Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money · Updated October 2026
Both cities are about equally easy to travel. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking ›
| Item | Khiva | Samarkand | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | soʻm 70,000$5.92 | soʻm 60,000$5.08 | Samarkand −14% |
| Street food1 item | soʻm 25,000$2.11 | soʻm 10,000$0.85 | Samarkand −60% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | soʻm 130,000$11 | soʻm 160,000$13.5 | Khiva −19% |
| Coffeeone cup | soʻm 25,000$2.11 | soʻm 27,000$2.28 | Khiva −7% |
| Beerone bottle | soʻm 30,000$2.54 | soʻm 22,000$1.86 | Samarkand −27% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | soʻm 50,000$4.23 | soʻm 50,000$4.23 | similar |
| Bottled water | soʻm 4,000$0.34 | soʻm 3,000$0.25 | Samarkand −25% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | soʻm 8,000$0.68 | soʻm 8,000$0.68 | similar |
| Taxi5 km in town | soʻm 9,000$0.76 | soʻm 20,000$1.69 | Khiva −55% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | soʻm 5,000$0.42 | soʻm 10,000$0.85 | Khiva −50% |
| Transitone ride | soʻm 2,500$0.21 | soʻm 2,500$0.21 | similar |
| Scooter rentalper day | soʻm 100,000$8.46 | soʻm 100,000$8.46 | similar |
| Hotel night3-star | soʻm 500,000$42.3 | soʻm 600,000$50.8 | Khiva −17% |
| Studio rent (month) | soʻm 2,500,000$211 | soʻm 2,400,000$203 | similar |
| Laundry | soʻm 40,000$3.38 | soʻm 20,000$1.69 | Samarkand −50% |
| SIM card1 week data | soʻm 80,000$6.77 | soʻm 60,000$5.08 | Samarkand −25% |
| Haircutcut | soʻm 60,000$5.08 | soʻm 60,000$5.08 | similar |
| Massage1 hour | soʻm 180,000$15.2 | soʻm 200,000$16.9 | Khiva −10% |
| Half-day tourper person | soʻm 300,000$25.4 | soʻm 240,000$20.3 | Samarkand −20% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | soʻm 250,000$21.1 | soʻm 100,000$8.46 | Samarkand −60% |
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%+.
Khiva is 6% cheaper than Samarkand. Daily budget $77.7 vs $90.1; a month $1,192 vs $1,159.
About the same: Khiva 2.6/5, Samarkand 2.6/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
With a short-term studio and living costs, Khiva is about $1,192 and Samarkand about $1,159 per month.
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.