Atyrau vs Shymkent
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Atyrau edges it, 54 to 52, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Atyrau is stronger on air quality; Shymkent on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Kazakhstan's oil capital on the Ural River near the Caspian
Full Atyrau profile →Plan a trip to Atyrau →Kazakhstan's warm third city, the gateway to Turkistan and the Uzbek border
Full Shymkent profile →Plan a trip to Shymkent →Where they differ
- Air quality. Atyrau leads on air quality, 85 to 71, against Shymkent. PM2.5: 11.6 µg/m³ vs 17.9 µg/m³.
- Getting there & around. Shymkent leads on getting there & around, 20 to 13, against Atyrau. Non-stop airport destinations: 21 vs 32.
Where they are close. Within five points on internet, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.
Pick Atyrau if you want
- faster internet (5.8 Mbps measured)
- cleaner air
Pick Shymkent if you want
- no clear edge over Atyrau in the data
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Atyrau | Shymkent |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | no data | no data |
| Safety | 61 | 61 |
| Healthcare | 77 | 77 |
| Internet | 37 ✓ | 33 |
| Visa ease | 60 | 60 |
| Getting there & around | 13 | 20 ✓ |
| Climate | 33 | 33 |
| Air quality | 85 ✓ | 71 |
| Quality of life | 63 | 63 |
Cost
| Metric | Atyrau | Shymkent |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | no data | no data |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Atyrau | Shymkent |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 2.55 | 2.55 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 62 | 62 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 83 | 83 |
| Life expectancy | 74.8 yrs | 74.8 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Atyrau | Shymkent |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 5.8 Mbps ✓ | 4.5 Mbps |
| Upload | 4 Mbps | 4.2 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Atyrau | Shymkent |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | Neo Nomad visa (B12-1) | Neo Nomad visa (B12-1) |
| Minimum income for the visa | $3,000/mo | $3,000/mo |
| Entry, US passport | 30 days | 30 days |
| Entry, EU passport | 30 days | 30 days |
| Entry, UK passport | 30 days | 30 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Atyrau | Shymkent |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 21 | 32 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 3 ✓ |
Climate and air
| Metric | Atyrau | Shymkent |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 4 | 4 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 11.6 µg/m³ ✓ | 17.9 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Atyrau or Shymkent?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Atyrau or Shymkent safer?
- Atyrau and Shymkent score the same on safety (61), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Atyrau or Shymkent?
- Atyrau: a measured median of 5.8 Mbps versus 4.5 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.