Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between India and Russia

Name: Russia
Address: RU

For one person, living is cheaper in India: $399 a month against $1,267 in Russia, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in India
Learn more

India Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Russia
Learn more

Russia Living Index

Jump to prices

🇮🇳 India

$399

/mo nomad

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,267

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in India and in Russia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $399 in India versus $1,267 in Russia.

India $399
Russia $1,267

Estimated couple costs with rent: $639 in India versus $1,985 in Russia.

India $639
Russia $1,985

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $879 in India versus $2,703 in Russia.

India $879
Russia $2,703

Internal cost variation is higher in Russia: monthly costs span $82 to $1,922, compared to $230–$813 in India. City choice carries more weight in Russia.

Living in India costs about 68% less than in Russia on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: India 71% lower, Russia 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.14 ₹203

$11.95 ₽962

-82.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.46 ₹993

$42.75 ₽3,443

-75.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.80 ₹361

$6.65 ₽536

-42.86%

Cappuccino

$1.68 ₹159

$3.18 ₽256

-47.17%

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

$0.38 ₹35.93

$1.31 ₽106

-70.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹14.58

$0.62 ₽49.95

-75.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 ₹177

$2.40 ₽193

-22.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ₹302

$3.04 ₽245

4.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.62 ₹59.1

$1.25 ₽101

-50.40%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 ₹47.69

$0.85 ₽68.7

-41.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.63 ₹60.2

$1.49 ₽120

-57.72%

Eggs

$0.96 ₹91.1

$1.68 ₽135

-42.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.85 ₹460

$12.17 ₽980

-60.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.84 ₹270

$6.03 ₽485

-52.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.18 ₽981

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 ₹190

$1.94 ₽157

3.09%

Banana (1kg)

$0.65 ₹61.3

$1.89 ₽152

-65.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.97 ₹92.1

$1.84 ₽148

-47.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.47 ₹44.23

$3.30 ₽265

-85.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 ₹31.82

$0.79 ₽63.3

-56.96%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 ₹39.66

$0.65 ₽52.0

-35.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 ₹44.32

$1.49 ₽120

-68.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.63

$0.77 ₽61.8

-59.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.08 ₹482

$3.14 ₽253

61.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.31 ₹694

$8.68 ₽699

-15.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₹154

$1.11 ₽89.2

46.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ₹262

$2.20 ₽177

25.45%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.11 ₹485

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₹24.82

$0.55 ₽44.11

-52.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.58 ₹815

$36.54 ₽2,943

-76.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 ₹94.5

$2.53 ₽204

-60.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹25.69

$0.48 ₽38.27

-43.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 ₹146

$6.79 ₽547

-77.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₹102

$0.85 ₽68.1

25.88%

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

$11.2K ₹1.1M

$54.1K ₽4.4M

-79.26%

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

$20.1K ₹1.9M

$40.9K ₽3.3M

-50.96%

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

$37.08 ₹3,521

$144 ₽11.6K

-74.22%

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

$3.58 ₹340

$7.28 ₽586

-50.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.15 ₹679

$8.96 ₽722

-20.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.00 ₹1,424

$38.71 ₽3,117

-61.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.17 ₹681

$32.62 ₽2,627

-78.02%

Cinema Ticket

$3.20 ₹303

$7.53 ₽606

-57.50%

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

$58.8 ₹5,583

$489 ₽39.4K

-87.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,667 ₹158.2K

$16.5K ₽1.3M

-89.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.03 ₹2,187

$91.7 ₽7,384

-74.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.17 ₹2,295

$55.2 ₽4,445

-56.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$41.20 ₹3,912

$136 ₽10.9K

-69.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.62 ₹2,812

$127 ₽10.2K

-76.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$146 ₹13.9K

$618 ₽49.8K

-76.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$96.4 ₹9,150

$418 ₽33.6K

-76.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$343 ₹32.6K

$1,186 ₽95.5K

-71.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$234 ₹22.2K

$788 ₽63.5K

-70.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,177 ₹111.7K

$3,068 ₽247.1K

-61.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$633 ₹60.1K

$2,132 ₽171.7K

-70.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$409 ₹38.8K

$977 ₽78.7K

-58.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.93

21.25

-57.98%

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

Last update for India: October 25, 2026

Last update for Russia: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

India

$102 25.6%

Russia

$228 18% 123% $126

Accommodation & Living

India

$96 24.1%

Russia

$418 33% 333% $321

Eating Out

India

$67 16.7%

Russia

$180 14.2% 170% $113

Clothing & Footwear

India

$53 13.3%

Russia

$184 14.6% 247% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

India

$48 12%

Russia

$160 12.6% 235% $112

Sport & Entertainment

India

$21 5.4%

Russia

$54 4.2% 151% $32

Getting Around

India

$12 3%

Russia

$44 3.5% 264% $32

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $120 in India, $490 in Russia. Capital cities: $277 in Delhi vs $1,533 in Moscow.

National salary averages: $412 in India, $817 in Russia. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 308% higher in Russia.

Dining out costs 273% more in Russia.

Public transport is 250% more expensive in Russia.

Salaries are 98% higher in Russia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in India.

Good to know

🇮🇳 India

🇷🇺 Russia

🕒 Local time

20:07 8:07 PM

17:37 5:37 PM

2 h 30 min behind India

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,326,093,247

145,975,300

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 94.95 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.92 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

India Russia 4,340 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

India
Russia

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

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

India vs Russia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $399 per month in India and $1,267 in Russia, India comes out about 68% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in India: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $490 in Russia and $120 in India. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In India, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in Russia it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: India wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.