Cost of living comparison
compared to
Turkmenistan vs. California Cost of Living Summary
Turkmenistan is 26.4% more expensive than California.
- Restaurants
-
pay 3.3% less in Turkmenistan
- Groceries
-
pay 71.8% more in Turkmenistan
- Transportation
-
pay 40.7% less in Turkmenistan
- Housing
-
pay 22.4% more in Turkmenistan
- Childcare
-
pay 56.9% less in Turkmenistan
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 62.9% more in Turkmenistan
- Clothing
-
pay 2.3 times more in Turkmenistan
The cost of clothing, groceries, entertainment and sports, and housing in Turkmenistan are more expensive than in California. Expenses including childcare, transportation, and restaurants are lower in Turkmenistan. Notably, clothing is significantly more expensive in Turkmenistan.
Turkmenistan vs. California Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Turkmenistan instead of California, you would:
pay 3.3% less for restaurants
|
California
|
Turkmenistan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$21.84
|
$34.29
TMT120.34
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.33
|
$13.57
TMT47.64
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.79
|
$2.32
TMT8.13
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.17
|
$0.80
TMT2.81
|
|
California vs. Turkmenistan - Cost of restaurants
pay 71.8% more for groceries
|
California
|
Turkmenistan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.20
|
$1.68
TMT5.89
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.77
|
$20.00
TMT70.20
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.73
|
$18.21
TMT63.90
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.14
|
$6.17
TMT21.66
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.05
|
$8.42
TMT29.57
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.30
|
$2.46
TMT8.64
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.92
|
$4.00
TMT14.06
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$3.47
TMT12.17
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$1.60
TMT5.63
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.50
|
$0.91
TMT3.18
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.41
|
$0.81
TMT2.84
|
|
California vs. Turkmenistan - Cost of groceries
pay 40.7% less for transportation
|
California
|
Turkmenistan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.72
|
$1.62
TMT5.69
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$63.04
|
$8.57
TMT30.09
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$30,529.84
|
$43,928.57
TMT154,189.29
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$21.43
|
$9.71
TMT34.10
|
|
California vs. Turkmenistan - Cost of transportation
pay 22.4% more for housing
|
California
|
Turkmenistan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$67.96
|
$102.86
TMT361.03
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,385.40
|
$1,128.57
TMT3,961.29
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,043.56
|
$750.00
TMT2,632.50
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$171.94
|
$436.97
TMT1,533.78
|
|
California vs. Turkmenistan - Cost of housing
pay 56.9% less for childcare
|
California
|
Turkmenistan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,633.13
|
$22.86
TMT80.23
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,339.97
|
$25,714.29
TMT90,257.14
|
|
California vs. Turkmenistan - Cost of childcare
pay 62.9% more for entertainment and sports
|
California
|
Turkmenistan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.31
|
$5.14
TMT18.05
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.58
|
$7.05
TMT24.75
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.92
|
$25.71
TMT90.26
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$68.02
|
$195.24
TMT685.29
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.99
|
$14.29
TMT50.14
|
|
California vs. Turkmenistan - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 2.3 times more for clothing
|
California
|
Turkmenistan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$56.47
|
$65.71
TMT230.66
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.47
|
$121.43
TMT426.21
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.50
|
$300.00
TMT1,053.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$119.94
|
$185.71
TMT651.86
|
|
California vs. Turkmenistan - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in United States vs. Turkmenistan.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within United States and Turkmenistan.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Turkmenistan or California. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.