Moving to Bulgaria from Kazakhstan
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Kazakhstan to Bulgaria — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Kazakhstan to Bulgaria, you would find that Bulgaria is 11.5% more expensive than Kazakhstan overall. A KZT34,000,000 salary in Kazakhstan would need to be roughly BGN146,000 in Bulgaria to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Bulgarian. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Sofia averages 59°F vs 46°F in Astana, making it significantly warmer.
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What to expect for your wallet after moving from Kazakhstan to Bulgaria.
What does your salary buy?
KZT34,000,000 → BGN146,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Bulgaria
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 22.0% more
Groceries
pay 20.9% more
Transportation
pay 49.0% more
Housing
pay 3.2% less
Childcare
pay 33.8% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 11.8% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Bulgaria cost about 9% less than cities in Kazakhstan.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
How many people actually move from Kazakhstan to Bulgaria, based on official data.
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Kazakhstan to Bulgaria.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Bulgaria performs significantly better than Kazakhstan 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
Bulgaria generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Kazakhstan leads in healthcare spending per person.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Bulgaria performs significantly 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
Kazakhstan generally does better on infrastructure, though Bulgaria leads in broadband per 100 people.
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 Bulgaria leads in unemployment rate.
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
Kazakhstan generally does better on family life, though Bulgaria leads in life expectancy.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2018–2021), Tax Committee of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan (2016), National Revenue Agency, Bulgaria (2016). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Astana | Sofia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 15°/-4°F (-10°/-20°C) | 42°/28°F (6°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 65°/41°F (18°/5°C) | 68°/48°F (20°/9°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 74°/50°F (23°/10°C) | 77°/55°F (25°/13°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 30°/13°F (-1°/-11°C) | 50°/34°F (10°/1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Astana | Sofia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9°/-8°F (-12.6°/-22.0°C) | 36°/23°F (2.2°/-4.9°C) |
| Feb | 12°/-7°F (-11.3°/-21.8°C) | 41°/27°F (4.9°/-2.9°C) |
| Mar | 23°/4°F (-5.0°/-15.6°C) | 50°/33°F (9.8°/0.3°C) |
| Apr | 49°/28°F (9.3°/-2.4°C) | 60°/41°F (15.7°/4.8°C) |
| May | 67°/42°F (19.6°/5.8°C) | 69°/48°F (20.3°/9.0°C) |
| Jun | 78°/52°F (25.3°/11.2°C) | 74°/54°F (23.5°/12.1°C) |
| Jul | 81°/56°F (27.0°/13.4°C) | 79°/57°F (25.9°/13.8°C) |
| Aug | 76°/52°F (24.3°/10.9°C) | 79°/56°F (26.0°/13.4°C) |
| Sep | 65°/41°F (18.6°/5.1°C) | 73°/51°F (22.6°/10.4°C) |
| Oct | 47°/28°F (8.5°/-2.1°C) | 62°/42°F (16.6°/5.7°C) |
| Nov | 27°/12°F (-3.0°/-11.2°C) | 49°/34°F (9.6°/1.2°C) |
| Dec | 15°/-2°F (-9.7°/-18.9°C) | 39°/27°F (4.1°/-2.7°C) |
Data:
Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan,
National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Kazakhstan and Bulgaria. To live, work, or study long-term in Bulgaria, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Bulgaria's immigration authority.
Kazakhstan passport holder visiting Bulgaria
Visa Required
Bulgaria passport holder visiting Kazakhstan
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Bulgaria than Kazakhstan?
No — Bulgaria is on average about 11% more expensive than Kazakhstan. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Bulgaria?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly BGN36,500 in Bulgaria on a KZT34,000,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees).
Can I work remotely from Bulgaria?
Internet is rarely the blocker — Bulgaria has 37.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people. The real questions are legal: digital nomad visa eligibility, your employer's overseas-work policy, and tax residency in both countries.
Is Bulgaria safe for expats?
Bulgaria performs significantly better than Kazakhstan across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Bulgaria is 1.1 per 100,000 people, compared to 2.5 in Kazakhstan.
How is healthcare in Bulgaria compared to Kazakhstan?
Bulgaria generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Kazakhstan leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 43.3 doctors per 10,000 people in Bulgaria, compared to 37.5 in Kazakhstan. Bulgaria scores 73 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Kazakhstan: 80).
What's the weather like in Bulgaria compared to Kazakhstan?
The average high temperature in Sofia is 59°F, compared to 46°F in Astana. Sofia receives around 22.5 in of rainfall per year, while Astana gets 12.5 in.
What language do they speak in Bulgaria?
The official language in Bulgaria is Bulgarian. In Kazakhstan, the official languages are Kazakh and Russian.
