Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karlovy Vary and Ostrava

For one person, living costs are similar in Karlovy Vary and in Ostrava: $1,447 and $1,495 a month, rent and utilities included.

Karlovy Vary
🇨🇿 Czech Republic
$1,447
/mo nomad
Ostrava
🇨🇿 Czech Republic
$1,495
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karlovy Vary and in Ostrava

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,447 in Karlovy Vary versus $1,495 in Ostrava.

  • Karlovy Vary $1,447
  • Ostrava $1,495

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,407 in Karlovy Vary versus $2,255 in Ostrava.

  • Karlovy Vary $2,407
  • Ostrava $2,255

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,367 in Karlovy Vary versus $3,014 in Ostrava.

  • Karlovy Vary $3,367
  • Ostrava $3,014

Living in Karlovy Vary costs roughly 3% less than in Ostrava, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Karlovy Vary 7% above, Ostrava 11% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Karlovy Vary
Ostrava
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.12 Kč 197
$10.68 Kč 231
-14.61%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$45.32 Kč 980
$48.86 Kč 1,057
-7.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.63 Kč 187
$8.38 Kč 181
2.98%
Cappuccino
$2.92 Kč 63.1
$3.22 Kč 69.7
-9.32%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 Kč 35.40
$1.83 Kč 39.57
-10.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.35 Kč 29.28
$1.55 Kč 33.59
-12.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.02 Kč 43.64
$2.31 Kč 50.0
-12.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.92 Kč 41.42
$2.33 Kč 50.4
-17.60%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Karlovy Vary
Ostrava
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 Kč 25.17
$1.14 Kč 24.76
1.75%
White Bread (500g)
$1.43 Kč 31.01
$1.53 Kč 33.20
-6.54%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.31 Kč 49.89
$2.60 Kč 56.3
-11.15%
Eggs
$2.80 Kč 60.6
$3.53 Kč 76.4
-20.68%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.32 Kč 266
$11.69 Kč 253
5.39%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.03 Kč 152
$10.43 Kč 226
-32.60%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.70 Kč 361
$13.21 Kč 286
26.42%
Apples (1kg)
$1.86 Kč 40.12
$1.66 Kč 35.83
12.05%
Banana (1kg)
$1.70 Kč 36.87
$1.80 Kč 38.89
-5.56%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.14 Kč 46.31
$2.25 Kč 48.72
-4.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.24 Kč 70.1
$3.54 Kč 76.6
-8.47%
Potato (1kg)
$1.06 Kč 23.03
$1.06 Kč 22.93
-
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 Kč 23.80
$1.02 Kč 22.12
7.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.13 Kč 24.54
$1.56 Kč 33.79
-27.56%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.76 Kč 16.42
$0.71 Kč 15.45
7.04%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.45 Kč 161
$7.53 Kč 163
-1.06%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.89 Kč 149
$6.95 Kč 150
-0.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.88 Kč 19.04
$0.87 Kč 18.76
1.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 Kč 35.69
$2.08 Kč 45.08
-20.67%
🚌 Getting Around
Karlovy Vary
Ostrava
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.26 Kč 48.81
$1.38 Kč 29.86
63.77%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.53 Kč 552
$25.28 Kč 547
0.99%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.71 Kč 58.6
$2.26 Kč 48.79
19.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.45 Kč 31.30
$1.55 Kč 33.59
-6.45%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.71 Kč 361
$23.10 Kč 500
-27.66%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.88 Kč 40.76
$1.87 Kč 40.54
0.53%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.5K Kč 594.6K
$31.3K Kč 675.9K
-12.03%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.2K Kč 502.0K
$29.6K Kč 641.0K
-21.68%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Karlovy Vary
Ostrava
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$252 Kč 5,447
$223 Kč 4,830
12.79%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.47 Kč 486
$23.47 Kč 508
-4.26%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.84 Kč 407
$16.96 Kč 367
11.08%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Karlovy Vary
Ostrava
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.9 Kč 1,252
$53.8 Kč 1,164
7.52%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.42 Kč 463
$19.80 Kč 428
8.18%
Cinema Ticket
$6.93 Kč 150
$9.09 Kč 197
-23.76%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Karlovy Vary
Ostrava
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$182 Kč 3,941
$417 Kč 9,013
-56.28%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,794 Kč 60.4K
$9,711 Kč 210.0K
-71.23%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Karlovy Vary
Ostrava
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$83.4 Kč 1,804
$75.9 Kč 1,640
9.94%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.53 Kč 790
$42.26 Kč 914
-13.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 Kč 2,175
$97.5 Kč 2,109
3.13%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$123 Kč 2,656
$110 Kč 2,385
11.36%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Karlovy Vary
Ostrava
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$692 Kč 15.0K
$675 Kč 14.6K
2.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$470 Kč 10.2K
$526 Kč 11.4K
-10.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,642 Kč 35.5K
$1,279 Kč 27.6K
28.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,305 Kč 28.2K
$922 Kč 19.9K
41.57%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,820 Kč 147.5K
$3,133 Kč 67.7K
117.72%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,127 Kč 110.9K
$2,318 Kč 50.1K
121.17%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Karlovy Vary
Ostrava
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,404 Kč 30.4K
$1,713 Kč 37.0K
-18.04%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.67
5.06
-7.71%

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

Last update for Karlovy Vary: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ostrava: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Karlovy Vary
$470
Ostrava
$526 12% $56
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Karlovy Vary
$293
Ostrava
$264 10% $29
Groceries & Markets
Karlovy Vary
$253
Ostrava
$266 5.1% $13
Eating Out
Karlovy Vary
$160
Ostrava
$179 12.1% $19
Clothing & Footwear
Karlovy Vary
$155
Ostrava
$147 5.1% $7.8
Sport & Entertainment
Karlovy Vary
$72
Ostrava
$72 0.4% $0.3
Getting Around
Karlovy Vary
$45
Ostrava
$41 8.3% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $692 in Karlovy Vary and $675 in Ostrava. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ostrava pays 22% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $45.00 in Karlovy Vary vs $49.00 in Ostrava for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $253 vs $266 per month, with Karlovy Vary cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇿 Karlovy Vary
🇨🇿 Ostrava
🕒 Local time
05:42 5:42 AM
05:42 5:42 AM
Same time as Karlovy Vary
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
52,065
304,880
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CZK – Czech Koruna Converter

Czech Koruna exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 21.63 CZK (100 CZK = 4.62 USD). 1 EUR = 24.31 CZK (100 CZK = 4.11 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Karlovy Vary Ostrava 390 km
From you
  • Karlovy Vary
  • Ostrava

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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
Karlovy Vary vs Ostrava: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ostrava cheaper than Karlovy Vary?
Karlovy Vary is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Karlovy Vary or Ostrava?
On paper, salaries run 22% lower in Ostrava. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Karlovy Vary and Ostrava?
Rent for a central apartment: $692 in Karlovy Vary versus $675 in Ostrava. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Karlovy Vary or in Ostrava?
Dining out is cheaper in Karlovy Vary – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $49.00 in Ostrava. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
What are total monthly expenses in Karlovy Vary and in Ostrava?
All in, you'll spend $1,447 per month in Karlovy Vary versus $1,495 in Ostrava – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Karlovy Vary or in Ostrava?
At $1,447 in Karlovy Vary versus $1,495 in Ostrava, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Karlovy Vary but tight or insufficient in Ostrava. The gap between the two cities makes Karlovy Vary the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Karlovy Vary or Ostrava more family-friendly?
For families, Karlovy Vary is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Ostrava, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Karlovy Vary or Ostrava?
Safety-wise, Karlovy Vary and Ostrava are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Karlovy Vary gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Ostrava. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Karlovy Vary vs other spots: cost of living compared

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