Moving to Kazakhstan from Costa Rica
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Costa Rica to Kazakhstan — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Costa Rica to Kazakhstan, you would find that Kazakhstan is 50.0% cheaper than Costa Rica overall. A CRC33,997,640 salary in Costa Rica would need to be roughly KZT19,116,069 in Kazakhstan to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Kazakh and Russian. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Astana averages 46°F vs 77°F in San Jose, making it significantly cooler.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Costa Rica to Kazakhstan.
What does your salary buy?
CRC33,997,640 → KZT19,116,069
To maintain the same standard of living in Kazakhstan
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 47.9% less
Groceries
pay 49.5% less
Transportation
pay 60.6% less
Housing
pay 57.2% less
Childcare
pay 58.9% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 53.6% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
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Key Indicator Comparison
How Costa Rica and Kazakhstan stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Kazakhstan performs significantly better than Costa Rica across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Kazakhstan generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Costa Rica leads in health coverage index.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Costa Rica performs better than Kazakhstan across all environment metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Costa Rica generally does better on infrastructure, though Kazakhstan leads in electricity per capita.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
share of people below the poverty line
Kazakhstan performs significantly better than Costa Rica across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Costa Rica generally does better on family life, though Kazakhstan leads in literacy rate.
Data: Directorate General of Taxation of Costa Rica, The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | San Jose | Astana |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 75°/60°F (24°/16°C) | 15°/-4°F (-10°/-20°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 78°/62°F (26°/17°C) | 65°/41°F (18°/5°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 77°/62°F (25°/16°C) | 74°/50°F (23°/10°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 76°/61°F (24°/16°C) | 30°/13°F (-1°/-11°C) |
View all months
| Month | San Jose | Astana |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 74°/60°F (23.4°/15.4°C) | 9°/-8°F (-12.6°/-22.0°C) |
| Feb | 75°/60°F (23.9°/15.3°C) | 12°/-7°F (-11.3°/-21.8°C) |
| Mar | 77°/60°F (25.1°/15.8°C) | 23°/4°F (-5.0°/-15.6°C) |
| Apr | 78°/62°F (25.7°/16.4°C) | 49°/28°F (9.3°/-2.4°C) |
| May | 79°/63°F (26.1°/17.0°C) | 67°/42°F (19.6°/5.8°C) |
| Jun | 78°/62°F (25.7°/16.9°C) | 78°/52°F (25.3°/11.2°C) |
| Jul | 77°/61°F (24.9°/16.3°C) | 81°/56°F (27.0°/13.4°C) |
| Aug | 77°/62°F (25.2°/16.7°C) | 76°/52°F (24.3°/10.9°C) |
| Sep | 78°/62°F (25.8°/16.5°C) | 65°/41°F (18.6°/5.1°C) |
| Oct | 78°/62°F (25.4°/16.4°C) | 47°/28°F (8.5°/-2.1°C) |
| Nov | 76°/61°F (24.2°/16.3°C) | 27°/12°F (-3.0°/-11.2°C) |
| Dec | 74°/60°F (23.4°/15.8°C) | 15°/-2°F (-9.7°/-18.9°C) |
Data:
Instituto Meteorológico Nacional,
Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Costa Rica and Kazakhstan. To live, work, or study long-term in Kazakhstan, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Kazakhstan's immigration authority.
Costa Rica passport holder visiting Kazakhstan
Visa Online (e-Visa)
Kazakhstan passport holder visiting Costa Rica
Visa RequiredData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Kazakhstan than Costa Rica?
Generally yes: Kazakhstan runs about 46% cheaper than Costa Rica on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Kazakhstan?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a CRC33,997,640 comparable salary, that's around KZT4,779,017 in Kazakhstan for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Kazakhstan?
With 14.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Kazakhstan can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Costa Rica and Kazakhstan.
Is Kazakhstan safe for expats?
Kazakhstan performs significantly better than Costa Rica across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Kazakhstan is 2.6 per 100,000 people, compared to 17.4 in Costa Rica.
How is healthcare in Kazakhstan compared to Costa Rica?
Kazakhstan generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Costa Rica leads in health coverage index. There are 40.3 doctors per 10,000 people in Kazakhstan, compared to 26.4 in Costa Rica. Kazakhstan scores 80 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Costa Rica: 81).
What's the weather like in Kazakhstan compared to Costa Rica?
The average high temperature in Astana is 46°F, compared to 77°F in San Jose. Astana receives around 12.5 in of rainfall per year, while San Jose gets 73.5 in.
What language do they speak in Kazakhstan?
The official languages in Kazakhstan are Kazakh and Russian. In Costa Rica, the official language is Spanish.
