Unsurprisingly, things are relatively cheap here, and on any given day the major (?) supermarket here, Orima, does have a decent variety of goodies available. Without difficulty I was able to find fresh parsley, garlic, lettuce and tomatoes and come up with a decent salad and linguine with white clam sauce last weekend. Even a droll tuna sandwich becomes interesting: canned tuna from Spain, fresh bread from Tajikistan, mayonnaise from Moscow, tomatoes from Iran, and beer (mmmm, beer!) from Siberia, served on a plate from China followed by a cup of tea from India.
Examples of what things cost here:
1/2 liter bottle of (good!) beer - 87 cents
250cl extra-virgin olive oil from Spain - $3.20
loaf of Tajik bread - 19 cents
can of shelled mussels from Russia, 185g net - $2.77
spring water, 5-liter bottle - 87 cents
eggs - $1.75/dozen (although they're sold individually)
apricot nectar, 1 liter - $1.02
Barilla rigatoni, 500g - $1.71
non-Barilla linguine, 500g - 71 cents
"President" gruyere cheese, 140g - $1.42
Frozen pizza from Russia (it's quite good!), 260g - $1.29
Canned tuna from Spain in olive oil, 500g - $2.00
Buitoni pasta sauce, 400g - $4.13
Can of pitted black olives, 250g - 78 cents
Large stainless-steel pasta pot w/ glass lid - $11.60
75cl bottle of Moldovan cabernet (pretty good) - $4.06
1.5-liter bottle of Jack Daniels - $63.50 (no, I haven't bought any, not at that price!)
Cab ride, one mile - $1.16
Trolley fare - 12 cents
2-bedroom modern apartment, w/cable TV and all utilities incl. tax - $850/month
Memories of my family and friends - priceless!
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5 comments:
Thanks for the Tajikistan "Price Is Right" commentary!! Pete was taken aback at the Jack prices. Lord knows what Bombay Sapphire would run...Its very very cold here today and we might have abit more snow tomorrow. Are you staying busy......any sight-seeing possibilities.......?? We look forward to your next blog addition but most especially to your safe return and reunion celebration. Stay well my friend! Karla
Everything else seems to be correct but you have been ripped off with the rent, because 850 bucks for 2 bedroom apptm in Tajikistan with whatever utility is seriously too much! I advise you to reconsider that unless your company is paying for you.
Great info, thanks John. I will be interning in Dushanbe this summer and was searching the web for some info on living costs. BUT... apartment rental seems high, is that normal or are you living somewhere particularly nice?! I was expecting rent to be much cheaper than that. Do you know how much a simple 1-bed apartment (short-term rental) might cost?! Thanks :0)
Dear Anon:
No, that price is much too high - it is the maximum my NGO is willing to pay, and (amazingly!) renters seem to know that. You can see photos of my apartment below in this blog. You should be able to get a one-b/r for somewhere around US$300 a month if you search.
You can email me at jmusarra at ceeli dot tj and I'll be glad to forward you a local publication that lists some rentals so you'll have an idea. And if there's any other info I can give you, just ask.
Hey John, I just ran across your blog again after reading an article about the Orima conviction. Looks like you got too busy to add anything to your blog about a year ago! I had hopes to do a blog too, but alas I only posted picturs once.
Patrick
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