Moving to Turkey from Kazakhstan

moving to

What to Expect

A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Kazakhstan to Turkey — from daily expenses to quality of life.

If you moved from Kazakhstan to Turkey, you would find that Turkey is 59.3% more expensive than Kazakhstan overall. A KZT35,393,750 salary in Kazakhstan would need to be roughly TRY5,531,861 in Turkey to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Turkish. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Ankara averages 64°F vs 46°F in Astana, making it significantly warmer.

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How Far Will Your Money Go?

How your spending power changes when you relocate from Kazakhstan to Turkey.

What does your salary buy?

KZT35,393,750 TRY5,531,861

To maintain the same standard of living in Turkey

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 17.5% more

Groceries

pay 16.5% more

Transportation

pay 2.0 times more

Housing

pay 32.4% more

Childcare

pay 2.6 times more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 66.5% more

See full cost of living breakdown
Exchange rate: 1 KZT = 0.0996 TRY (July 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 Turkey cost about 54% more than cities in Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan

Almaty 34%

Turkey

Istanbul 49%

Compare cities head-to-head

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Who Else Is Making This Move?

Real numbers on people moving from Kazakhstan to Turkey, and how the trend has changed.

Moved in 2023
10,813 ↓ 31% vs 2022

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

Who's moving to Turkey?

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

Foreign-born population · UN DESA (2020)

Key Indicator Comparison

How Kazakhstan and Turkey stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Homicide rate United Nations SDG Indicators, 2022

per 100,000 people per year

KZ
2.6
TR
2.7
Road traffic deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

per 100,000 people per year

KZ
12.2
TR
6.5

Kazakhstan generally does better on safety, though Turkey leads in road traffic deaths.

How's the healthcare?

Healthcare spending per person World Bank, 2023

annual government + private spending per person

KZ
$1,460
TR
$1,769
Doctors per 10,000 people United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

affects wait times and access to care

KZ
40.3
TR
21.7

Kazakhstan generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Turkey leads in suicide rate.

What about the environment?

Air pollution deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2019

deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people

KZ
68.0
TR
39.0
CO₂ emissions per capita World Bank, 2024

tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year

KZ
12.6t
TR
5.4t

Turkey performs significantly better than Kazakhstan across all environment metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Broadband per 100 people United Nations SDG Indicators, 2022

fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work

KZ
14.9
TR
22.3
Water stress level United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

higher means greater strain on freshwater supply

KZ
34.1%
TR
43.4%

Kazakhstan generally does better on infrastructure, though Turkey leads in broadband per 100 people.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate The World Factbook, 2023

percentage of the labour force without work

KZ
4.8%
TR
9.4%
GDP per capita The World Factbook, 2023

a broad measure of economic output per person

KZ
$35,500
TR
$34,400

Kazakhstan performs better than Turkey across all employment & economy metrics.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy The World Factbook, 2022

average years of life at birth

KZ
72.5 yrs
TR
76.2 yrs
Infant mortality The World Factbook, 2022

deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better

KZ
19.2
TR
19.4

Kazakhstan generally does better on family life, though Turkey leads in life expectancy.

Data: Tax Committee of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan, The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank

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

Ankara Rain: 15.0 in/yr (382 mm)
64° / 43°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Astana Ankara
Jan–Mar 15°/-4°F (-10°/-20°C) 45°/28°F (7°/-2°C)
Apr–Jun 65°/41°F (18°/5°C) 72°/48°F (22°/9°C)
Jul–Sep 74°/50°F (23°/10°C) 83°/57°F (29°/14°C)
Oct–Dec 30°/13°F (-1°/-11°C) 55°/37°F (13°/3°C)
View all months
Month Astana Ankara
Jan /-8°F (-12.6°/-22.0°C) 39°/26°F (4.1°/-3.5°C)
Feb 12°/-7°F (-11.3°/-21.8°C) 43°/27°F (5.9°/-2.8°C)
Mar 23°/4°F (-5.0°/-15.6°C) 52°/32°F (11.1°/0.2°C)
Apr 49°/28°F (9.3°/-2.4°C) 63°/41°F (17.3°/5.1°C)
May 67°/42°F (19.6°/5.8°C) 72°/49°F (22.2°/9.4°C)
Jun 78°/52°F (25.3°/11.2°C) 80°/55°F (26.4°/12.6°C)
Jul 81°/56°F (27.0°/13.4°C) 86°/60°F (29.9°/15.4°C)
Aug 76°/52°F (24.3°/10.9°C) 86°/60°F (30.0°/15.4°C)
Sep 65°/41°F (18.6°/5.1°C) 78°/52°F (25.8°/11.3°C)
Oct 47°/28°F (8.5°/-2.1°C) 68°/44°F (20.0°/6.8°C)
Nov 27°/12°F (-3.0°/-11.2°C) 55°/36°F (12.9°/2.4°C)
Dec 15°/-2°F (-9.7°/-18.9°C) 43°/30°F (6.3°/-0.9°C)

Data: Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Turkish State Meteorological Service Turkish State Meteorological Service

Visitor Visa Requirements

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

Kazakhstan passport

Kazakhstan passport holder visiting Turkey

Visa Free
Kazakhstan passport holders can enter Turkey without a visa.
Turkey passport

Turkey passport holder visiting Kazakhstan

Visa Free
Turkey 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 Turkey than Kazakhstan?

Day-to-day costs in Turkey run about 57% higher than Kazakhstan on average; specific cities can swing further.

How much money do I need to move to Turkey?

A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a KZT35,393,750 comparable salary, that's around TRY1,382,965 in Turkey for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.

Can I work remotely from Turkey?

With 22.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Turkey 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 Turkey.

Is Turkey safe for expats?

Kazakhstan generally does better on safety, though Turkey leads in road traffic deaths. The homicide rate in Turkey is 2.7 per 100,000 people, compared to 2.6 in Kazakhstan.

How is healthcare in Turkey compared to Kazakhstan?

Kazakhstan generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Turkey leads in suicide rate. There are 21.7 doctors per 10,000 people in Turkey, compared to 40.3 in Kazakhstan. Turkey scores 76 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Kazakhstan: 80).

What's the weather like in Turkey compared to Kazakhstan?

The average high temperature in Ankara is 64°F, compared to 46°F in Astana. Ankara receives around 15.0 in of rainfall per year, while Astana gets 12.5 in.

What language do they speak in Turkey?

The official language in Turkey is Turkish. In Kazakhstan, the official languages are Kazakh and Russian.

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At a Glance

KZ TR
Population 19,398,331 83,047,706
Currency Kazakhstani Tenge (KZT) Turkish Lira (TRY)
Languages Kazakh, Russian Turkish
Driving side Right Right
Calling code +7 +90
Time zones 2 1
Emergency number 112 112