Turkmenistan has a cash-based economy and you will not find many vendors that accept international card payments. The only exceptions being large international hotels in Ashgabat. ATM’s are not widespread and charge a 3% withdrawal fee for every transaction.

Before using your bank card for payments or withdrawing money in Turkmenistan it’s certainly a good idea to contact your bank. This will avoid your card becoming blocked due to international transactions that your bank may find suspicious.

You should certainly carry cash when traveling around in Turkmenistan: It’s a good idea to have both US dollars and Turkmenistan Manat with you. Some hotels may demand payment in US dollars.

Local vendors are cash-only, almost without exception, and will only accept payments in Turkmenistan Manats.

The Turkmenistan Manat has two exchange rates: the official one (which you’ll find on sites like XE.com) and the Black Market exchange rate. The official TMT to USD rate is around 3.5 manat to a dollar. However the black market exchange rate is very different at around 19 manat to a dollar. All exchange offices in Turkmenistan follow the black market exchange rate. The official rate has no meaning really.

Taking into account the black market exchange rate for the Turkmen Manat, the average cost of living in Turkmenistan is around 70% cheaper than the cost of living in the UK.

For a coffee in a cafe in Ashgabat you’ll pay around 16 manat. A three-course meal in a mid-range restaurant will cost around 120 manat per person.

There aren’t many tourists in Turkmenistan. The locals don’t tip. As a result there isn’t really a tipping culture in Turkmenistan.

If you want to leave a tip you can of course, either rounding up the bill or adding 10%.