Quality of life in Almaty
Almaty, Kazakhstan, differentiates itself with low living costs. According to our city rankings, this is a good place to live with high ratings in housing, safety and taxation.
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Life quality score
City ranking
Housing
9
23/265Details
| Large apartment | $620.00 |
|---|---|
| Medium apartment | $480.00 |
| Rent index [score] | 0.93 |
| Small apartment | $340.00 |
Cost of Living
9
18/248Details
| 5km taxi ride | $2.90 |
|---|---|
| A Cappuccino | $2.40 |
| A beer | $0.68 |
| A kilogram of Apples | $1.30 |
| Bread | $0.14 |
| Inflation [score] | 0.93 |
| Lunch | $5.70 |
| Monthly fitness club membership | $83.00 |
| Monthly public transport | $19.00 |
| Movie ticket | $4.50 |
| Price of a meal at a restaurant | $32.84 |
Startups
2
233/264Details
| Average monthly increase in number of startups [score] | 0.10 |
|---|---|
| Coworking spaces [score] | 0.10 |
| Coworking spaces on WorkFrom.co | 2 |
| Meetups [score] | 0.10 |
| Meetups groups | 4 |
| Meetups members | 703 |
| Number of investors | 4 |
| Number of startup events in the last 12 months | 5 |
| Startup climate scene [score] | 0.25 |
| Startups [score] | 0.39 |
| Total number of startups | 4 |
Venture Capital
N/A
Details
Travel Connectivity
5
72/266Details
| Airport hub | 45 |
|---|---|
| Airport hub [score] | 0.26 |
| Intercity train connectivity [score] | 0.66 |
Commute
6
35/255Details
| Human city page | http://cities.human.co/details/Kazakhstan/Almaty |
|---|---|
| Traffic handling [score] | 0.89 |
Business Freedom
6
215/264Details
| Business freedom | 72.30 |
|---|---|
| Business freedom [score] | 0.61 |
| Freedom from corruption | 29.00 |
| Freedom from corruption [score] | 0.15 |
| Lack of labor restrictions | 82.70 |
| Lack of labor restrictions [score] | 0.85 |
| Time to open a business | 9.00 |
| Time to open a business [score] | 0.91 |
Safety
7
123/266Details
| Crime rate [score] | 0.47 |
|---|---|
| Gun-related deaths per 100,000 residents per year | 1 |
| Guns per 100 residents | 1 |
| Lack of gun related deaths [score] | 0.96 |
| Lack of guns [score] | 1.00 |
| Lack of guns and gun-related deaths [score] | 0.98 |
Healthcare
4
241/265Details
| Healthcare expenditure [score] | 0.44 |
|---|---|
| Healthcare quality [score] | 0.45 |
| Life expectancy (years) | 70.24 |
| Life expectancy [score] | 0.22 |
Education
2
198/240Details
| Country mean scores in PISA math test | 427.97 |
|---|---|
| Country mean scores in PISA reading test | 392.74 |
| Country mean scores in PISA science test | 424.71 |
| PISA math ranking (high school) | 32 |
| PISA ranking | 36 |
| PISA ranking (high school) [score] | 0.46 |
| PISA reading (high school) | 39 |
| PISA science (high school) | 32 |
| Percent of happy students | 0.89 |
| Percent of low performers in PISA math test | 0.45 |
| Percent of low performers in PISA reading test | 0.57 |
| Percent of low performers in PISA science test | 0.42 |
| Percent of top performers in PISA math test | 0.01 |
| Percent of top performers in PISA reading test | 0.00 |
| Percent of top performers in PISA science test | 0.00 |
Environmental Quality
4
215/266Details
| Air quality [score] | 0.12 |
|---|---|
| Cleanliness [score] | 0.34 |
| Drinking water quality [score] | 0.47 |
| Urban greenery [score] | 0.61 |
Economy
5
145/263Details
| Currency exchange rate per US dollar for urban area | 332.37 |
|---|---|
| Currency for urban area | KZT |
| GDP growth rate | 0.04 |
| GDP growth rate [score] | 0.66 |
| GDP per capita | $24019.95 |
| GDP per capita [score] | 0.39 |
Taxation
9
9/266Details
| Effective company profit tax rate on payouts as dividends [score] | 0.81 |
|---|---|
| Income tax level [score] | 0.90 |
| Profit tax (% of profit) | 0.29 |
| Time overhead to file company taxes | 178 |
| VAT (Sales Tax) | 0.12 |
Internet Access
3
232/266Details
| Download speed (Mbps) | 10.92 |
|---|---|
| Internet access (download) [score] | 0.20 |
| Internet access (upload) [score] | 0.38 |
| Upload speed (Mbps) | 8.19 |
Leisure & Culture
3
240/264Details
| Art galleries | 61 |
|---|---|
| Art galleries [score] | 0.36 |
| Cinemas | 41 |
| Cinemas [score] | 0.59 |
| Comedy clubs | 21 |
| Comedy clubs [score] | 0.57 |
| Concert venues | 68 |
| Concerts [score] | 0.38 |
| Historical sites | 28 |
| Historical sites [score] | 0.32 |
| Museums | 24 |
| Museums [score] | 0.27 |
| Performing art venues | 71 |
| Performing arts [score] | 0.48 |
| Sport venues | 53 |
| Sports [score] | 0.56 |
| Zoos | 8 |
| Zoos [score] | 0.66 |
Tolerance
7
172/266Details
| LGBT Equality Index | 66.56 |
|---|---|
| LGBT Equality Index [score] | 0.67 |
| LGBT adoption rights | ✔ Legal |
| LGBT age of consent | ✔ Equal |
| LGBT blood donation regulations | ✔ Legal |
| LGBT conversion therapy regulations | ✖ Not banned |
| LGBT discrimination legality | ✖ No protections |
| LGBT employment discrimination legality | Ambiguous |
| LGBT gender changing rights | ✔ Legal, surgery not required |
| LGBT homosexuality rights | ✔ Legal |
| LGBT housing discrimination legality | Ambiguous |
| LGBT marriage rights | ✖ Not legal |
| Tolerance towards minorities [score] | 0.64 |
Outdoors
5
64/266Details
| Elevation (hills or mountains) [score] | 1.00 |
|---|---|
| Median peak in meters | 4100.00 |
| Presence of hills in city | 1.00 |
| Presence of mountains in city | 1.00 |
| Urban area elevation (meters) | 787.00 |
| Water access [score] | 0.10 |
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Cost of living
Costs of living in Almaty are in the least expensive 10 percent of all 248 Teleport cities. Average living expenses are significantly lower compared to other cities, especially in the housing market. Moving to Almaty will very likely decrease your daily costs of living. Sign up for free to get access to our cost of living index and use our international cost of living calculator to do cost comparison by city.
Housing costs (USD)
$620
Median rent for
apartments in city center
apartments in city center
Daily living costs (USD)
 Monthly fitness club membership | $83 |
|---|---|
 Movie ticket | $5 |
 Broadband internet connection | $12 |
 Monthly public transport | $19 |
 Lunch | $6 |
-66%
compared to
San Francisco
San Francisco
Job salary calculator
Software Engineer salaries in Almaty are very low. For this job type, Almaty ranks 245th for salaries among 265 cities. Get access to our salary comparison calculator by signing up. Compare salaries city by city with our free salary wizard and convert your own salary to a local salary in Almaty.
Estimated annual salary (in USD)
$12,803
Median salary
Locals review Almaty
Do locals recommend living in Almaty?
What could Almaty do better?#improveAlmaty
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Taxation
Personal taxation
Effective income tax rate
10%
For annual salary of $40000
10%
For annual salary of $80000
Value added tax (VAT)
12%
Standard tax rate. Different rates might apply for certain product categories.
Compared to other cities
8/266
Corporate taxation
Compared to other cities
38/263
Local Currency
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Safety
Gun crimes & Ownership
1.30
Guns per 100 people
1.40
Gun deaths per 100k people / year
North America
Europe
Asia
South America
Africa
Oceania
Overall crime rate city ranking
The overall crime rate puts Almaty in position 188 of 266 Teleport Cities in a ranking for the safest cities.
Education
Visa
For visits up to 90 days
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Explore the streets of Almaty
People in Almaty
Friends living in Almaty
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Teleport Users X Almaty
Teleport users who are Almaty
Work in:
11.11%
11.11%
11.11%
11.11%
11.11%
44.44%
Come from:
LGBT rights in Almaty
Homosexuality
Legal
Changing gender
Legal
Surgery Not Required
Discrimination
No Protections
Marriage
Not Legal
Adoption
Legal
Climate
Average number of clear days per year
64Climate type
Hot Summer Continental
Average daily maximum temperature
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On living in Almaty
Almaty, surrounded by Almaty Province (but not the part of the province), is the former capital of Kazakhstan, and still its largest city and the financial and cultural center. It is an old city, once one of the main centers of the Zhetysu region along the Silk Road.
On a clear day you can see the beautifully rugged, snow-capped mountains, right at the city's doorstep to the south. The city, in general, slopes from south to north which makes navigating the streets easy. If you are traveling uphill, you're going south. There is also a small mountain range bordering the city to the east.
As an important hub, not just for Kazakhstan but for Central Asia as a whole, Almaty has a moderately large expatriate community and is on the itinerary for most tourists in the region.
Read moreGood Country Index
Every city comes with a country. How is this one doing in terms of giving back to the global community? Our friends at The Good Country Index measure what each country on earth contributes to the common good of humanity, and what it takes away, relative to its size.
Overall ranking
120th from a total of 163 countries
World Order
143rdRefugees hosted
Refugees generated
Charity giving
Birth rate
UN Treaties signed
International Peace & Security
26thDues in arrears to UN peace keeping budgets
International violent conflict
Peacekeeping troops
Arms exports
Internet security (2014)
Planet & Climate
129thEcological footprint
Reforestation since 1992
Hazardous pesticides exports
CO2 emissions
Ozone
Prosperity & Equality
114thDevelopment assistance
FDI outflows
Fairtrade market size
UN volunteers abroad
Open trading
Culture
133rdFreedom of movement
Press freedom
Creative services exports
UNESCO dues in arrears as % of contribution
Creative goods exports
Science & Technology
148thNobel prizes
Patents
Journal exports
International publications
International Students
Health & Wellbeing
40thPharmaceutical exports
Voluntary excess donations to the WHO
Food aid
Humanitarian aid donations
International Health Regulations Compliance
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