Costs in Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan has a formal cost system, but current public price information is incomplete. The Cabinet of Ministers sets state housing rents, while private rents lack a reliable national reference value and depend on the property, location and availability. In 2022, the country recorded 1,344,268 residential properties: 143,212 state-owned and 1,201,056 privately owned; 732,326 were urban and 611,942 rural. Housing allocation and access can also depend on local or institutional arrangements. Free electricity, gas, drinking water and salt were abolished on 1 January 2019. The drinking-water tariff increased from 0.5 to 1.0 TMT per cubic metre on 1 January 2024, while sanitation services for the population are provided without a charge. Older published reference tariffs from 2017 listed electricity at 2.5 TMT per 100 kWh, gas at 20 TMT per 1,000 cubic metres above the free allowance, residential space at 0.5 TMT per square metre per month, heating at 0.1 TMT per square metre per month and telephone service at 1 TMT per month. These figures should not be treated as current national tariffs. The 2024 Energy-Saving Law introduced consumer duties and energy-efficiency, audit and tariff instruments that can affect future household costs. Food accounted for an average of 59.2% of household expenditure in the available official data and 67% for the lowest income quintile. State price rules and subsidies support price stability for essential goods, but actual availability, queues and prices are difficult to measure consistently. Official inflation in December 2024 was 3.8% year on year. A household budget therefore needs a separate food allowance and a reserve for supply or price changes. Transport costs depend on the journey and service. Awtomobil ulag hyzmaty provides intercity bus services. A one-way Aşgabat–Türkmenbaşy ticket cost 65 TMT in 2024/2025, with a 32.5 TMT fare for children under 13. A one-way Aşgabat–Awaza ticket cost 75 TMT from June 2024. Tickets can be booked through e.gov.tm, Şäherara bilet or a ticket office. The 2017 reference price of 0.5 TMT for an urban bus ride and the pensioner and student monthly-card prices have not been confirmed as current. Fuel quantities may also be subject to administrative approval, creating a supply and price risk. Health care is formally organized through the public system and the Türkmenistanyň Saglygy Goraýyş we Derman Senagaty Ministrligi. Households may still pay directly for medicines, diagnostic services and additional or private care. Out-of-pocket payments represented 30.87% of health expenditure in 2022. Actual costs and access depend on the service, location and availability, and no consolidated current national fee or reimbursement schedule was identified. General secondary education in state institutions is free and compulsory. Other educational institutions may charge fees or provide places without charge. Higher and middle specialized education admissions are handled annually through the State Commission; the 2024 application period ran from 15 July to 26 August. Tuition depends on the institution and programme. School materials, transport, accommodation, examinations and applications can add to household costs. Scholarships increased by 10% from 1 January 2024. Social protection is governed by the Social Protection Code. Local pension-fund bodies administer pensions and state benefits. Permanently resident foreigners and stateless people generally have equal rights under the Code unless a treaty provides otherwise. State benefits increased by 10% from 1 January 2024; the stated base value for state benefits was 470 TMT and the base value for the minimum pension was 500 TMT. Family and child payments depend on the claim and status, so these figures do not establish a universal payment for every household. Communication costs include fixed and mobile services. Turkmentelecom published individual city tariffs of 150 TMT per month for 1 Mbit/s unlimited service, 180 TMT for 2 Mbit/s, 230 TMT for 4 Mbit/s and 280 TMT for 6 Mbit/s. TM CELL and Altyn Asyr published packages including 250 MB for 10 TMT, 1.5 GB for 60 TMT and 20 GB for 200 TMT, each for 30 days. Mobile offers can change. In 2025, mobile broadband affordability was comparatively high: the high-consumption basket equalled 7.27% of gross national income per person, compared with 1.54% worldwide. The country had 4.08 million mobile-broadband subscriptions in 2024. Leisure, culture, sport, restaurants and tourism usually create case-specific costs because no complete current national fee list was identified. State or municipal venues may be subsidized, while the Aşgabat–Awaza fare provides a separately documented travel cost. The minimum monthly wage was 1,280 TMT from 1 January 2024. A workable household budget should separate regulated fixed charges from variable market and availability costs, then reserve money for medical needs, supply interruptions and price changes. It should be reviewed monthly because regional supply, tariffs and access can change. Banks, debt and taxes are separate subjects and should not be treated as ordinary living-cost categories.