Bishkek and about 20–45 USD at Issyk-Kul; a mid-range day costs about 55–125 USD, and a comfortable one from 100 USD in the city to 200–350 USD with a driver and horses. The NBKR rate on 14.10.2026 is 87.45 som to the dollar. The prices in the tables are ranges built on several 2025–2026 sources; where there is only one source, we write “check on the date”.
Updated 13 October 2026
- 87.45 somper 1 USD, NBKR rate on 14.10.2026
- 20–30 USDon a tight budget, a day in Bishkek
- 55–125 USDmid-range style, Bishkek and Issyk-Kul
- Cashyurts, bazaars and marshrutkas take only som
Money first
The som rate and cash
All prices below are in som; the dollar figures are a guide based on the NBKR rate. Prices are higher in season and at weekends; a range is the spread of listings, tariffs and travellers’ reports from 2025–2026.
- NBKR rate
- The official rate set for 14.10.2026: 87.45 som per 1 USD and 97.79 som per 1 EUR. Banks and exchange offices differ slightly. In March 2026 Journal of Nomads used 95.7 som to the USD: over six months the som has strengthened noticeably, so recalculate old reports at the current rate. NBKR rate
- Cash and cards
- In Bishkek and the larger towns cards and QR codes are often accepted, but marshrutkas, bazaars, yurts, village guesthouses and horses are paid for in cash som. For a remote trip, withdraw in advance the sum for the whole stretch without an ATM: one guidebook advises 50,000–70,000 som for a trip into the back country. check for your date
- ATMs: limit and fee
- According to travellers’ reports the limit per transaction is 20,000–25,000 som; the fee is about 2% or 200–300 som per withdrawal, plus your own bank’s fee. Visa is accepted more widely than Mastercard, and Maestro, Plus and Cirrus cards usually do not work. In Karakol, cards were rejected at some ATMs. Withdraw with a margin in Bishkek. check for your date
- Exchange
- Change money only at a bank or a licensed exchange office; the NBKR rate is a guide, not the rate you will get. Bring clean, undamaged dollar and euro notes.
- Tips
- About 10% for guides and drivers; in restaurants a service charge of 10–15% is often already included in the bill. check for your date
The main table
How much to spend per day: three styles, four scenarios
The sum per person, two sharing a room, excluding flights, insurance and souvenirs. The calculation lines are in the tables below; recalculate for your own dates in the calculator.
| Scenario | Tight budget | Mid-range | Comfortable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bishkek | 1,760–2,800 som (20–32 USD) | 4,700–8,900 som (55–100 USD) | 9,300–14,800 som (105–170 USD) |
| Issyk-Kul and Karakol, summer | 1,600–4,050 som (18–45 USD) | 4,750–10,900 som (55–125 USD) | 16,900–31,500 som (195–360 USD) |
| Mountains: yurts and jailoos | 2,120–4,150 som (24–45 USD) | 5,850–10,750 som (65–125 USD) | 19,800–29,700 som (225–340 USD) |
| Winter: skiing in Karakol | 3,900–5,700 som (45–65 USD) | 6,400–10,900 som (75–125 USD) | 12,900–22,400 som (150–255 USD) |
The totals are the sum of the ranges on each line: a real day is usually closer to the middle. “Comfortable” in summer at Issyk-Kul and in the mountains includes a driver with a car for the day: for a party of four, the transport line and the room are divided by 2–4. check for your date
Your own route
Trip budget calculator
Choose a style, the number of days in each scenario and the number of people: the sum is calculated from the same ranges as the tables above. Without JavaScript the tables remain.
Scenario 1
Bishkek for a day
A hostel and a canteen, a guesthouse and a café with Yandex Go, or a hotel and restaurants: three ways to spend the same day.
| Expense item | Tight budget | Mid-range | Comfortable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation (hostel · guesthouse or 3-star hotel · 4-star hotel) | 900–1 300 | 2 800–5 500 | 6 000–9 000 |
| Food (canteen and café · café and restaurant · restaurants) | 800–1 300 | 1 500–2 500 | 2 500–4 000 |
| Transport around the city (marshrutka · Yandex Go · Yandex Go and a driver by the hour) | 60–200 | 400–900 | 800–1 800 |
| Total per day, som | 1 760–2 800 | 4 700–8 900 | 9 300–14 800 |
| In dollars | 20–32 USD | 55–100 USD | 105–170 USD |
Sources: Numbeo Bishkek (6.10.2026), Journal of Nomads (3.03.2026), visitkyrgyzstan.org/budget, hotel aggregators (2025–2026). Converted to USD at 87.45.
Scenario 2
Issyk-Kul and Karakol in summer
July and August are the most expensive months: resort rooms rose sharply in price in 2026.
| Expense item | Tight budget | Mid-range | Comfortable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation (hostel or guesthouse · guesthouse or hotel · resort hotel) | 700–1 700 | 2 500–6 000 | 9 000–18 000 |
| Food | 800–1 500 | 1 500–2 800 | 3 000–5 000 |
| Transport (marshrutka · marshrutka and taxi · a driver with a car for the day) | 100–600 | 500–1 500 | 4 400–7 000 |
| Park entry and small expenses | 0–250 | 250–600 | 500–1 500 |
| Total per day, som | 1 600–4 050 | 4 750–10 900 | 16 900–31 500 |
| In dollars | 18–45 USD | 55–125 USD | 195–360 USD |
Sources: Economist.kg, “The Resort Bill 2026” (14.07.2026), Hostelz and Budget Your Trip for Karakol, Komoot (park entry, 13.06.2026), the operator Advantour (transfer). The line “A driver with a car for the day” is a guide. check for your date
Scenario 3
Mountains: yurts and jailoos
Song-Kol, Kochkor, Altyn-Arashan: a night in a yurt, a horse and a guide are counted separately from the transport to the start of the climb.
| Expense item | Tight budget | Mid-range | Comfortable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation (CBT yurt with dinner and breakfast · camp with full board · commercial camp) | 1 300–2 300 | 2 600–4 500 | 5 200–7 500 |
| Lunch and snacks outside full board | 300–600 | 300–800 | 500–1 200 |
| Transport (shared car, a share · a share of a 4x4 · a 4x4 with a driver for the day) | 300–1 000 | 1 000–2 500 | 8 000–10 500 |
| Horse, guide, entry (entry · horse and entry · horse with a horse handler, guide and entry) | 220–250 | 1 950–2 950 | 6 100–10 500 |
| Total per day, som | 2 120–4 150 | 5 850–10 750 | 19 800–29 700 |
| In dollars | 24–45 USD | 65–125 USD | 225–340 USD |
Sources: visitkyrgyzstan.org (checked in July 2026) and Journal of Nomads (3.03.2026) for yurts, the horse and the guide; Ak-Sai Travel for the commercial camp. The “4x4 with a driver” transport figure is a guide. check for your date
Scenario 4
Winter: skiing in Karakol
Ski pass prices are from the Karakol ski base for the 2025/26 season; winter accommodation prices were not found in the sources.
| Expense item | Tight budget | Mid-range | Comfortable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation (hostel · guesthouse · hotel) | 900–1 700 | 2 500–5 000 | 6 000–12 000 |
| Food | 800–1 300 | 1 500–2 500 | 3 000–4 500 |
| Ski pass for the day (weekdays · weekdays and weekends · weekends and peak) | 1 400 | 1 400–1 700 | 1 700–2 000 |
| Ski or snowboard hire | 700–900 | 700–900 | 700–900 |
| Transport (marshrutka · taxi · transfer) | 100–400 | 300–800 | 1 500–3 000 |
| Total per day, som | 3 900–5 700 | 6 400–10 900 | 12 900–22 400 |
| In dollars | 45–65 USD | 75–125 USD | 150–255 USD |
Ski pass: WeProject (16.12.2025) and visitkyrgyzstan.org (15–20 USD). Winter accommodation prices are a guide based on summer prices; see Booking for current prices on your dates; at the New Year peak of 31.12–10.01 a ski pass cost 2,000 som. check for your date
Items
Prices by item
The range in som, a guide in dollars, the number of independent sources and the status. “Guide” means there is one source or the data is more than a year old: check on the date.
| Item | Som | USD | Sources | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hostel, a bed in Bishkek | 900–1 300 | 10–15 USD | 2 | two sources |
| Hostel, a bed in Karakol | 600–1 700 | 7–19 USD | 3 | two sources, wide spread |
| Guesthouse or private room | 1 700–4 000 | 19–45 USD | 3 | two sources |
| 3-star hotel in Bishkek | 3 400–7 300 | 39–85 USD | 2 | two sources |
| Hotel at Issyk-Kul in July | 7 500–18 000 | 85–205 USD | 1 | guide, check |
| CBT yurt with dinner and breakfast | 1 300–2 300 | 15–26 USD | 2 | two sources |
| Commercial camp at Song-Kol | 3 000–7 500 | 34–85 USD | 2 | two sources, the price unit is not always stated |
| Canteen, ashkana, a dish | 150–400 | 2–5 USD | 1 | guide, check |
| Lunch in a café | 400–1 000 | 5–11 USD | 2 | two sources |
| Dinner in a restaurant, per person | 1 200–2 000 | 14–23 USD | 2 | two sources |
| Marshrutka within the city | 15–20 | 0–0 USD | 2 | two sources |
| Marshrutka, Bishkek — Cholpon-Ata | 400–600 | 5–7 USD | 2 | two sources |
| Bus or marshrutka, Bishkek — Karakol | 450–1 000 | 5–11 USD | 2 | two sources |
| A seat in a shared taxi between towns | 800–1 500 | 9–17 USD | 2 | two sources |
| Yandex Go within the city, a ride | 175–700 | 2–8 USD | 2 | two sources; Numbeo gives a pickup fee of 75 som and about 40 per kilometre |
| A driver with a car for the day | 4 400–8 700 | 50–100 USD | 2 | two sources |
| A driver with a 4x4 for the day | 8 000–11 000 | 90–125 USD | 1 | guide, check |
| 4x4 hire without a driver, per day | 7 000–11 400 | 80–130 USD | 2 | two sources |
| Transfer Bishkek — Issyk-Kul, a car for four | 4 500–5 000 | 50–55 USD | 1 | guide, listings |
| Transfer Bishkek — Karakol, a saloon car | 16 000–19 500 | 185–225 USD | 2 | two sources |
| A jeep to Altyn-Arashan and back, per car | 7 000–11 000 | 80–125 USD | 1 | guide, travellers’ reports |
| A horse for the day, without a horse handler | 1 750–2 700 | 20–31 USD | 2 | two sources |
| A horse handler for the day | 2 200–2 700 | 25–31 USD | 1 | guide, check |
| A guide for the day | 2 600–5 200 | 30–60 USD | 3 | two sources |
| Ski pass for the day, adult | 1 400–2 000 | 16–23 USD | 2 | two sources; 2,000 is the New Year peak |
| Ski or snowboard hire for the day | 700–900 | 8–10 USD | 1 | guide, check |
| The cable car at Ala-Archa | 600 | 7 USD | 1 | the return fare as reported by Economist.kg (18.02.2026); children 400; cashless payment only |
| SIM or eSIM | 330–1 195 | 4–14 USD | 3 | two sources; 330 som is for the O!, Beeline and MEGA packages |
The sources, addresses and check dates for each item are in the file budget-prices.sources.json. Where a source gave dollars, the som figures were obtained by converting at the NBKR rate on 14.10.2026.
Entry tickets
Entry to the national parks
In 2025–2026 the fee depends on the park and the category of visitor; no separately published tariff for foreigners was found in the sources.
- Ala-Archa
- An adult ticket costs 250 som under the new price list from 8 June (it was 200); children aged 7–14 pay 180 som (it was 150), and children under 7 go free. The new cable car (opened in February 2026) costs 600 som return, children 400, cashless payment only; the entry ticket is separate. No separate price for foreigners was found. check for your date
- Karakol park and Altyn-Arashan
- At the checkpoint near Altyn-Arashan it is 220 som (Komoot, 13.06.2026); another report gives 250 som per person. The Ak-Sai Travel site mentions an environmental fee of 5 USD payable in som, which is probably out of date. check for your date
- Sary-Chelek
- The fee is charged per person and per car, at the checkpoint before the entrance; the sums in the 2025–2026 reports differ (from 150 som per person to about 525 som for two with a car), so check the exact tariff with a guesthouse in the village of Arkit or at the barrier, and take cash. People stay overnight in Arkit before the entrance. check for your date
- Jeti-Oguz, Song-Kol, Kyrgyz-Ata
- We could not find any published tariffs. A deputy minister of natural resources named a general range of fees of 150–700 som across three categories of visitor (local, CIS, other foreign countries).
- On tours
- Entry tickets to parks and border zones are often already included in the operator’s package: check the “what is included” line.
Services
A horse, a guide, a yurt at Song-Kol, a SIM, a ski pass
- A yurt at Song-Kol
- A CBT family camp through CBT Kochkor costs 15–25 USD per person with dinner and breakfast; another report gives about 2,250 som. The commercial Ak-Sai Travel camp costs about 60–85 USD per night for twin occupancy, more for a single; the page does not say whether the price is per person or per yurt. The season runs from mid-June to mid-September. check for your date
- The road to Song-Kol
- A 4WD from Kochkor costs about 5,200 som per car for 4–6 people, 2–3 hours; check whether the return trip is included. check for your date
- A horse
- About 30 USD a day for the horse and another 30 USD or so for a horse handler when hiring at a yurt camp; another review gives 20–40 USD a day for a horse. An hour’s riding at a commercial camp costs 15 USD. check for your date
- A guide
- From 50 USD a day without food, accommodation and transport; other reviews give 30–60 USD a day. check for your date
- A three-day tour to Song-Kol
- Ready-made tours with a horse, yurts and meals cost 280–500 USD per person; the larger the group, the cheaper. check for your date
- SIM and internet
- The O!, Beeline and MEGA packages cost about 330 som (check the terms on the date); MEGA kiosks at the airport sold 30-day packages for 500–1,195 som (August 2026); eSIM is 2.9 USD for 1 GB and 6.9 USD for 5 GB. In the mountains the signal drops out. check for your date
- A ski pass in Karakol
- 2025/26 season: an adult day pass cost 1,400 som from Tuesday to Thursday and 1,700 som from Friday to Monday, and 2,000 som from 31 December to 10 January; the electronic card is 300 som; hire is 700–900 som a day. check for your date
In practice
How not to overpay
- Ask whether the price is per person or per car and what it includes: the driver’s meals, accommodation, the return journey, park entry.
- Share the jeep, the driver and the yurt among a group: for two and for four, the price per person differs several times over.
- July and August at Issyk-Kul are the most expensive weeks; in June and September guesthouses are cheaper.
- Withdraw cash in Bishkek rather than in Karakol or a village: the ATMs there are more temperamental and often run empty.
- Take a second card and a reserve of som for park entry: the fee at checkpoints is sometimes cash only.
Short answers
Frequently asked questions
How much does a day in Kyrgyzstan cost?
On a tight budget, about 1,760–2,800 som in Bishkek and 1,600–4,050 som at Issyk-Kul, which is roughly 20–45 in dollars. A mid-range style is about 55–125 USD a day, and a comfortable one is from 100 USD in the city to 200–350 USD with a driver. check for your date
How much cash should I take into the mountains?
There is no universal sum: add up overnight stays, food, horses, a guide and transport to the stretch without a card, and add a reserve. One guidebook advises withdrawing 50,000–70,000 som before a remote trip. check for your date
What are the ATM fee and limit?
Usually 20,000–25,000 som per withdrawal and a fee of about 2% or 200–300 som, plus your own bank’s fee. Choose to be charged in som, not in your own currency. check for your date
How much does a yurt at Song-Kol cost?
In a CBT family camp 15–25 USD per person with dinner and breakfast; in a commercial camp from 60 USD a night and up. The season runs from mid-June to mid-September. check for your date
How much does a trip to Altyn-Arashan and the park entry cost?
Entry at the checkpoint is about 220–250 som per person. A jeep there and back is roughly 7,000–11,000 som per car, shared among 4 people. check for your date
How much does a ski pass in Karakol cost?
In the 2025/26 season an adult day pass cost 1,400–1,700 som, and 2,000 som on the New Year days; hire was 700–900 som. Check the prices for the 2026/27 season with the base. check for your date
Which is better value: a marshrutka, a taxi or a driver for the day?
A marshrutka or bus costs from 15 to 1,000 som depending on distance; Yandex Go in the city starts from 175 som a ride; a driver with a car for the day costs about 4,400–8,700 som, more with a 4x4. For two or more people a driver for the day works out cheaper if there are many stops. check for your date
Do I have to pay to enter the national parks?
Yes, most parks charge a fee: 250 som at Ala-Archa, about 220–250 som at Altyn-Arashan. For Jeti-Oguz and Sary-Chelek the tariff depends on the category of visitor and the car; check with the administration, the operator or a guesthouse on the date. check for your date