Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaluga and Kyiv

For one person, living costs are similar in Kaluga and in Kyiv: $1,021 and $996 a month, rent and utilities included.

49

Cost of Living Index in Kaluga
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Kaluga Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Kyiv
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Kyiv Living Index

Jump to prices

Kaluga

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,021

/mo nomad

Kyiv

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kaluga and in Kyiv

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,021 in Kaluga versus $996 in Kyiv.

Kaluga $1,021
Kyiv $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,594 in Kaluga versus $1,599 in Kyiv.

Kaluga $1,594
Kyiv $1,599

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,168 in Kaluga versus $2,203 in Kyiv.

Kaluga $2,168
Kyiv $2,203

Monthly costs are close between Kaluga and Kyiv; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kaluga 25% lower, Kyiv 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.25 ₽838

$11.03 ₴504

-7.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.27 ₽3,050

$33.43 ₴1,527

11.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.96 ₽406

$7.86 ₴359

-36.90%

Cappuccino

$2.62 ₽214

$1.79 ₴81.8

46.37%

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

$0.92 ₽75.2

$0.75 ₴34.14

22.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₽47.77

$0.59 ₴26.86

-1.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.44 ₽118

$1.28 ₴58.4

12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ₽149

$2.03 ₴92.6

-10.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₽103

$1.33 ₴60.6

-5.26%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 ₽81.4

$0.88 ₴39.97

12.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₽198

$1.46 ₴66.7

65.75%

Eggs

$2.05 ₽168

$1.94 ₴88.7

5.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.66 ₽1,118

$9.52 ₴435

43.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.81 ₽557

$5.21 ₴238

30.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.45 ₽1,183

$8.78 ₴401

64.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₽150

$1.16 ₴52.9

57.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ₽141

$1.52 ₴69.3

13.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 ₽140

$1.83 ₴83.5

-6.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 ₽234

$2.84 ₴130

0.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 ₽44.54

$0.62 ₴28.53

-12.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 ₽45.53

$0.44 ₴19.92

27.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 ₽122

$1.47 ₴67.1

1.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ₽67.0

$0.65 ₴29.87

26.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.18 ₽260

$3.42 ₴156

-7.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.61 ₽704

$5.62 ₴257

53.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₽99.2

$0.94 ₴42.82

28.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 ₽224

$1.44 ₴65.9

89.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.45 ₽36.47

$0.68 ₴31.16

-33.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.83 ₽1,541

$13.56 ₴619

38.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.95 ₽77.4

$2.24 ₴102

-57.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 ₴22.72

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.71 ₽549

$4.84 ₴221

38.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 ₽70.2

$1.74 ₴79.3

-50.57%

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

$53.1K ₽4.3M

$31.0K ₴1.4M

71.42%

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

$41.8K ₽3.4M

$25.4K ₴1.2M

64.41%

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

$126 ₽10.3K

$99.7 ₴4,552

26.67%

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

$6.13 ₽502

$6.76 ₴309

-9.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.38 ₽768

$6.31 ₴288

48.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.75 ₽4,071

$36.47 ₴1,666

36.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.64 ₽2,016

$18.63 ₴851

32.26%

Cinema Ticket

$3.65 ₽298

$5.59 ₴255

-34.70%

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

$341 ₽27.9K

$428 ₴19.5K

-20.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.1K ₴691.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.7 ₽7,991

$73.0 ₴3,334

33.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.38 ₽3,059

$39.34 ₴1,796

-4.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$184 ₽15.0K

$94.7 ₴4,326

93.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.5 ₽7,732

$118 ₴5,380

-19.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$302 ₽24.7K

$640 ₴29.2K

-52.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$223 ₽18.2K

$331 ₴15.1K

-32.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₽51.3K

$1,362 ₴62.2K

-53.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 ₽30.1K

$689 ₴31.5K

-46.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,541 ₽126.1K

$2,614 ₴119.4K

-41.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,302 ₽106.5K

$1,245 ₴56.9K

4.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$662 ₽54.2K

$806 ₴36.8K

-17.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

23.12

17.83

29.67%

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

Last update for Kaluga: October 31, 2026

Last update for Kyiv: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kaluga

$247 24.2%

Kyiv

$188 18.9% 23.7% $58

Accommodation & Living

Kaluga

$223 21.8%

Kyiv

$331 33.2% 48.6% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Kaluga

$186 18.2%

Kyiv

$146 14.7% 21.4% $40

Eating Out

Kaluga

$145 14.2%

Kyiv

$149 15% 2.7% $4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kaluga

$142 13.9%

Kyiv

$113 11.3% 20.5% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Kaluga

$57 5.6%

Kyiv

$48 4.8% 16.4% $9.4

Getting Around

Kaluga

$22 * 2.1%

Kyiv

$21 2.1% 2.6% $0.5

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 $302 in Kaluga and $640 in Kyiv. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kyiv pays 22% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $37 in Kaluga vs $33 in Kyiv for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $247 vs $188 per month, with Kyiv cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Kaluga

🇺🇦 Kyiv

🕒 Local time

06:38 6:38 AM

05:38 5:38 AM

1 h behind Kaluga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

331,842

2,908,249 Capital

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Ukrainian Hryvnia UAH ₴

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.22 USD

100 RUB = 1.09 EUR

100 UAH = 2.19 USD

100 UAH = 1.95 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UAH, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 81.84 RUB (100 RUB = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 92.13 RUB (100 RUB = 1.09 EUR).

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 45.67 UAH (100 UAH = 2.19 USD). 1 EUR = 51.41 UAH (100 UAH = 1.95 EUR).

USD to RUB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kaluga Kyiv 600 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kaluga
Kyiv

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

Kaluga vs Kyiv: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 18% lower in Kaluga. 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: $302 in Kaluga versus $640 in Kyiv. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $341 in Kaluga versus $428 in Kyiv. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kyiv – a meal for two runs $33 versus $37 in Kaluga. 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.