---
title: "Living in Astana as a digital nomad: cost, safety, visa, internet"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/astana
description: "Planned steppe capital with bold architecture"
dataset: 2026.10.7 (2026-10-13)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Astana, Kazakhstan

Astana scores 46.6/100 for digital nomads under balanced weights, ranking 931 of 1000 cities. There is no open cost-of-living figure yet; expect a nomad visa (Neo Nomad visa (B12-1)), and a measured median download speed of 7.3 Mbps.

Astana is a planned capital on the Kazakh steppe with striking architecture, wide boulevards and brutal winters. It is orderly, affordable and visa-free for many passports, but the remote-work scene is far smaller than Almaty's.

Known for: Futuristic skyline, Visa-free for many, Very cold winters, New and orderly.

## Scores (balanced weights, 0–100)

| Factor | Score |
| --- | --- |
| Overall | 46.6 |
| Cost of living | — |
| Safety | 61 |
| Healthcare | 69 |
| Internet | 42 |
| Visa ease | 60 |
| Getting there & around | 56 |
| Climate | 25 |
| Air quality | 0 |
| Quality of life | 61 |

## The numbers behind the scores

| Metric | Value | Level | As of | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | — | country | 2026-09 | [^2] |
| Central 1-bedroom rent | — | city | 2026-09 | [^3] |
| Outskirts 1-bedroom rent (basis of the monthly total) | — | city | 2026-09 | [^3] |
| Homicide rate (per 100k) | 2.55 | country | 2022 | [^4] |
| Political stability (0–100) | 62 | country | 2025 | [^5] |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 83 | country | 2023 | [^6] |
| Life expectancy (years) | 70.3 | country | 2021 | [^7] |
| Median download (Mbps) | 7.3 | city | 2024 | [^8] |
| Median upload (Mbps) | 6.1 | city | 2024 | [^8] |
| Starlink residential service | Available | country | 2026-10 | [^9] |
| Nomad visa | Neo Nomad visa (B12-1) (min $3,000/mo) | country | 2026-10-04 | [^10] |
| Visa guide | [Kazakhstan long-stay visa guide](https://nostos.navoy.io/visas/kazakhstan) | country | 2026-10-04 | [^10] |
| Entry for US / EU / UK passports | 30 days / 30 days / 30 days | country | 2026-02 | [^11] |
| Non-stop destinations (NQZ) | 60 | city | 2026-10 | [^12] |
| Restaurants within 3 km of the centre (OpenStreetMap) | 95 | city | 2026-10 | [^16] |
| Walkability / transit (1–5) | 2 / 3 | editorial | 2026-09 | [^13] |
| Comfortable months | 3 of 12 | city | 2001–2020 | [^14] |
| Annual mean PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 60 | city | 2024 | [^15] |
| Human Development Index | 0.837 | country | 2023 | [^17] |
| English proficiency band | low | country | 2024 | [^18] |

## Climate (2001–2020 normals)

| Month | Mean °C | Rain mm | Humidity % | Comfortable |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Jan | -16.9 | 20 | 97 | no |
| Feb | -14.3 | 20 | 97 | no |
| Mar | -5.7 | 27 | 91 | no |
| Apr | 5.9 | 29 | 66 | no |
| May | 13.9 | 35 | 56 | no |
| Jun | 19.3 | 41 | 54 | yes |
| Jul | 20.7 | 55 | 55 | yes |
| Aug | 19.3 | 28 | 53 | yes |
| Sep | 12.3 | 21 | 56 | no |
| Oct | 3.6 | 33 | 68 | no |
| Nov | -5.8 | 34 | 86 | no |
| Dec | -14.1 | 27 | 95 | no |

## Airports and nonstop flights

| Airport | IATA | Nonstop destinations | International | From US airports |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport | NQZ | 60 | 42 | 0 |

Unique destinations across all airports: 60, of which 42 international (Wikipedia, 2026-10).

## Similar cities

- [Ulaanbaatar](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/ulaanbaatar) (38.6) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/astana-vs-ulaanbaatar)
- [Medan](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/medan) (47.1) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/astana-vs-medan)
- [Dhaka](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/dhaka) (45.1) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/astana-vs-dhaka)
- [Tashkent](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/tashkent) (47.8) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/astana-vs-tashkent)
- [Agra](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/agra) (45.7) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/agra-vs-astana)

## FAQ

### How much does it cost to live in Astana as a digital nomad?

We do not have a reliable monthly cost figure for Astana yet.

### Is Astana safe for digital nomads?

Astana scores 61/100 on safety. Kazakhstan records 2.55 homicides per 100,000 people per year (WHO, 2022) and a political-stability score of 62/100 (World Bank WGI). Both figures are national, so neighbourhood-level risk can differ.

### Does Kazakhstan have a digital nomad visa?

Yes. Kazakhstan offers the Neo Nomad visa (B12-1) with a minimum income of about $3,000 per month. Verify current rules with the issuing authority before applying. Full guide: https://nostos.navoy.io/visas/kazakhstan

### How fast is the internet in Astana?

Measured median download speed in Astana was 7.3 Mbps (upload 6.1 Mbps) across 11,338 M-Lab tests in 2024. Measured speeds run below advertised plan speeds everywhere, so compare cities rather than reading the number as a plan.

### Is Starlink available in Astana?

Yes. Starlink's availability map lists residential service as available in Kazakhstan (checked 2026-10), so a dish can serve as a backup line in Astana. Check the exact address on starlink.com before ordering, since capacity varies by area.

### Which airports serve Astana and how many nonstop flights are there?

Astana is served by Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport (NQZ) with 60 nonstop destinations, of which 42 are international. 0 US airports have a nonstop link. Source: Wikipedia, 2026-10.

### When is the best time of year to be in Astana?

The most comfortable months are Jun, Jul, Aug. Mean temperatures range from 2°F (-17°C) in Jan to 69°F (21°C) in Jul (NASA POWER 2001–2020 climatology).

### Astana or Ulaanbaatar: which is better for digital nomads?

Ulaanbaatar is the city with the closest factor profile to Astana in this dataset. Which one wins depends on your weights; the comparison page puts every factor side by side with the numbers behind them.

## Plan a trip

[Where to stay in Astana](https://navoy.io/hotels/kazakhstan/astana) on Navoy, the AI travel planner behind Nostos.

## Sources

[^1]: City population (latest census or official estimate), Wikipedia (citing national statistics offices). CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^2]: 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level), WhereNext. CC BY 4.0. https://getwherenext.com/data/cost-of-living-2026 (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^3]: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows), WhereToEmigrate. CC BY 4.0. https://github.com/0brien18/global-emigration-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^4]: Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, dataUNODC. UNODC data, free to reuse with attribution. https://data.unodc.org/datareport/hom-victim (retrieved 2026-10-12)
[^5]: Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100), World Bank. CC BY 4.0. https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^6]: UHC service coverage index, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/uhc-index-of-service-coverage (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^7]: Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/life-expectancy-at-birth-(years) (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^8]: M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024), Measurement Lab. CC0 1.0. https://statistics.measurementlab.net/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^9]: Starlink availability map, SpaceX (Starlink). Factual status cited from starlink.com. https://www.starlink.com/map (retrieved 2026-10-07)
[^10]: Nostos long-stay visa guides, Navoy. CC BY 4.0. https://nostos.navoy.io/visas (retrieved 2026-10-04)
[^11]: Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations), Ilya Ilyankou (compiled from passportindex.org). MIT. https://github.com/ilyankou/passport-index-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^12]: Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables), Wikipedia contributors; countries via Wikidata. CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/ (retrieved 2026-09-24)
[^13]: Walkability and transit ratings (editorial), Navoy. CC BY 4.0. https://nostos.navoy.io/methodology (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^14]: NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means), NASA Langley Research Center. Public domain (US Government). https://power.larc.nasa.gov/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^15]: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8), World Health Organization. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/who-ambient-air-quality-database-(update-jun-2026) (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^16]: OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API), OpenStreetMap contributors. ODbL 1.0. https://overpass-api.de/ (retrieved 2026-10-02)
[^17]: Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023), United Nations Development Programme. CC BY 3.0 IGO. https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/documentation-and-downloads (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^18]: EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band), EF Education First. Proprietary; band cited as a fact with attribution. https://www.ef.com/epi/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/astana