Although Almaty ranks among the cheapest cities in the world to live, finding somewhere to live in Kazakhstan as an expat may work out a bit pricier than you had anticipated. However, it is possible to find a place at a reasonable price if you’re willing to shop around.
With the booming oil and natural resources trade, there has been an explosion of new high rise apartment blocks springing up in the major cities. If you have a healthy budget, you should have no problem finding somewhere to live, but if your resources are more limited, it may be harder to find something suitable for your needs.
City centres
Of the three major cities, Karaganda is by far the cheapest to rent in. A one bedroom apartment in the city centre costs an average of 66,666 KZT ($200 USD) a month, with a three bedroom place coming in at 126,666 KZT ($380 USD).
Astana and Almata are substantially more expensive than Karaganda, without too much variation between them. A one bedroom apartment in the centre of Astana will cost an average of 125,000 KZT ($370 USD) a month, while the average in Almaty is 112,500 KZT ($335 USD). For three bedroom apartments, the averages are 410,000 KZT ($1125 USD) and 258,077 KZT ($770 USD) respectively.
Out of the city
Due to the large expat oil community that work in Aktau, prices can be a bit higher for accommodation than you may have imagined. However, if you’re willing to live outside the centre then you’ll find prices drop significantly. A one bedroom apartment in the city centre will cost you around 190,000 KZT ($570 USD) whereas a three bedroom apartment outside the city centre will cost around 130,000 KZT ($390 USD).
For the most part, if you’re willing to live outside the city centre, the prices for one bedroom apartments tend to be about two-thirds of the price for an equivalent place in the centre.
Prices are correct at the time of writing.