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 46.3% cheaper than Costa Rica overall. A CRC34,000,000 salary in Costa Rica would need to be roughly KZT18,200,000 in Kazakhstan to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Kazakh and Russian. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Almaty averages 58°F vs 77°F in San Jose, making it significantly cooler.
Planning this move? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes ↓Is Kazakhstan cheaper than Costa Rica?
The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 32.5% less
Groceries
pay 52.2% less
Transportation
pay 47.5% less
Housing
pay 49.2% less
Childcare
pay 62.7% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 42.5% 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.
What salary do you need in Kazakhstan?
What does your salary buy?
CRC34,000,000 → KZT18,200,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Kazakhstan
Calculate with your salary →Get free moving quotes to Kazakhstan
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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 generally does better on employment & economy, though Costa Rica leads in gdp per capita.
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 infant mortality.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2018–2021), Directorate General of Taxation of Costa Rica (2016), Tax Committee of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan (2016). How we calculate this
Weather in Kazakhstan vs Costa Rica
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | San Jose | Almaty |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 75°/60°F (24°/16°C) | 36°/18°F (2°/-8°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 78°/62°F (26°/17°C) | 71°/51°F (22°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 77°/62°F (25°/16°C) | 81°/59°F (27°/15°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 76°/61°F (24°/16°C) | 46°/27°F (8°/-3°C) |
View all months
| Month | San Jose | Almaty |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 74°/60°F (23.4°/15.4°C) | 30°/12°F (-1.3°/-11.1°C) |
| Feb | 75°/60°F (23.9°/15.3°C) | 32°/15°F (0.2°/-9.5°C) |
| Mar | 77°/60°F (25.1°/15.8°C) | 45°/28°F (7.1°/-2.4°C) |
| Apr | 78°/62°F (25.7°/16.4°C) | 62°/42°F (16.5°/5.6°C) |
| May | 79°/63°F (26.1°/17.0°C) | 71°/52°F (21.7°/10.9°C) |
| Jun | 78°/62°F (25.7°/16.9°C) | 80°/59°F (26.5°/15.2°C) |
| Jul | 77°/61°F (24.9°/16.3°C) | 85°/64°F (29.7°/17.6°C) |
| Aug | 77°/62°F (25.2°/16.7°C) | 84°/61°F (28.8°/16.3°C) |
| Sep | 78°/62°F (25.8°/16.5°C) | 74°/52°F (23.4°/11.0°C) |
| Oct | 78°/62°F (25.4°/16.4°C) | 61°/40°F (15.9°/4.6°C) |
| Nov | 76°/61°F (24.2°/16.3°C) | 43°/26°F (6.2°/-3.3°C) |
| Dec | 74°/60°F (23.4°/15.8°C) | 33°/16°F (0.4°/-8.8°C) |
Data:
Instituto Meteorológico Nacional,
Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Can you move from Costa Rica to Kazakhstan?
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 CRC34,000,000 comparable salary, that's around KZT4,550,000 in Kazakhstan for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Kazakhstan?
With 15.3 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 2.5 per 100,000 people, compared to 17.8 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 37.5 doctors per 10,000 people in Kazakhstan, compared to 26.9 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 Almaty is 58°F, compared to 77°F in San Jose. Almaty receives around 25.2 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.
