Astana's Left and Right Banks: Which Districts Are Where, Map and Prices 2026

Which Districts Are on the Left and Right Banks

River banks are named by the direction of flow: the left bank is on your left when you face downstream. Within Astana the Yesil generally flows from east to west, so the left bank is the southern and south-western part of the city and the right bank is the northern and eastern part. In the center the river bends: Akorda stands on the left bank, while the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation just east of it is already on the right bank.

District boundaries do not follow the river exactly: small parts of Nura and Sarayshyk lie on the opposite bank. That is why the banks are usually defined by district: Yesil and Nura are the left bank, the other four districts are the right bank.

The Six Districts by Bank: Population and Prices

Population: Bureau of National Statistics, October 1, 2026 (current records). The median is the price below which half of the apartments with that number of rooms are listed: all sale listings in the district on Krisha.kz (resale and new builds) as of November 4, 2026, calculated by Capital Realty to the nearest KZT 0.1m.

One-room apartments are most expensive in Yesil district (median KZT 28.0m) and cheapest in Saryarka (KZT 19.5m). Detailed reviews are linked in the table.

The Left and Right Banks in Numbers

Population: BNS; listings and medians: Krisha.kz as of November 4, 2026 (Capital Realty calculation); stations and landmarks: OpenStreetMap.

What Is on the Left and Right Banks

Left bank

• Administrative center: Baiterek and the Akorda residence are in Yesil district; Khan Shatyr at the other end of Nurzhol Boulevard is in Nura.
• EXPO and Mega Silk Way mall — Yesil district.
• Nazarbayev University and Astana Arena stadium — Nura.
• The international airport — southern Yesil district; the LRT line starts here.
• The Botanical Garden — Yesil district.

Right bank

• Both railway stations: Astana-1 in Baikonur and Nurly Zhol in Sarayshyk.
• The Palace of Peace and Reconciliation (Pyramid), the National Museum and the Kazakh Eli monument — Sarayshyk.
• The historic center with established neighborhoods — Saryarka.
• Zheruyik Park — Almaty district.

The Presidential Park lies on both sides of the river: part of it is in Yesil district and part in Sarayshyk. The district and bank of each landmark are based on its OpenStreetMap location and district boundaries.

Prices: How Much More the Left Bank Costs

According to Krisha.kz listings as of November 4, 2026, the median one-room apartment costs KZT 26.3m on the left bank and KZT 21.5m on the right bank: the left bank is 22% more expensive. For two-room apartments it is KZT 38.0m versus KZT 30.0m.

There are more affordable apartments on the right bank: of 795 listings under KZT 15m, 543 are in right-bank districts and 252 on the left bank. Where to look for them: "The Cheapest Apartments in Astana".

New builds show district differences too. According to Homsters for October 2026, an average one-room new-build apartment costs KZT 27.00m in Yesil and KZT 29.94m in Nura, while on the right bank it ranges from KZT 17.38m in Baikonur and KZT 18.69m in Almaty district to KZT 23.16m in Saryarka. The price per square meter depends mainly on class: about KZT 394k in economy, KZT 520k in comfort, KZT 722k in business and about KZT 1.18m in premium.

City-wide averages and methodology are in the Astana price index; the best new buildings on the left bank are in "Top 10 Residential Complexes on the Left Bank".

Where the City Is Growing

According to the Bureau of National Statistics, from January 1 to October 1, 2026 the population of the six districts grew by 67,974, and 87% of that growth was on the left bank: Nura gained 39,211 residents (+12.9%) and Yesil 19,977 (+6.2%). On the right bank Sarayshyk (+7.3%) and Almaty district (+3.1%) are growing, while Saryarka and Baikonur lost residents (−1.5% and −3.6%).

• The left bank is expanding south — in Nura and Yesil districts.
• The right bank is growing through Almaty and Sarayshyk districts.
• Renovation: the master plan provides for renewing the Asan Kaigy Street corridor, Chubary, the Koktal and Lesozavod areas, part of the Prigorodny dachas and private housing on Kenesary and Moskovskaya streets.
• Scale: the master plan envisages about 30 million m² of new housing by 2035, mostly 6–12-storey buildings.

Development plans are based on Homsters (31.08.2026).

How the Banks Connect: the LRT and Railway Stations

The key new link between the banks is the LRT line launched on May 16, 2026. It runs 22.4 km and has 18 stations: 13 on the left bank, from Airport to House of Ministries, and 5 on the right bank in Sarayshyk: National Museum, Theatre, Mynjyldyk Alley, Zhibek Zholy, Nurly Zhol. A ride costs KZT 200; a bus ride with a transport card costs KZT 110.

The airport is on the left bank and both railway stations are on the right bank, so the LRT links the airport directly with Nurly Zhol station.

According to the National Bank, the LRT launch added 4.6% to 10.5% to asking prices near stations depending on the segment and distance, with the strongest effect on the Airport — Mangilik El section on the left bank. Details: "The LRT and Apartment Prices".

Where to Live and Where to Invest

• The left bank suits people working in the administrative and business center who are ready to pay for new buildings and infrastructure; it is also where the population is growing fastest.
• The right bank is the choice for those who value a lower entry price, established infrastructure and the railway stations; it also has renovation zones that may change individual neighborhoods.
• Investors should compare specific locations rather than banks: transport, building class, future construction nearby and tax on resale.

A detailed district comparison: "Astana Districts 2026".

Sources

• Bureau of National Statistics: Astana population by district on October 1, 2026 (xlsx, in Russian) — stat.gov.kz
• OpenStreetMap: Astana district boundaries, the Yesil River and landmark locations (ODbL) — openstreetmap.org
• Krisha.kz: apartment sale listings in Astana (sample as of 04.11.2026) — krisha.kz
• Homsters, 31.08.2026: Astana development, new districts and suburbs (in Russian) — info.homsters.kz
• Homsters: Astana new-build market, October 2026 (in Russian) — info.homsters.kz
• Tengrinews: National Bank study on LRT and prices (in Russian) — tengrinews.kz
• Rimo.kz, 26.01.2026: Astana districts (in Russian) — rimo.kz