Moving to South Korea from Kazakhstan
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Kazakhstan to South Korea — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Kazakhstan to South Korea, you would find that South Korea is 66.6% more expensive than Kazakhstan overall. A KZT34,000,000 salary in Kazakhstan would need to be roughly ₩167,000,000 in South Korea to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Korean.
Planning this move? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes ↓Is South Korea cheaper than Kazakhstan?
The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 12.0% less
Groceries
pay 2.7 times more
Transportation
pay 66.0% more
Housing
pay 53.8% more
Childcare
pay 2.8 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 75.9% 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.
What salary do you need in South Korea?
What does your salary buy?
KZT34,000,000 → ₩167,000,000
To maintain the same standard of living in South Korea
Calculate with your salary →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 South Korea cost about 15% more than cities in Kazakhstan.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Kazakhstan to South Korea, and how the trend has changed.
people moved from Kazakhstan to South Korea · OECD (latest data available)
Who's moving to South Korea?
Top countries of origin for South Korea's foreign-born residents.
- 803,011
- 177,274
- 159,264
- 68,050
- 64,942
- 55,601
- · · ·
-
27.1,712
Kazakhstan
Key Indicator Comparison
How Kazakhstan and South Korea stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
South Korea 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
Kazakhstan generally does better on health & wellbeing, though South Korea 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
South Korea 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
South Korea generally does better on infrastructure, though Kazakhstan leads in water stress level.
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 South Korea 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
South Korea generally does better on family life, though Kazakhstan leads in literacy rate.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2016–2019), World Health Organization (2024), Tax Committee of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan (2016), National Tax Service, South Korea (2016). How we calculate this
Weather in South Korea vs Kazakhstan
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Almaty | Seoul |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 36°/18°F (2°/-8°C) | 43°/28°F (6°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 71°/51°F (22°/11°C) | 73°/56°F (23°/13°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 81°/59°F (27°/15°C) | 83°/70°F (28°/21°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 46°/27°F (8°/-3°C) | 54°/38°F (12°/4°C) |
View all months
| Month | Almaty | Seoul |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30°/12°F (-1.3°/-11.1°C) | 36°/22°F (2.1°/-5.5°C) |
| Feb | 32°/15°F (0.2°/-9.5°C) | 41°/26°F (5.1°/-3.2°C) |
| Mar | 45°/28°F (7.1°/-2.4°C) | 52°/35°F (11.0°/1.9°C) |
| Apr | 62°/42°F (16.5°/5.6°C) | 64°/46°F (17.9°/8.0°C) |
| May | 71°/52°F (21.7°/10.9°C) | 74°/56°F (23.6°/13.5°C) |
| Jun | 80°/59°F (26.5°/15.2°C) | 82°/66°F (27.6°/18.7°C) |
| Jul | 85°/64°F (29.7°/17.6°C) | 84°/72°F (29.0°/22.3°C) |
| Aug | 84°/61°F (28.8°/16.3°C) | 86°/73°F (30.0°/22.9°C) |
| Sep | 74°/52°F (23.4°/11.0°C) | 79°/64°F (26.2°/17.7°C) |
| Oct | 61°/40°F (15.9°/4.6°C) | 68°/51°F (20.2°/10.6°C) |
| Nov | 43°/26°F (6.2°/-3.3°C) | 53°/38°F (11.9°/3.5°C) |
| Dec | 33°/16°F (0.4°/-8.8°C) | 40°/26°F (4.2°/-3.4°C) |
Data:
Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan,
Korea Meteorological Administration
Can you move from Kazakhstan to South Korea?
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Kazakhstan and South Korea. To live, work, or study long-term in South Korea, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check South Korea's immigration authority.
Kazakhstan passport holder visiting South Korea
Electronic Travel Authorisation
South Korea 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 South Korea than Kazakhstan?
Day-to-day costs in South Korea run about 67% higher than Kazakhstan on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to South Korea?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a KZT34,000,000 comparable salary, that's around ₩41,750,000 in South Korea for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from South Korea?
With 47.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, South Korea can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Kazakhstan and South Korea.
Is South Korea safe for expats?
South Korea performs significantly better than Kazakhstan across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in South Korea is 0.5 per 100,000 people, compared to 2.5 in Kazakhstan.
How is healthcare in South Korea compared to Kazakhstan?
Kazakhstan generally does better on health & wellbeing, though South Korea leads in health coverage index. There are 26.1 doctors per 10,000 people in South Korea, compared to 37.5 in Kazakhstan. South Korea scores 89 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Kazakhstan: 80).
What's the weather like in South Korea compared to Kazakhstan?
The average high temperature in Seoul is 63°F, compared to 58°F in Almaty. Seoul receives around 55.8 in of rainfall per year, while Almaty gets 25.2 in.
What language do they speak in South Korea?
The official language in South Korea is Korean. In Kazakhstan, the official languages are Kazakh and Russian.
