Astana (Nur-Sultan) vs Taoyuan: Which City Wins for Expats in 2026?
Taoyuan costs roughly 2.4x less than Astana (Nur-Sultan). Astana (Nur-Sultan) leads on digital nomad infrastructure. Use our tool below to personalize the estimate based on your income and lifestyle.
Astana (Nur-Sultan) is approximately 14% less expensive than Taoyuan based on cost of living including rent. This makes Astana (Nur-Sultan) a more budget-friendly option for expats considering a move.
Astana (Nur-Sultan) has a FIRE Score of 83/100, indicating its suitability for financial independence and early retirement. The city's safety index is 68, which is relatively safe.
Recommended profile: Astana (Nur-Sultan) is ideal for GeoArbitragers and remote workers looking to maximize savings.
About Astana (Nur-Sultan)
Astana is a cheap, cold, and quietly competent capital that rewards people who can handle a real winter. A city center one-bedroom at $571/mo and a $17/mo transit pass make it one of the better value plays in the region, and an expat score of 83/100 backs that up. The catch is the local average net salary of $898/mo, which means most newcomers are earning elsewhere, and the arid climate plus an air quality index of 75 will not suit everyone. It is a strong digital nomad pick at 73/100, a weaker retiree one at 65/100.
About Kazakhstan
Low English proficiency and limited English-speaking doctors make daily life and healthcare navigation genuinely hard here. Budget-focused remote workers should push through anyway: a flat 10% income tax paired with $555/mo living costs (excluding rent) and $498/mo for a city-center 1BR is tough to beat. Political stability sits near zero and safety scores are middling, so this suits pragmatic savers over comfort-seekers.
$2,213/mo
Cost of Living (Without Rent)
Rent Per Month
Attractiveness
City Details
About Taoyuan
Taoyuan is a practical, affordable base rather than a destination, with city-centre one-bedroom rent at $649/mo and a monthly public transport pass at just $38/mo. The trade-offs are real: air quality sits at 85, English proficiency is limited, and the expat community is small, so daily life demands patience and Mandarin basics. Still, an overall expat score of 86/100 and a FIRE score of 88/100 make it a strong pick if you value low costs, fast internet at 145 Mbps, and quick access to TPE 43 km away over cosmopolitan polish.
About China
China works for remote workers and business expats fluent in navigating bureaucracy, not retirees seeking an easy landing. Rent outside the city center averages just $238.5/mo, backing the low COL index of 30.7. But with no retirement visa, no digital nomad visa, and an advisory level of 2, getting legal footing here is the real obstacle, not the budget.
$2,230/mo
Cost of Living (Without Rent)
Rent Per Month
Attractiveness
City Details
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| Metric | Astana (Nur-Sultan) | Taoyuan |
|---|---|---|
| 1BR Apartment (Center) | $570.75 | $648.68 |
| 1BR Apartment (Outside) | $391.14 | $352.57 |
| 3BR Apartment (Center) | $1136.9 | $948.01 |
| 3BR Apartment (Outside) | $769.05 | $712.97 |
| Safety Index | 68 | 78 |
| Internet Speed | 70Mbps | 145Mbps |
| Walkability Score | N/A | N/A |
Monthly cost by categoryOne person, computed from each city's own average prices
| Category | Astana (Nur-Sultan) | Taoyuan |
|---|---|---|
| Total (rent included) | $835/mo | $815/mo |
| Excluding rent | $444/mo | $462/mo |
| Rent | $391/mo | $353/mo |
| Groceries | $120/mo | $180/mo |
| Dining out | $110/mo | $43.00/mo |
| Entertainment & lifestyle | $101/mo | $92.00/mo |
| Utilities & connectivity | $96.00/mo | $109/mo |
| Transport | $17.00/mo | $38.00/mo |
Usage-based estimates from this city's own average prices. A row marked N/A means that city is missing data, so no figure is shown instead of a stale one.
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