Cash or card in Kyrgyzstan? Som, ATMs, the Tulpar card and countryside cash

The som: notes, coins and the rate

Kyrgyzstan's currency is the som (KGS), and it is usually not available in currency exchanges outside the country, so you get it after you land. The coins in circulation are 50 tyiyn and 1, 3, 5 and 10 som; every one is legal tender and must be accepted at its face value.

Banknotes come in 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1,000 and 5,000 som, plus a commemorative 2,000 som note, and the National Bank lists several designs (series) of the same value.

For a sense of scale, the National Bank's official rate for 7 November 2026 was KGS 87.4478 to the US dollar and KGS 97.7492 to the euro, and its weekly rate from 7 November 2026 was KGS 117.0882 to the pound, so the largest note, 5,000 som, is worth a little over USD 57. The official rate is a reference set for accounting: the National Bank does not buy or sell currency at it.

Prices and times checked 8 November 2026

Which cash to bring, and in what condition

US dollars are the most easily exchanged foreign currency, and euros or US dollars in cash can be changed in the larger towns. Pay in som wherever you can: the US dollar may be accepted in certain situations, but it is not the everyday currency. Travellers' cheques are not normally accepted.

The condition of the notes matters. Bring newer notes in perfect condition if possible, because notes with small tears, creases or dirt are often not exchanged. Small euro notes of 5, 10 and 20 euros are often changed only at a somewhat worse rate, and US dollar notes from before 2007 are usually not accepted, or are changed into som only with an additional charge. So pack dollar notes printed in 2007 or later, and euros in notes larger than 20.

If you end up with a torn or worn som note, the National Bank exchanges damaged and old notes and coins for individuals on weekdays from 09:00 to 15:00, at its office at 101 T. Umetaliev Street in Bishkek and at its regional offices, including 265 Toktogul Street in Karakol.

There is no limit on the foreign currency you bring in or take out, but cash from USD 10,000 per person must be declared. Our Kyrgyzstan entry guide has the rest of the customs rules.

Prices and times checked 8 November 2026

Cards and QR codes: Bishkek and the countryside

Credit and debit cards are widely used around the country. Visa is accepted in most places, but Mastercard is sometimes not, so make a Visa card your main card and carry a second card as a back-up, kept apart from the first. In Bishkek, hotels and restaurants usually accept credit and debit cards; in rural areas they do so only more rarely, and in remote areas cards are mostly not accepted. ATMs may not be available in rural areas either.

Karakol sits in between. Destination Karakol, the town's visitor centre, says credit cards are widely accepted at bigger accommodation providers, trekking agencies and tour operators, and that guest houses and restaurants increasingly take cards, but you will definitely need some cash for smaller purchases and shops, and for street food and markets.

Payment by QR code is also common, but as a visitor, plan to pay by card or in som. On Bishkek's buses the QR code is paid with the Tulpar mobile app (see the fares section below); elsewhere, pay with a contactless Visa card where cards are taken, and with som where they are not.

One gate refuses cash altogether. At Ala-Archa National Park, entry costs KGS 250 for adults and KGS 180 for children aged 7 to 14, and payment is cashless only: by the payment terminals at the checkpoint, by QR code or by bank card. Bring a card for the gate; our transport guide prices the drive out from Bishkek.

Prices and times checked 8 November 2026

How much cash for the countryside

Since the villages run on som, the question is how much. As a guide, Happy Nomads Yurt Camp in Karakol, listed by Destination Karakol, charges KGS 1,000 a person a night with breakfast, and KGS 500 a person for lunch or dinner. A day there with all three meals comes to about KGS 2,000 a person (about USD 23 at the official rate), not counting transport.

Getting around adds less than you might think. Karakol's town marshrutkas (shared minibuses) cost a set KGS 20 a person for local stops, and the marshrutka from Karakol to Ak-Suu, for the walk up to Altyn-Arashan, costs from KGS 50 a person plus KGS 30 for a trekking bag. From Bishkek to Karakol, Destination Karakol lists marshrutkas from KGS 500 and shared taxis at KGS 1,000 to 1,500; our transport guide has the GoBus coach. If you walk up to Altyn-Arashan on your own, keep som for the valley's entry fee: Central Asia Guide, a tour company, lists KGS 220 a person for foreign visitors at 2025 prices, charged since June 2025 to independent visitors but not to groups with a guide or driver. The big item is a 4x4: Adventures KG lists a four-seat UAZ from Karakol to Altyn-Arashan at KGS 12,000 for the vehicle, or KGS 3,000 each if four of you share it.

Two or three days around Karakol with yurt nights, all three meals, the Ak-Suu marshrutka there and back and the Altyn-Arashan fee come to about KGS 4,400 to 6,400 a person, plus any 4x4. Heading for Song-Kol, Naryn or Osh instead, the same transport guide prices the drivers and minibuses for those routes, and our Kyrgyzstan trip-cost guide prices a whole trip, rooms, meals and transport, level by level.

Prices and times checked 8 November 2026

ATMs, changing money and the home-currency offer

ATMs are widely available in the main cities and usually pay out both som and US dollars. Some set a maximum per withdrawal: it varies from bank to bank, but is often around KGS 10,000 (about USD 114 at the official rate), so a larger sum may take several withdrawals. Optima Bank's tariff for other banks' cards, in force from 1 January 2026, makes withdrawals at its own ATMs free and pays out som only; foreign cards may take up to KGS 25,000 a withdrawal and KGS 100,000 a day there. The bank that issued your card may add its own fee and limits.

Away from Bishkek, withdraw in a larger town before heading for the villages or Song-Kol: ATMs are usually available in towns, but are common only in the larger ones, and dollars may be more difficult to withdraw outside the main cities. Karakol is well served: Destination Karakol says most of its ATMs support international bank cards.

To change cash, use a currency exchange office in Bishkek or another larger town, where euros and US dollars in cash can be changed. The National Bank's official rate is only a reference, so the rate you are offered may differ from it. Arriving overland from Almaty with tenge left over, use the National Bank's daily rate as the reference for an offer: KGS 0.1956 to the tenge for 7 November 2026, so KZT 10,000 is worth about KGS 1,956 (for the Russian rouble, KGS 1.0759). Count the notes at the counter and put them away before you step outside. Be careful at currency exchange offices and in Bishkek's bazaars, particularly Osh Bazaar, where pickpockets target tourists; do not show large amounts of money, and take only the cash you need for the day or a card.

If the ATM or the card terminal offers to charge you in your home currency, decline and choose som. Visa explains that this offer, dynamic currency conversion, includes an exchange rate and additional fees; merchants and ATMs should give you the choice to accept or decline and must not choose on your behalf, and if you feel pressured, Visa recommends declining.

Prices and times checked 8 November 2026

Bishkek buses, the Tulpar card and the airport

Bishkek's fares reward paying without cash. Under the city's tariff decree, a ride on a city bus or electric bus costs KGS 17 cashless, while buses and electric buses marked for cash fares charge KGS 20 in cash. Small buses and minibuses cost KGS 20, cash or cashless. Night buses between 23:00 and 05:00 cost KGS 70 cashless or KGS 90 in cash.

You may not need a transport card at all: Tulpar, the operator of the city's single transport card, says its validators accept contactless Visa and Elcart cards of any bank, and Google Pay, so a contactless Visa card pays the cashless fare. The QR codes on stickers inside the buses are paid with the Tulpar mobile app. Without a card, you can buy a special ticket for cash from a machine at stops, in public places or on the bus, and hold it to the validator; this works on buses and electric buses, not on small buses.

For a longer stay, Tulpar's blue card is open to any passenger and costs KGS 60, from Kyrgyz Post branches, mobile operators' sales points, bus and trolleybus drivers, and sales points at stops, including Osh Bazaar. Top it up at Tulpar's service centres, ticket offices, retail points or payment machines. Paying with a transport card on municipal transport also buys you transfers: after the first 5 minutes, you may change as often as you like within 60 minutes.

From Manas airport, the official airport taxi (Manas Airport Taxi) charges fixed fares: KGS 800 to central Bishkek and KGS 650 to 1,200 to other parts of the city (700 to the north, 650 to the west, 1,000 to the south and 1,200 to the east), and KGS 9,000 to Karakol. Express bus No. 153 costs KGS 122 cashless to the airport and KGS 40 cashless within the city (fares from 27 May 2025). Our transport guide covers the routes to Issyk-Kul and beyond.

Prices and times checked 8 November 2026

Everyday prices, fixed fares and taxi apps

For a sense of everyday prices in Bishkek, Chaikhana Navat's delivery menu lists home-style lagman (500 g) at KGS 520, a 450 g plate of plov at KGS 520, a 100 g meat samsa at KGS 150 and a flat bread at KGS 85; these are its delivery prices. Around Karakol, a yurt-camp lunch or dinner is KGS 500 (see the countryside section above).

Many of the prices in this guide are fixed: city bus fares, Karakol's KGS 20 marshrutka, park gates and the airport taxi's list. For taxis in town, Destination Karakol suggests ordering through the Yandex Go app, which avoids the need to negotiate or watch the meter; some phones registered in Europe or North America may have trouble downloading it. Shared taxis between towns leave when the car is full and usually cost slightly more than marshrutkas, and if you tire of waiting you can often offer to pay for the missing passengers so the driver leaves at once.

Prices and times checked 8 November 2026

Police fines, "fees" and the border

If the police fine you, for example while you are driving, they should give you a paper copy with payment instructions: pay through a payment terminal or in a bank, never in cash directly to an officer (some officers carry a terminal, and some fines are reduced if you pay quickly). Germany reports that in the past tourists were in isolated cases pressed for "fee payments" on the pretext of drug checks, and that criminals posing as security forces cannot be ruled out, so if you have to pay an official, pay by card or electronically where possible and insist on a receipt. France reports cases of extortion by uniformed police and by customs officers at certain border crossings, to be reported to your embassy; our Kyrgyzstan entry guide covers what a land crossing needs.