Affordable goods and services for Kazakhstan residents, given a budget of 100,000 tenge
In Kazakhstan, the cost of living varies significantly across the country, with regions generally categorized as expensive, medium, and affordable. Here's a brief overview of each type, based on available data and regional generalizations:
Expensive Regions
The most expensive region is Astana (Nur-Sultan), the capital city, where living costs, including accommodation and groceries, are higher compared to other parts of Kazakhstan. For a single person, the estimated monthly cost is approximately 421,057 KZT (~$870 USD), while for a family of four, it's about 855,394 KZT (~$1,770 USD). Astana also has higher accommodation costs, with monthly rents significantly above the national average.
Medium Regions
Medium-cost regions are typically the larger regional centers or economically significant cities outside the capital. Although exact prices are not detailed per city, these areas likely have a cost of living lower than Astana but higher than rural areas. Prices here would be moderate for food, transport, and accommodation relative to the capital and affordable regions.
Affordable Regions
Affordable regions usually correspond to rural or less developed areas in Kazakhstan where prices for housing, groceries, and services are considerably lower. Nationally, Kazakhstan overall has a cost of living about 2 times lower than that of large U.S. cities, and these less populous regions would be even more affordable compared to the capital or bigger cities.
Specific Regions
- In the "expensive" regions, the cost of housing is a significant factor that may exceed the income of 100,000 tenge per month. In contrast, in Almaty, Zhambyl, Karaganda, Kostanai, Turkestan, and Shymkent, there are housing options available that cost less than the average utility, transportation, communication, leisure, and debt obligations in the "expensive" regions. Renting apartments in these regions can cost less than 55,000 tenge.
- In North Kazakhstan and Ulytau, there are no housing options available that cost less than the average utility, transportation, communication, leisure, and debt obligations in the "expensive" regions. In these regions, living expenses such as high utility bills, transportation and communication costs, expensive leisure activities, and significant debt obligations may exceed 100,000 tenge per month.
- Affordable regions for this income also include Almaty, Atyrau, Zhambyl, Zhhetisu, Kyzylorda, Turkestan, and Shymkent. In these regions, an income of 100,000 tenge corresponds to the average standard of living.
Mortgage Options
Mortgage options for purchasing a home at an income of 100,000 tenge are limited to a few southern and western regions. The availability of mortgage options for purchasing a home at this income is limited compared to the availability of rental options in various regions.
The information in this article is reported by Liter.kz citing EconomyKZ.org. It's important to note that the article does not specify what constitutes necessary expenses or what is considered proper budgeting. Also, the article does not provide specific figures for the average income in each region. An income of 100,000 tenge per month is considered a comfortable living in some, but not all, regions of Kazakhstan.
- In the medium regions of Kazakhstan, such as larger regional centers or economically significant cities outside the capital, personal-finance management should be balanced to accommodate moderate costs for food, transport, and accommodation relative to the capital and affordable regions, while also considering other expenses like business costs.
- For someone looking to purchase a home in Kazakhstan, the affordable regions like Almaty, Atyrau, Zhambyl, Zhhetisu, Kyzylorda, Turkestan, and Shymkent might be more financially viable, as mortgage options for purchasing a home are limited to these regions at an income of 100,000 tenge, compared to the availability of rental options in various regions.
