ASTANA – Kazakhstan ranks 114th out of 139 countries in the 2025 global cost of living index, with prices 73.4% lower than in New York City, which serves as the baseline with a value of 100%.
Photo credit: Vera Larina/Shutterstock.
The index excludes housing costs but includes prices for food, transportation, and services. Kazakhstan’s cost of living index stands at 26.6, with a food price index of 27.4, restaurant prices at 28, and local purchasing power at 50.8. The rent index is notably low at 10.5.
Among CIS countries, Kazakhstan’s prices are lower than in Armenia, Moldova, and Azerbaijan, but higher than in the Kyrgyz Republic, Belarus, Uzbekistan, and Russia, reported Finprom.kz on June 3.
Globally, the highest cost of living is seen in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Switzerland, and Iceland. The lowest is in Pakistan, Libya, and Egypt.
Kazakhstan experienced 10.7% annual inflation in April. Paid services rose 15.7% year-on-year, housing and utilities by 15.8%, and communication services by 17.3%. The average monthly salary reached 423,100 tenge (US$825), up 10.7% from 2024, but real wage growth adjusted for inflation was only 1.2%.
