---
title: "Atyrau vs Shymkent for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/atyrau-vs-shymkent
description: "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."
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# 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.

## 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 | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | no data | no data | — |
| Safety | 61 | 61 | tie |
| Healthcare | 77 | 77 | tie |
| Internet | 37 | 33 | Atyrau |
| Visa ease | 60 | 60 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 13 | 20 | Shymkent |
| Climate | 33 | 33 | tie |
| Air quality | 85 | 71 | Atyrau |
| Quality of life | 63 | 63 | tie |

## Cost

| Metric | Atyrau | Shymkent | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | no data | no data | — |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Atyrau | Shymkent | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 2.55 | 2.55 | tie |
| Political stability (0–100) | 62 | 62 | tie |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 83 | 83 | tie |
| Life expectancy | 74.8 yrs | 74.8 yrs | tie |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Atyrau | Shymkent | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 5.8 Mbps | 4.5 Mbps | Atyrau |
| Upload | 4 Mbps | 4.2 Mbps | Shymkent |

## Visa

| Metric | Atyrau | Shymkent | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | Neo Nomad visa (B12-1) | Neo Nomad visa (B12-1) | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | $3,000/mo | $3,000/mo | tie |
| Entry, US passport | 30 days | 30 days | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | 30 days | 30 days | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | 30 days | 30 days | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Atyrau | Shymkent | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 21 | 32 | Shymkent |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 | tie |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 3 | Shymkent |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Atyrau | Shymkent | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 4 | 4 | tie |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 11.6 µg/m³ | 17.9 µg/m³ | Atyrau |

## FAQ

### 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).

City pages: [Atyrau](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/atyrau) · [Shymkent](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/shymkent). 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.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/atyrau-vs-shymkent