Moving to New York from Kazakhstan

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What to Expect

Everything you need to know before relocating from Kazakhstan to New York — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.

If you moved from Kazakhstan to New York, you would find that New York is 4.1 times more expensive than Kazakhstan overall. A KZT34,570,541 salary in Kazakhstan would need to be roughly $180,455 in New York to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in English. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Albany averages 58°F vs 46°F in Astana, making it significantly warmer.

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How Far Will Your Money Go?

What to expect for your wallet after moving from Kazakhstan to New York.

What does your salary buy?

KZT34,570,541 $180,455

To maintain the same standard of living in New York

Calculate with your salary →

Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day

Restaurants

pay 2.9 times more

Groceries

pay 4.1 times more

Transportation

pay 3.3 times more

Housing

pay 5.2 times more

Childcare

pay 8.0 times more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 4.3 times more

See full cost of living breakdown
Exchange rate: 1 KZT = 0.0022 USD (August 2026)

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 New York cost about 134% more than cities in Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan

Almaty 34%

New York

Queens 73%
Ithaca 62%

Compare cities head-to-head

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Who Else Is Making This Move?

How many people actually move from Kazakhstan to New York, based on official data.

Moved in 2023
2,570 ↑ 57% vs 2022

people moved from Kazakhstan to United States · OECD (latest data available)

Who's moving to United States?

Top countries of origin for United States's foreign-born residents.

Foreign-born population · UN DESA (2020)

Key Indicator Comparison

Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Kazakhstan to New York.

How's the healthcare?

Adult obesity rate The World Factbook, 2022

share of adults with obesity

KZ
21.0%
NY
29.9%

Kazakhstan performs better than New York across all health & wellbeing metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Internet access The World Factbook, 2023

share of households with internet

KZ
86.0%
NY
89.7%

New York performs significantly better than Kazakhstan across all infrastructure metrics.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate The World Factbook, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

KZ
4.8%
NY
4.4%
GDP per capita The World Factbook, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

KZ
$35,500
NY
$91,992

New York generally does better on employment & economy, though Kazakhstan leads in poverty rate.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy The World Factbook, 2022

average years of life at birth

KZ
72.5 yrs
NY
77.7 yrs

New York performs significantly better than Kazakhstan across all family life metrics.

Data: The World Factbook

What's the Climate Like?

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

Astana Rain: 12.5 in/yr (318 mm)
46° / 25°F

Avg. annual high / low

Albany Rain: 39.4 in/yr (1000 mm)
58° / 39°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Astana Albany
Jan–Mar 15°/-4°F (-10°/-20°C) 37°/19°F (2°/-7°C)
Apr–Jun 65°/41°F (18°/5°C) 68°/47°F (20°/8°C)
Jul–Sep 74°/50°F (23°/10°C) 78°/58°F (26°/14°C)
Oct–Dec 30°/13°F (-1°/-11°C) 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C)
View all months
Month Astana Albany
Jan /-8°F (-12.6°/-22.0°C) 31°/15°F (-0.8°/-9.7°C)
Feb 12°/-7°F (-11.3°/-21.8°C) 35°/17°F (1.4°/-8.2°C)
Mar 23°/4°F (-5.0°/-15.6°C) 44°/26°F (6.9°/-3.5°C)
Apr 49°/28°F (9.3°/-2.4°C) 58°/37°F (14.6°/2.9°C)
May 67°/42°F (19.6°/5.8°C) 69°/47°F (20.8°/8.4°C)
Jun 78°/52°F (25.3°/11.2°C) 78°/56°F (25.5°/13.6°C)
Jul 81°/56°F (27.0°/13.4°C) 82°/61°F (27.9°/16.3°C)
Aug 76°/52°F (24.3°/10.9°C) 80°/60°F (26.9°/15.5°C)
Sep 65°/41°F (18.6°/5.1°C) 72°/52°F (22.3°/10.9°C)
Oct 47°/28°F (8.5°/-2.1°C) 60°/40°F (15.4°/4.2°C)
Nov 27°/12°F (-3.0°/-11.2°C) 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.3°C)
Dec 15°/-2°F (-9.7°/-18.9°C) 36°/21°F (2.1°/-6.0°C)

Data: Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, National Weather Service National Weather Service

Visitor Visa Requirements

Short-stay tourist visa rules between Kazakhstan and United States. To live, work, or study long-term in United States, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check United States's immigration authority.

Kazakhstan passport

Kazakhstan passport holder visiting United States

Visa Required
Kazakhstan passport holders need a visa to enter United States.
United States passport

United States passport holder visiting Kazakhstan

Visa Free
United States passport holders can enter Kazakhstan without a visa.

Data: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in New York than Kazakhstan?

No — New York is on average about 141% more expensive than Kazakhstan. City-level variation matters.

How much money do I need to move to New York?

Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $45,114 in New York on a KZT34,570,541 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees).

Can I work remotely from New York?

Usually fine from major cities in New York. The harder questions are legal — digital nomad visa eligibility, your employer's overseas-work policy, and tax residency in both countries.

How is healthcare in New York compared to Kazakhstan?

Kazakhstan performs better than New York across all health & wellbeing metrics.

What's the weather like in New York compared to Kazakhstan?

The average high temperature in Albany is 58°F, compared to 46°F in Astana. Albany receives around 39.4 in of rainfall per year, while Astana gets 12.5 in.

What language do they speak in New York?

The official language in New York is English. In Kazakhstan, the official languages are Kazakh and Russian.

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At a Glance

KZ
Population 19,398,331 19,378,102
Currency Kazakhstani Tenge (KZT) United States Dollar ($)
Languages Kazakh, Russian English
Driving side Right Right
Calling code +7 +1
Time zones 2 11
Emergency number 112 911