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Bukhara vs Samarkand cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money · Updated October 2026
🇺🇿 Bukhara
🇺🇿 Samarkand
At a glance
- Where Samarkand is clearly cheaper: Beer (27%↓), Tuk-tuk / moto taxi (23%↓), Half-day tour (20%↓)
- Where Bukhara is clearly cheaper: Entry ticket (40%↓), Haircut (33%↓), Massage (25%↓)
By category
Salary equivalence
Travel difficulty
Both cities are about equally easy to travel. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking ›
Item by item
| Item | Bukhara | Samarkand | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | soʻm 50,000$4.23 | soʻm 60,000$5.08 | Bukhara −17% |
| Street food1 item | soʻm 8,000$0.68 | soʻm 10,000$0.85 | Bukhara −20% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | soʻm 140,000$11.8 | soʻm 160,000$13.5 | Bukhara −12% |
| Coffeeone cup | soʻm 30,000$2.54 | soʻm 27,000$2.28 | Samarkand −10% |
| Beerone bottle | soʻm 30,000$2.54 | soʻm 22,000$1.86 | Samarkand −27% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | soʻm 60,000$5.08 | soʻm 50,000$4.23 | Samarkand −17% |
| Bottled water | soʻm 3,000$0.25 | soʻm 3,000$0.25 | similar |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | soʻm 7,000$0.59 | soʻm 8,000$0.68 | Bukhara −13% |
| Taxi5 km in town | soʻm 20,000$1.69 | soʻm 20,000$1.69 | similar |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | soʻm 13,000$1.1 | soʻm 10,000$0.85 | Samarkand −23% |
| Transitone ride | soʻm 2,500$0.21 | soʻm 2,500$0.21 | similar |
| Scooter rentalper day | soʻm 80,000$6.77 | soʻm 100,000$8.46 | Bukhara −20% |
| Hotel night3-star | soʻm 550,000$46.5 | soʻm 600,000$50.8 | Bukhara −8% |
| Studio rent (month) | soʻm 3,000,000$254 | soʻm 2,400,000$203 | Samarkand −20% |
| Laundry | soʻm 25,000$2.11 | soʻm 20,000$1.69 | Samarkand −20% |
| SIM card1 week data | soʻm 60,000$5.08 | soʻm 60,000$5.08 | similar |
| Haircutcut | soʻm 40,000$3.38 | soʻm 60,000$5.08 | Bukhara −33% |
| Massage1 hour | soʻm 150,000$12.7 | soʻm 200,000$16.9 | Bukhara −25% |
| Half-day tourper person | soʻm 300,000$25.4 | soʻm 240,000$20.3 | Samarkand −20% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | soʻm 60,000$5.08 | soʻm 100,000$8.46 | Bukhara −40% |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Bukhara or Samarkand?
Bukhara and Samarkand cost about the same. Daily budget $81.7 vs $90.1; a month $1,247 vs $1,159.
Which is easier to travel, Bukhara or Samarkand?
About the same: Bukhara 2.6/5, Samarkand 2.6/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Bukhara and Samarkand?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Bukhara is about $1,247 and Samarkand about $1,159 per month.
Where do the numbers come from?
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.