Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaluga and Moscow

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaluga: $1,021 a month against $1,843 in Moscow, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Kaluga
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Kaluga Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Moscow
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Moscow Living Index

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Kaluga

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,021

/mo nomad

Moscow

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,843

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kaluga 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 Kaluga and in Moscow actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,021 in Kaluga versus $1,843 in Moscow.

Kaluga $1,021
Moscow $1,843

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,594 in Kaluga versus $2,822 in Moscow.

Kaluga $1,594
Moscow $2,822

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,168 in Kaluga versus $3,801 in Moscow.

Kaluga $2,168
Moscow $3,801

Living in Kaluga costs roughly 45% less than in Moscow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kaluga is 25% below, Moscow is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.25 ₽840

$12.14 ₽995

-15.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.27 ₽3,055

$62.2 ₽5,095

-40.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.96 ₽407

$7.31 ₽599

-32.15%

Cappuccino

$2.62 ₽215

$3.72 ₽305

-29.57%

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

$0.92 ₽75.3

$1.67 ₽137

-44.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₽47.85

$0.83 ₽67.7

-30.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.44 ₽118

$5.03 ₽412

-71.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ₽149

$4.84 ₽397

-62.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₽103

$1.24 ₽102

1.61%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 ₽81.5

$1.00 ₽81.6

-1.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₽198

$1.71 ₽140

41.52%

Eggs

$2.05 ₽168

$1.90 ₽156

7.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.66 ₽1,120

$14.34 ₽1,176

-4.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.81 ₽558

$6.65 ₽545

2.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.45 ₽1,185

$14.53 ₽1,191

-0.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₽150

$2.07 ₽170

-11.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ₽141

$1.89 ₽155

-8.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 ₽140

$1.91 ₽157

-10.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 ₽234

$3.96 ₽325

-27.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 ₽44.61

$0.93 ₽76.1

-41.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 ₽45.61

$0.70 ₽57.5

-20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 ₽122

$1.64 ₽134

-9.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ₽67.1

$0.92 ₽75.2

-10.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.18 ₽261

$3.50 ₽287

-9.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.61 ₽705

$12.25 ₽1,004

-29.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₽99.4

$1.18 ₽96.7

2.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 ₽224

$2.54 ₽208

7.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.45 ₽36.53

$0.95 ₽77.6

-52.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.83 ₽1,544

$42.83 ₽3,511

-56.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.95 ₽77.5

$3.60 ₽295

-73.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 ₽62.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.71 ₽550

$11.20 ₽918

-40.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 ₽70.3

$0.90 ₽73.5

-4.44%

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

$53.1K ₽4.4M

$42.9K ₽3.5M

23.90%

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

$41.8K ₽3.4M

$40.0K ₽3.3M

4.36%

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

$126 ₽10.3K

$177 ₽14.5K

-28.83%

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

$6.13 ₽503

$8.76 ₽718

-30.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.38 ₽769

$9.72 ₽797

-3.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.75 ₽4,078

$42.21 ₽3,460

17.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.64 ₽2,019

$46.14 ₽3,782

-46.60%

Cinema Ticket

$3.65 ₽299

$9.50 ₽779

-61.58%

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

$341 ₽28.0K

$869 ₽71.2K

-60.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K ₽2.5M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.7 ₽8,004

$106 ₽8,709

-8.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.38 ₽3,064

$67.5 ₽5,535

-44.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$184 ₽15.0K

$144 ₽11.8K

27.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.5 ₽7,744

$179 ₽14.7K

-47.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$302 ₽24.8K

$1,481 ₽121.4K

-79.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$223 ₽18.2K

$837 ₽68.6K

-73.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₽51.4K

$3,018 ₽247.4K

-79.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 ₽30.1K

$1,487 ₽121.9K

-75.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,541 ₽126.3K

$9,639 ₽790.1K

-84.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,302 ₽106.7K

$4,728 ₽387.5K

-72.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$662 ₽54.2K

$1,804 ₽147.9K

-63.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

23.12

19.36

19.42%

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

Last update for Kaluga: October 31, 2026

Last update for Moscow: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kaluga

$247 24.2%

Moscow

$263 14.3% 6.7% $16

Accommodation & Living

Kaluga

$223 21.8%

Moscow

$837 45.4% 276% $614

Clothing & Footwear

Kaluga

$186 18.2%

Moscow

$223 12.1% 20.2% $38

Eating Out

Kaluga

$145 14.2%

Moscow

$208 11.3% 43.6% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kaluga

$142 13.9%

Moscow

$196 10.6% 38.2% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Kaluga

$57 5.6%

Moscow

$61 3.3% 7.3% $4.2

Getting Around

Kaluga

$22 * 2.1%

Moscow

$54 2.9% 151% $32

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 $1,481 in Moscow. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Moscow pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $37 in Kaluga vs $62 in Moscow for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $247 vs $263 per month, with Kaluga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Kaluga

🇷🇺 Moscow

🕒 Local time

00:24 12:24 AM

Same time as Kaluga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

331,842

12,700,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.22 USD

100 RUB = 1.08 EUR

100 RUB = 1.22 USD

100 RUB = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Kaluga Moscow 160 km

From you

Kaluga
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

Kaluga vs Moscow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,021 in Kaluga and $1,843 in Moscow, so Kaluga is about 45% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 63% 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 $1,481 in Moscow. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kaluga runs roughly 56% less than in Moscow. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $341 in Kaluga versus $869 in Moscow. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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 Kaluga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Moscow. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.