Moving to Washington from Kazakhstan

moving to

What to Expect

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

If you moved from Kazakhstan to Washington, you would find that Washington is 4.0 times more expensive than Kazakhstan overall. A KZT36,570,027 salary in Kazakhstan would need to be roughly $174,852 in Washington to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in English. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Olympia averages 60°F vs 46°F in Astana, making it significantly warmer.

How Far Will Your Money Go?

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

What does your salary buy?

KZT36,570,027 $174,852

To maintain the same standard of living in Washington

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 3.1 times more

Groceries

pay 3.8 times more

Transportation

pay 2.9 times more

Housing

pay 5.2 times more

Childcare

pay 7.6 times more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 3.9 times more

See full cost of living breakdown
Exchange rate: 1 KZT = 0.0021 USD (June 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 Washington cost about 145% more than cities in Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan

Almaty 34%

Washington

Seattle 84%
Bellevue 81%
Redmond 79%

Compare cities head-to-head

Get free moving quotes to Washington

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Who Else Is Making This Move?

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

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

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

How's the healthcare?

Adult obesity rate The World Factbook, 2022

share of adults with obesity

KZ
21.0%
WA
31.1%

Kazakhstan performs better than Washington across all health & wellbeing metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Internet access The World Factbook, 2023

share of households with internet

KZ
86.0%
WA
93.1%

Washington 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%
WA
5.3%
GDP per capita The World Factbook, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

KZ
$35,500
WA
$87,768

Kazakhstan generally does better on employment & economy, though Washington leads in gdp per capita.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy The World Factbook, 2022

average years of life at birth

KZ
72.5 yrs
WA
79.2 yrs

Washington 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

Olympia Rain: 50.0 in/yr (1270 mm)
60° / 41°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Astana Olympia
Jan–Mar 15°/-4°F (-10°/-20°C) 50°/34°F (10°/1°C)
Apr–Jun 65°/41°F (18°/5°C) 65°/43°F (18°/6°C)
Jul–Sep 74°/50°F (23°/10°C) 76°/49°F (24°/10°C)
Oct–Dec 30°/13°F (-1°/-11°C) 51°/36°F (11°/2°C)
View all months
Month Astana Olympia
Jan /-8°F (-12.6°/-22.0°C) 46°/34°F (7.7°/0.9°C)
Feb 12°/-7°F (-11.3°/-21.8°C) 49°/33°F (9.6°/0.4°C)
Mar 23°/4°F (-5.0°/-15.6°C) 54°/35°F (12.2°/1.7°C)
Apr 49°/28°F (9.3°/-2.4°C) 59°/38°F (14.9°/3.2°C)
May 67°/42°F (19.6°/5.8°C) 65°/43°F (18.5°/6.2°C)
Jun 78°/52°F (25.3°/11.2°C) 71°/48°F (21.4°/8.7°C)
Jul 81°/56°F (27.0°/13.4°C) 77°/51°F (24.9°/10.4°C)
Aug 76°/52°F (24.3°/10.9°C) 78°/51°F (25.4°/10.3°C)
Sep 65°/41°F (18.6°/5.1°C) 72°/46°F (22.1°/7.8°C)
Oct 47°/28°F (8.5°/-2.1°C) 60°/40°F (15.7°/4.7°C)
Nov 27°/12°F (-3.0°/-11.2°C) 50°/36°F (10.1°/2.4°C)
Dec 15°/-2°F (-9.7°/-18.9°C) 44°/33°F (6.8°/0.3°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 Washington than Kazakhstan?

Day-to-day costs in Washington run about 133% higher than Kazakhstan on average; specific cities can swing further.

How much money do I need to move to Washington?

A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a KZT36,570,027 comparable salary, that's around $43,713 in Washington for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.

Can I work remotely from Washington?

Working remotely from Washington's major cities is generally feasible. The legal layer matters more — visa category, employer policy on overseas employees, and tax residency in Kazakhstan and Washington.

How is healthcare in Washington compared to Kazakhstan?

Kazakhstan performs better than Washington across all health & wellbeing metrics.

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

The average high temperature in Olympia is 60°F, compared to 46°F in Astana. Olympia receives around 50.0 in of rainfall per year, while Astana gets 12.5 in.

What language do they speak in Washington?

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

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At a Glance

KZ
Population 19,398,331 6,724,540
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