Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arkhangelsk and Saint Petersburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Arkhangelsk: $1,168 a month against $1,334 in Saint Petersburg, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Arkhangelsk
Learn more

Arkhangelsk Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Saint Petersburg
Learn more

Saint Petersburg Living Index

Jump to prices

Arkhangelsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,168

/mo nomad

Saint Petersburg

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,334

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arkhangelsk and in Saint Petersburg

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Arkhangelsk and in Saint Petersburg actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,168 in Arkhangelsk versus $1,334 in Saint Petersburg.

Arkhangelsk $1,168
Saint Petersburg $1,334

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,801 in Arkhangelsk versus $2,131 in Saint Petersburg.

Arkhangelsk $1,801
Saint Petersburg $2,131

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,434 in Arkhangelsk versus $2,927 in Saint Petersburg.

Arkhangelsk $2,434
Saint Petersburg $2,927

Living in Arkhangelsk costs roughly 12% less than in Saint Petersburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Arkhangelsk 14% lower, Saint Petersburg 2% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.86 ₽990

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.21 ₽4,107

$41.90 ₽3,497

17.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.90 ₽826

$6.51 ₽544

52.07%

Cappuccino

$3.67 ₽306

$3.21 ₽268

14.33%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₽197

$1.63 ₽136

44.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 ₽201

$0.78 ₽64.8

208.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₽304

$3.04 ₽254

20.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.03 ₽503

$3.72 ₽310

62.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 ₽88.9

$1.17 ₽97.9

-8.55%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 ₽78.2

$1.00 ₽83.4

-6.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 ₽148

$1.69 ₽141

5.33%

Eggs

$1.76 ₽147

$1.64 ₽137

7.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.36 ₽698

$12.32 ₽1,028

-32.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.12 ₽511

$6.62 ₽553

-7.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.38 ₽1,116

$12.56 ₽1,048

6.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 ₽204

$1.77 ₽147

38.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 ₽149

$1.62 ₽135

10.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.18 ₽98.3

$1.75 ₽146

-32.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.49 ₽208

$3.27 ₽273

-23.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 ₽73.2

$0.84 ₽70.3

4.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.50 ₽41.38

$0.66 ₽54.7

-24.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 ₽38.99

$1.29 ₽108

-63.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₽52.5

$0.76 ₽63.6

-17.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.98 ₽249

$3.07 ₽256

-2.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.53 ₽712

$8.59 ₽717

-0.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 ₽74.4

$1.20 ₽101

-25.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 ₽258

$2.01 ₽168

53.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ₽49.65

$1.05 ₽87.2

-43.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.6 ₽4,307

$53.2 ₽4,440

-2.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 ₽414

$2.74 ₽229

81.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.18 ₽15.17

$0.62 ₽51.6

-70.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 ₽730

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.79 ₽65.7

$0.93 ₽77.4

-15.05%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$52.5K ₽4.4M

$40.9K ₽3.4M

28.36%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$40.1K ₽3.3M

$36.2K ₽3.0M

10.54%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$114 ₽9,507

$151 ₽12.6K

-24.56%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$9.53 ₽796

$7.75 ₽647

22.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.79 ₽1,485

$8.66 ₽723

105.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 ₽4,557

$41.26 ₽3,444

32.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.61 ₽4,057

$42.73 ₽3,567

13.76%

Cinema Ticket

$9.73 ₽812

$7.46 ₽622

30.43%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$183 ₽15.2K

$633 ₽52.9K

-71.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K ₽1.5M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.4 ₽7,127

$98.5 ₽8,224

-13.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.31 ₽3,030

$52.9 ₽4,412

-31.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.6 ₽6,059

$138 ₽11.5K

-47.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.5 ₽7,968

$121 ₽10.1K

-21.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$600 ₽50.1K

$741 ₽61.8K

-18.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 ₽35.7K

$447 ₽37.3K

-4.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$846 ₽70.6K

$1,620 ₽135.2K

-47.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$719 ₽60.0K

$939 ₽78.4K

-23.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,367 ₽114.1K

$4,469 ₽373.0K

-69.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$859 ₽71.7K

$2,803 ₽233.9K

-69.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$554 ₽46.3K

$1,187 ₽99.1K

-53.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.81

16.10%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Arkhangelsk: October 19, 2026

Last update for Saint Petersburg: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Arkhangelsk

$428 36.7%

Saint Petersburg

$447 33.5% 4.4% $19

Groceries & Markets

Arkhangelsk

$211 18.1%

Saint Petersburg

$230 17.2% 9.1% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arkhangelsk

$141 12.1%

Saint Petersburg

$167 12.6% 18.5% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Arkhangelsk

$130 11.2%

Saint Petersburg

$185 13.9% 41.7% $54

Eating Out

Arkhangelsk

$123 * 10.5%

Saint Petersburg

$185 13.9% 50.4% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Arkhangelsk

$74 6.3%

Saint Petersburg

$56 4.2% 24.1% $18

Getting Around

Arkhangelsk

$60 5.1%

Saint Petersburg

$63 4.7% 5.6% $3.4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $600 in Arkhangelsk and $741 in Saint Petersburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint Petersburg pays 114% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $49.00 in Arkhangelsk vs $42.00 in Saint Petersburg. Groceries flip the comparison at $211 vs $230, with Arkhangelsk cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Arkhangelsk

🇷🇺 Saint Petersburg

🕒 Local time

13:52 1:52 PM

Same time as Arkhangelsk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

344,927

5,597,763

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Arkhangelsk Saint Petersburg 730 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Arkhangelsk
Saint Petersburg

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Arkhangelsk vs Saint Petersburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arkhangelsk and Saint Petersburg differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($1,168 vs $1,334 including rent). Arkhangelsk is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 114% lower in Saint Petersburg. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $600 in Arkhangelsk versus $741 in Saint Petersburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,168 per month in Arkhangelsk versus $1,334 in Saint Petersburg – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Arkhangelsk runs roughly 3% less than in Saint Petersburg. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,168 in Arkhangelsk versus $1,334 in Saint Petersburg, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Arkhangelsk but tight or insufficient in Saint Petersburg. The gap between the two cities makes Arkhangelsk the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Arkhangelsk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Saint Petersburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.