Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chita and Moscow

For one person, living is cheaper in Chita: $1,085 a month against $1,922 in Moscow, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Chita
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Chita Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Moscow
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Moscow Living Index

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Chita

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,085

/mo nomad

Moscow

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,922

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chita and in Moscow

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,085 in Chita versus $1,922 in Moscow.

Chita $1,085
Moscow $1,922

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,719 in Chita versus $2,941 in Moscow.

Chita $1,719
Moscow $2,941

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,354 in Chita versus $3,960 in Moscow.

Chita $2,354
Moscow $3,960

Living in Chita costs roughly 44% less than in Moscow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chita is 20% below, Moscow is 41% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.90 ₽881

$12.50 ₽1,011

-12.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.76 ₽3,134

$61.2 ₽4,952

-36.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.63 ₽455

$7.65 ₽619

-26.41%

Cappuccino

$2.59 ₽210

$3.84 ₽310

-32.55%

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

$1.24 ₽99.9

$1.74 ₽141

-28.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.60 ₽48.29

$0.85 ₽69.0

-29.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.88 ₽152

$4.83 ₽391

-61.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 ₽265

$5.17 ₽418

-36.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 ₽93.9

$1.32 ₽107

-12.12%

White Bread (500g)

$0.79 ₽63.8

$1.04 ₽84.2

-24.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 ₽103

$1.77 ₽143

-28.25%

Eggs

$1.62 ₽131

$2.02 ₽163

-19.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.42 ₽923

$15.08 ₽1,219

-24.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.63 ₽455

$6.86 ₽555

-17.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.55 ₽934

$15.29 ₽1,236

-24.46%

Apples (1kg)

$1.85 ₽149

$2.14 ₽173

-13.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 ₽152

$1.83 ₽148

2.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ₽131

$2.03 ₽164

-20.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.93 ₽237

$4.14 ₽335

-29.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 ₽58.9

$0.94 ₽76.2

-22.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.66 ₽53.5

$0.77 ₽62.1

-14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 ₽120

$1.69 ₽137

-11.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 ₽68.3

$1.01 ₽81.5

-15.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.14 ₽254

$3.71 ₽300

-15.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.10 ₽655

$12.23 ₽989

-33.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₽102

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 ₽189

$2.73 ₽221

-14.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 ₽40.76

$0.96 ₽77.6

-47.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.70 ₽2,078

$43.33 ₽3,503

-40.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.21 ₽179

$3.68 ₽297

-39.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ₽26.94

$0.84 ₽67.8

-60.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.79 ₽468

$12.33 ₽997

-53.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 ₽75.4

$0.96 ₽77.6

-3.12%

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

$61.2K ₽5.0M

$45.4K ₽3.7M

34.92%

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

$39.8K ₽3.2M

$41.2K ₽3.3M

-3.31%

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

$124 ₽10.1K

$199 ₽16.1K

-37.41%

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

$6.48 ₽524

$9.04 ₽731

-28.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.59 ₽695

$10.05 ₽812

-14.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.00 ₽2,588

$44.51 ₽3,599

-28.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.84 ₽2,170

$47.40 ₽3,833

-43.38%

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 ₽570

$9.63 ₽779

-26.79%

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

$326 ₽26.3K

$898 ₽72.6K

-63.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,900 ₽557.9K

$29.3K ₽2.4M

-76.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 ₽6,508

$117 ₽9,435

-31.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.7 ₽4,991

$69.4 ₽5,610

-11.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₽10.5K

$153 ₽12.4K

-15.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 ₽9,159

$188 ₽15.2K

-39.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ₽38.9K

$1,533 ₽124.0K

-68.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$319 ₽25.8K

$860 ₽69.6K

-62.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$938 ₽75.8K

$3,127 ₽252.8K

-70.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 ₽50.2K

$1,552 ₽125.5K

-60.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,532 ₽204.7K

$10.5K ₽847.7K

-75.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,436 ₽116.1K

$4,981 ₽402.8K

-71.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$454 ₽36.7K

$1,798 ₽145.4K

-74.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.45

19.58

9.55%

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

Last update for Chita: October 26, 2026

Last update for Moscow: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chita

$319 29.4%

Moscow

$860 44.7% 169% $541

Groceries & Markets

Chita

$217 20%

Moscow

$274 14.3% 26.6% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Chita

$173 16%

Moscow

$237 12.3% 36.9% $64

Eating Out

Chita

$158 14.6%

Moscow

$214 11.1% 34.9% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chita

$140 12.9%

Moscow

$218 11.3% 56.2% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Chita

$46 4.3%

Moscow

$64 3.3% 38.3% $18

Getting Around

Chita

$32 2.9%

Moscow

$55 2.9% 74.2% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $481 in Chita and $1,533 in Moscow. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Moscow pays about 4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $39 in Chita vs $61 in Moscow for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $217 vs $274 per month, with Chita cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Chita

🇷🇺 Moscow

🕒 Local time

22:40 10:40 PM

16:40 4:40 PM

6 h behind Chita

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

333,679

12,700,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Chita Moscow 4,740 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chita
Moscow

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

Chita vs Moscow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,085 in Chita and $1,922 in Moscow, so Chita is about 44% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 75% lower in Chita. 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: $481 in Chita versus $1,533 in Moscow. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Moscow. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Chita – a meal for two runs $39 versus $61 in Moscow. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 Chita gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Moscow. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.