Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Irkutsk and Calarasi

For one person, living is cheaper in Calarasi: $884 a month against $1,150 in Irkutsk, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Irkutsk
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Irkutsk Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Calarasi
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Calarasi Living Index

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Irkutsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,150

/mo nomad

Calarasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$884

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Irkutsk and in Calarasi

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

A single person spends $1,150 per month in Irkutsk vs $884 in Calarasi, rent included.

Irkutsk $1,150
Calarasi $884

A couple spends around $1,685 per month in Irkutsk vs $1,371 in Calarasi, rent included.

Irkutsk $1,685
Calarasi $1,371

A family of three spends $2,221 per month in Irkutsk vs $1,858 in Calarasi, rent included.

Irkutsk $2,221
Calarasi $1,858

Irkutsk costs about 30% more than Calarasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Irkutsk and Calarasi are more affordable than the global median – Irkutsk 15% lower, Calarasi 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.97 ₽749

$8.99 RON 42.55

-0.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.72 ₽2,982

$34.27 RON 162

4.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 ₽517

$7.82 RON 37.01

-20.72%

Cappuccino

$3.08 ₽257

$2.09 RON 9.90

47.37%

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

$1.59 ₽133

$1.85 RON 8.77

-14.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₽52.7

$1.63 RON 7.73

-61.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.46 ₽205

$1.62 RON 7.65

51.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ₽304

$1.49 RON 7.04

144.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 ₽107

$1.45 RON 6.88

-11.72%

White Bread (500g)

$0.66 ₽55.0

$0.96 RON 4.52

-31.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 ₽127

$1.49 RON 7.06

2.01%

Eggs

$1.64 ₽137

$2.75 RON 13.00

-40.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 ₽957

$7.59 RON 35.91

51.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.20 ₽601

$4.16 RON 19.69

73.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.64 ₽1,055

$8.62 RON 40.77

46.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ₽179

$1.10 RON 5.19

95.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 ₽167

$1.39 RON 6.59

43.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 ₽145

$1.27 RON 6.02

37.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.42 ₽286

$1.45 RON 6.87

135.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.68 ₽56.6

$0.43 RON 2.06

58.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 ₽60.1

$0.60 RON 2.85

20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 ₽123

$0.40 RON 1.89

267.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₽58.9

$0.77 RON 3.65

-7.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.31 ₽276

$6.27 RON 29.65

-47.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 ₽654

$4.19 RON 19.84

87.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ₽85.3

$0.98 RON 4.64

4.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 ₽164

$1.39 RON 6.58

41.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ₽50.9

$0.44 RON 2.08

38.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.18 ₽1,350

$12.59 RON 59.6

28.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ₽98.7

$0.60 RON 2.85

96.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.18 ₽14.62

$0.61 RON 2.87

-70.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.92 ₽745

$6.21 RON 29.37

43.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 ₽69.3

$1.63 RON 7.74

-49.08%

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

$52.3K ₽4.4M

$28.1K RON 132.8K

86.24%

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

$40.6K ₽3.4M

$25.1K RON 118.6K

62.02%

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

$120 ₽9,997

$164 RON 777

-27.04%

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

$5.94 ₽496

$6.23 RON 29.48

-4.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.49 ₽959

$6.75 RON 31.92

70.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 ₽5,741

$47.96 RON 227

43.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.62 ₽1,804

$53.2 RON 252

-59.35%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ₽560

$8.23 RON 38.94

-18.47%

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

$398 ₽33.2K

$399 RON 1,888

-0.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,206 ₽267.6K

$5,817 RON 27.5K

-44.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.5 ₽6,385

$73.4 RON 347

4.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.45 ₽2,041

$21.12 RON 99.9

15.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.3 ₽8,287

$90.8 RON 430

9.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 ₽10.0K

$96.8 RON 458

23.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$521 ₽43.5K

$310 RON 1,465

68.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$380 ₽31.7K

$186 RON 880

104.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₽66.8K

$414 RON 1,958

93.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 ₽41.8K

$321 RON 1,517

56.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,708 ₽226.0K

$1,187 RON 5,614

128.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,842 ₽153.7K

$946 RON 4,474

94.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$651 ₽54.3K

$714 RON 3,380

-8.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

24.57

7.85

212.99%

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

Last update for Irkutsk: October 20, 2026

Last update for Calarasi: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Irkutsk

$380 33.1%

Calarasi

$186 21% 51.1% $194

Groceries & Markets

Irkutsk

$230 20%

Calarasi

$166 18.8% 27.7% $64

Eating Out

Irkutsk

$156 13.6%

Calarasi

$146 16.5% 6.6% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Irkutsk

$144 12.5%

Calarasi

$127 14.4% 11.9% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Irkutsk

$137 11.9%

Calarasi

$177 20% 29.1% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Irkutsk

$82 7.2%

Calarasi

$64 7.3% 21.6% $18

Getting Around

Irkutsk

$21 1.8%

Calarasi

$18 2% 13% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $521 in Irkutsk versus $310 in Calarasi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 10% higher in Calarasi, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36.00 in Irkutsk versus $34.00 in Calarasi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $230 vs $166 – making Calarasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Irkutsk

🇷🇴 Calarasi

🕒 Local time

20:32 8:32 PM

15:32 3:32 PM

5 h behind Irkutsk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

617,515

65,181

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to RUB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Irkutsk Calarasi 5,500 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Irkutsk
Calarasi

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

Irkutsk vs Calarasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,150 in Irkutsk, $884 in Calarasi – roughly 30% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,724 per month in Irkutsk and $1,326 in Calarasi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Calarasi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $398 per month in Irkutsk and $399 in Calarasi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% more in Irkutsk, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Calarasi, where all-in costs run around $884, than in Irkutsk at $1,150. In Calarasi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Irkutsk it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Calarasi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Calarasi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Irkutsk makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.