Living in Almaty, Kazakhstan

Almaty is a large inland city in Kazakhstan (1 to 5 million people in the city proper). It has a cool climate, averaging 11°C over the year with about 544 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €2,380 a month to live centrally. For foreigners, long-term residency in Kazakhstan is possible, with conditions, with a self-funded route from about $3,000 a month in income.

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Est. cost: €2,380; a month for a couple
Climate: 11°C; 544 mm rain a year
Size: Large; 1 to 5 million people
Safety: 60/100; country-level
Residency: Possible, with conditions; for most foreigners

Limited data for Kazakhstan. Figures for safety, healthcare, cost of living and political stability in Kazakhstan are country-level estimates from World Bank indicators, each named with its year. We have no tax, English, social openness or internet speed figures for Kazakhstan, so the quiz scores those factors conservatively and this page leaves them out.

Climate

Almaty averages 11°C across the year with about 544 mm of rain, which makes it cool and dry. It is warmer than 16% of the 1225 cities we track.

Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.

Cost of living

We estimate a couple needs about €2,380 a month to live centrally in Almaty, 13% below the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 77% of them.

Source: OurNextCity model from the price level of GDP relative to the United States, from GDP per person in US dollars and at purchasing power parity (NY.GDP.PCAP.CD/NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.CD, 2025), calibrated to our country-level cost index (New York = 100) and scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.

Healthcare

Kazakhstan scores 60 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 27% of the cities we compare.

Source: Country-level estimate, the same for every city in Kazakhstan: life expectancy at birth (SP.DYN.LE00.IN, 2024) and current health spending per person in US dollars (SH.XPD.CHEX.PC.CD, 2023), calibrated to the 0 to 100 scale of our reference tables. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.

Residency and visas

Possible, with conditions. Long-term residence is realistic through an employer or in-demand-profession work permit, a remote-work nomad visa, a 10-year digital-nomad residency for IT talent, an investor golden visa that grants immediate permanent residence, or an ordinary permanent residence permit backed by a bank-balance solvency proof.

The cheapest self-funded routes we track for Kazakhstan:

Income: about $3,000 a month (Kazakhstan Neo Nomad Visa (B12-1) remote-work route, USD 3,000/mo foreign-source income; 1-year visa, renewable; as of June 2026)
Investment: about $12k (Permanent residence permit proof-of-solvency bank balance, 1320 MCI = KZT 5,709,000 (2026 MCI KZT 4,325), converted at ~490.4 KZT/USD; cheaper than the USD 300,000 investor golden visa; as of June 2026)

For short visits, 81 of 198 passports can enter visa-free, 99 can get an e-visa or visa on arrival and 18 need a visa in advance.

Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules, figures as of June 2026. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).

Safety and stability

Kazakhstan scores 60 out of 100 on safety, safer than 50% of the cities we compare. Its estimated democracy score is 4.0 out of 10.

Source: Country-level estimate, the same for every city in Kazakhstan: country-level homicide rate per 100,000 people (VC.IHR.PSRC.P5, 2022) and Worldwide Governance Indicators Political Stability and Absence of Violence estimate (GOV_WGI_PV.EST, 2025), calibrated to the 0 to 100 scale of our reference tables (higher is safer). Stability: Worldwide Governance Indicators Voice and Accountability estimate (GOV_WGI_VA.EST, 2025), calibrated to the EIU Democracy Index scale. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.

Questions couples ask about Almaty

Is Almaty a good place to live for couples?

It depends on what the two of you weigh most. Compared with the other cities we track, Almaty scores well on affordability. It is weaker on healthcare. Our figures for Kazakhstan are partial: no tax, English, social openness or internet speed data, and country-level World Bank estimates for the rest. Expect a cool, dry climate (11°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Almaty and 914 other cities for both of you at once.

How much does it cost a couple to live in Almaty?

We estimate about €2,380 a month for a couple living centrally, 13% below the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from the World Bank price level of GDP for Kazakhstan, calibrated to our country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.

Can foreigners live in Kazakhstan long term?

Our assessment: possible, with conditions. Long-term residence is realistic through an employer or in-demand-profession work permit, a remote-work nomad visa, a 10-year digital-nomad residency for IT talent, an investor golden visa that grants immediate permanent residence, or an ordinary permanent residence permit backed by a bank-balance solvency proof. The cheapest self-funded routes we track: income, about $3,000 a month (as of 2026-06); investment, about $12k (as of 2026-06).

What is the weather like in Almaty?

Almaty averages 11°C across the year with about 544 mm of rain, which makes it cool and dry. It is warmer than 16% of the cities we track.