Moving to Kazakhstan from Norway

moving to

What to Expect

Considering a move from Norway to Kazakhstan? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.

If you moved from Norway to Kazakhstan, you would find that Kazakhstan is 63.7% cheaper than Norway overall. A NOK710,000 salary in Norway would need to be roughly KZT12,400,000 in Kazakhstan to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Kazakh and Russian. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Almaty averages 58°F vs 49°F in Oslo, making it significantly warmer.

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Is Kazakhstan cheaper than Norway?

How key spending categories compare

Restaurants

pay 60.6% less

Groceries

pay 60.0% less

Transportation

pay 66.2% less

Housing

pay 71.7% less

Childcare

pay 25.5% less

Entertainment and Sports

pay 68.4% less

See full cost of living breakdown
Exchange rate: 1 NOK = 48.07 KZT (October 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.

What salary do you need in Kazakhstan?

What does your salary buy?

NOK710,000 → KZT12,400,000

To maintain the same standard of living in Kazakhstan

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 Kazakhstan cost about 41% less than cities in Norway.

Norway

Oslo ★ 78%
Arendal 69%
Drammen 69%
Sandnes 68%
Haugesund 68%

Kazakhstan

Almaty 42%

Compare cities head-to-head

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Key Indicator Comparison

The numbers behind daily life in Kazakhstan compared to Norway.

Is it safe?

Homicide rate World Bank, 2023

per 100,000 people per year

NO
0.7
KZ
2.5
Road traffic deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

per 100,000 people per year

NO
1.5
KZ
12.2

Norway performs better than Kazakhstan across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Healthcare spending per person World Bank, 2023

annual government + private spending per person

NO
$9,523
KZ
$1,460
Doctors per 10,000 people World Bank, 2023

affects wait times and access to care

NO
49.8
KZ
37.5

Norway generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Kazakhstan leads in healthcare spending per person.

What about the environment?

Air pollution deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2019

deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people

NO
8.0
KZ
68.0
CO₂ emissions per capita World Bank, 2024

tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year

NO
7.2t
KZ
12.6t

Norway performs better than Kazakhstan across all environment metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Broadband per 100 people World Bank, 2024

fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work

NO
45.2
KZ
15.3
Water stress level World Bank, 2022

higher means greater strain on freshwater supply

NO
2.0%
KZ
34.6%

Norway performs better than Kazakhstan across all infrastructure metrics.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate World Bank, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

NO
4.6%
KZ
4.8%
GDP per capita World Bank, 2025

a broad measure of economic output per person

NO
$94,594
KZ
$14,692

Norway generally does better on employment & economy, though Kazakhstan leads in top income tax rate.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy World Bank, 2024

average years of life at birth

NO
83.2 yrs
KZ
74.5 yrs
Infant mortality World Bank, 2024

deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better

NO
2.0
KZ
7.4

Norway performs better than Kazakhstan across all family life metrics.

Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), Norwegian Tax Administration (2017), Tax Committee of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan (2016). How we calculate this

Weather in Kazakhstan vs Norway

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

Oslo Rain: 30.0 in/yr (763 mm)
49° / 36°F

Avg. annual high / low

Almaty Rain: 25.2 in/yr (641 mm)
58° / 39°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Oslo Almaty
Jan–Mar 32°/22°F (0°/-6°C) 36°/18°F (2°/-8°C)
Apr–Jun 59°/43°F (15°/6°C) 71°/51°F (22°/11°C)
Jul–Sep 66°/51°F (19°/10°C) 81°/59°F (27°/15°C)
Oct–Dec 39°/30°F (4°/-1°C) 46°/27°F (8°/-3°C)
View all months
Month Oslo Almaty
Jan 29°/20°F (-1.8°/-6.8°C) 30°/12°F (-1.3°/-11.1°C)
Feb 30°/20°F (-0.9°/-6.8°C) 32°/15°F (0.2°/-9.5°C)
Mar 38°/26°F (3.5°/-3.3°C) 45°/28°F (7.1°/-2.4°C)
Apr 48°/33°F (9.1°/0.8°C) 62°/42°F (16.5°/5.6°C)
May 60°/44°F (15.8°/6.5°C) 71°/52°F (21.7°/10.9°C)
Jun 69°/51°F (20.4°/10.6°C) 80°/59°F (26.5°/15.2°C)
Jul 71°/54°F (21.5°/12.2°C) 85°/64°F (29.7°/17.6°C)
Aug 68°/52°F (20.1°/11.3°C) 84°/61°F (28.8°/16.3°C)
Sep 59°/46°F (15.1°/7.5°C) 74°/52°F (23.4°/11.0°C)
Oct 49°/39°F (9.3°/3.8°C) 61°/40°F (15.9°/4.6°C)
Nov 38°/29°F (3.2°/-1.5°C) 43°/26°F (6.2°/-3.3°C)
Dec 31°/22°F (-0.5°/-5.6°C) 33°/16°F (0.4°/-8.8°C)

Data: Norwegian Meteorological Institute Norwegian Meteorological Institute, Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Can you move from Norway to Kazakhstan?

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

Norway passport

Norway passport holder visiting Kazakhstan

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

Kazakhstan passport holder visiting Norway

Visa Required
Kazakhstan passport holders need a visa to enter Norway.

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 Kazakhstan than Norway?

On average Kazakhstan is about 64% less expensive than Norway, with major cities narrowing the gap.

How much money do I need to move to Kazakhstan?

Budget about KZT3,100,000 for 3 months in Kazakhstan (based on a NOK710,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.

Can I work remotely from Kazakhstan?

Connectivity is usually fine (Kazakhstan: 15.3 fixed broadband per 100). What actually decides it is legal: does Kazakhstan offer a digital nomad visa, will your employer permit overseas work, and where are you tax-resident?

Is Kazakhstan safe for expats?

Norway performs better than Kazakhstan across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Kazakhstan is 2.5 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.7 in Norway.

How is healthcare in Kazakhstan compared to Norway?

Norway generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Kazakhstan leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 37.5 doctors per 10,000 people in Kazakhstan, compared to 49.8 in Norway. Kazakhstan scores 80 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Norway: 87).

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

The average high temperature in Almaty is 58°F, compared to 49°F in Oslo. Almaty receives around 25.2 in of rainfall per year, while Oslo gets 30.0 in.

What language do they speak in Kazakhstan?

The official languages in Kazakhstan are Kazakh and Russian. In Norway, the official languages are Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk and Sami.

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At a Glance

NO KZ
Population 5,610,870 20,843,754
Currency Norwegian Krone (NOK) Kazakhstani Tenge (KZT)
Languages Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, Sami Kazakh, Russian
Driving side Right Right
Calling code +47 +7
Time zones 1 2
Emergency number 112 112