Cost of Living inAshgabat, Turkmenistan
Image credit: tatarstan.ru
Purchasing Power vs. United States
Based on GDP per capita (PPP). Turkmenistan: $18,662/capita.
How Far Your Money Goes
Prices are 4% higher than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Using the country-level NYC comparison for now. We do not have a defensible city-level aggregate cost index for this city yet.
Income Category
GDP per Capita
City Population
Child Education
International and private school tuition + curriculum mix for relocating families.
International & private schools
Childcare & Domestic Help
Nanny, housekeeper, and driver pricing is not yet sourced for Ashgabat. We publish this section only when we can tie it to local job-board, agency, or country fallback evidence.
Getting Around
Neighborhood mobility profiles are rolling out city by city.Ashgabat is still missing a verified walkability, transit, airport, and rideshare profile.
Healthcare
System strength, outcome signals, facility coverage, and self-pay visibility in Turkmenistan.
Method: country metrics come from public system indicators, facility coverage reflects mapped providers we can inventory, direct pricing only reflects observed self-pay pages, and relative care cost can fall back to broad cost-of-living healthcare indices. Sparse pricing does not imply sparse healthcare availability.
Healthcare system
MixedGood national coverage and solid hospital-bed capacity help, but households still pay a large share themselves and newborn outcomes are weaker.
Public care
LimitedBroad public coverage help, but public funding looks lighter and patients still shoulder a meaningful share of costs.
Private care
LimitedSelf-pay pricing transparency is still sparse weigh on this rating.
UHC coverage
81/100
2023
Physicians
1.93/1k
2023
Hospital beds
3.60/1k
2021
Out of pocket
77%
2023
Outcome signals
Life expectancy
70.2 yrs
2024
Maternal mortality
5/100k
2023
Neonatal mortality
22.3/1k
2024
International patient readiness
LimitedThere is visible specialty depth help, but price transparency is still sparse and headline outcomes are less reassuring.
Pricing transparency
LimitedPublished self-pay prices are scarce weigh on this rating.
Facility coverage
Self-pay pricing visibility
No verified self-pay prices are published for the tracked facilities in Turkmenistan yet.
This usually reflects low online price transparency rather than a lack of healthcare providers.
Notable facilities
System metrics: World Bank WDI · Updated 2026-06-01
Safety & Governance
Street Safety
Source: Numbeo where a city row is matched; otherwise World Bank WGI and country-level safety context.
Political Stability
World Bank WGI scale: -2.5 to +2.5.
Wages by Sector
| Sector | Median |
|---|---|
| Administrative & Support Services | — |
| Agriculture & Farming | — |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | — |
| Construction | — |
| Education | — |
| Finance & Insurance | — |
| Healthcare & Social Work | — |
| Hospitality & Food Service | — |
| Information & Technology | — |
| Manufacturing | — |
| Mining & Quarrying | — |
| Other Services | — |
| Professional & Scientific Services | — |
| Public Administration & Defence | — |
| Real Estate | — |
| Retail & Wholesale Trade | — |
| Transport & Logistics | — |
| Utilities | — |
2024 annual wages in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan · Source: GDP-derived estimate (national)
Price Comparison vs. US
Visa Information (US passport)
Short-stay entry
US passport holders need advance travel authorization or a visa before entry.
Quick comparison FAQ
Structured from the deltas already shown on this page — no invented facts, no extra data sources.
How far does your money go in Ashgabat compared with the US?
Your money goes about 2.3x further in Ashgabat than in the US, based on the current PPP estimate. We are using the country-level cost index for Turkmenistan here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
Is Ashgabat cheaper or more expensive overall than New York City?
Ashgabat is more expensive overall than New York City — overall living costs are about 4% more expensive than the global benchmark (New York City) for Ashgabat. We are using the country-level cost index for Turkmenistan here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How does rent in Ashgabat compare with New York City?
Rent in Ashgabat is about 100% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City). We are using the country-level cost index for Turkmenistan here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How expensive are groceries and restaurants in Ashgabat?
Groceries in Ashgabat are about 100% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), and restaurant prices are about 100% cheaper than the same benchmark. We are using the country-level cost index for Turkmenistan here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
About Ashgabat
Ashgabat is the capital of Turkmenistan, set on the edge of the Karakum Desert just north of the Iranian border, and stands out for its dense concentration of white-marble government buildings and monumental boulevards built during the post-independence resource boom. The economy is tightly controlled and dominated by natural-gas exports. Relocators should treat Ashgabat as one of the most restrictive postings in the region: foreign residency is rare and almost entirely diplomatic or contractor-based, internet access is heavily filtered, and registration rules for foreigners are strict. The climate is hot desert, with very hot summers and cold winter nights. Turkmen and Russian dominate daily life; English is uncommon outside embassies.
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