Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaunas and Kretinga

For one person, living is cheaper in Kretinga: $1,261 a month against $1,509 in Kaunas, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Kaunas
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Kaunas Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Kretinga
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Kretinga Living Index

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Kaunas

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,509

/mo nomad

Kretinga

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,261

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kaunas and in Kretinga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,509 in Kaunas versus $1,261 in Kretinga.

Kaunas $1,509
Kretinga $1,261

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,259 in Kaunas versus $1,981 in Kretinga.

Kaunas $2,259
Kretinga $1,981

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,008 in Kaunas versus $2,702 in Kretinga.

Kaunas $3,008
Kretinga $2,702

Living in Kaunas is roughly 20% more expensive than in Kretinga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kaunas is 11% above, Kretinga is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.03 €10.80

$12.36 €11.10

-2.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$49.97 €44.89

35.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.20 €9.16

$6.64 €5.97

53.61%

Cappuccino

$3.43 €3.08

$3.17 €2.84

8.20%

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

$3.36 €3.02

$2.42 €2.18

38.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 €2.91

$1.92 €1.73

68.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.24 €4.71

$5.70 €5.12

-8.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 €4.08

$4.57 €4.10

-0.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 €1.45

$1.27 €1.14

26.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.47 €1.32

17.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$1.80 €1.61

25.56%

Eggs

$3.24 €2.91

$2.87 €2.58

12.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.95 €13.43

$10.23 €9.19

46.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.13 €7.30

$5.57 €5.00

45.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.49 €12.12

$9.77 €8.77

38.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.66 €1.49

-4.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.42 €1.28

4.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 €1.96

$1.71 €1.54

27.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 €3.02

$2.98 €2.67

12.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 €0.82

$0.78 €0.70

16.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 €0.85

$0.76 €0.69

23.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.47 €1.32

23.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.81 €0.72

14.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.25 €5.61

$5.85 €5.25

6.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €9.01

$8.20 €7.37

22.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.68 €1.51

3.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 €1.93

$1.69 €1.52

27.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.07 €0.96

7.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.91 €28.67

$33.60 €30.18

-5.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 €1.02

$2.99 €2.69

-61.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 €0.80

$0.87 €0.78

2.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.76 €14.16

$13.43 €12.06

17.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 €1.81

$1.88 €1.69

6.91%

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

$27.8K €25.0K

$27.6K €24.8K

0.67%

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

$28.1K €25.2K

$27.6K €24.8K

1.55%

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

$196 €176

$201 €180

-2.17%

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

$15.98 €14.36

$13.80 €12.39

15.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.68 €14.09

$14.30 €12.85

9.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.37 €29.08

$37.37 €33.57

-13.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.72 €24.90

$19.98 €17.95

38.74%

Cinema Ticket

$11.93 €10.71

$9.03 €8.11

32.12%

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

$643 €577

$525 €472

22.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,792 €7,898

$9,168 €8,236

-4.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.8 €77.1

$92.9 €83.5

-7.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.41 €36.30

$41.70 €37.46

-3.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 €107

$82.1 €73.7

45.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$162 €146

$127 €114

27.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$710 €637

$641 €576

10.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 €440

$345 €310

41.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 €949

$731 €657

44.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$698 €627

$716 €643

-2.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,369 €3,026

$3,127 €2,809

7.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,272 €2,041

$1,641 €1,474

38.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,718 €1,543

$1,390 €1,248

23.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

3.99

1.50%

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

Last update for Kaunas: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kretinga: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kaunas

$490 32.5%

Kretinga

$345 27.4% 29.5% $144

Groceries & Markets

Kaunas

$280 18.5%

Kretinga

$220 17.5% 21.3% $60

Eating Out

Kaunas

$230 15.2%

Kretinga

$212 16.8% 7.8% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kaunas

$228 15.1%

Kretinga

$229 18.1% 0.4% $0.8

Clothing & Footwear

Kaunas

$183 12.2%

Kretinga

$155 12.3% 15.7% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Kaunas

$56 3.7%

Kretinga

$55 4.4% 1.4% $0.8

Getting Around

Kaunas

$42 2.8%

Kretinga

$45 3.6% 7.3% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $710 in Kaunas and $641 in Kretinga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kaunas pays 24% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Kaunas vs $50 in Kretinga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $280 vs $220 per month, with Kretinga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇹 Kaunas

🇱🇹 Kretinga

🕒 Local time

23:20 11:20 PM

Same time as Kaunas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

315,993

19,010

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Kaunas vs Kretinga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kretinga wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Kaunas. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kretinga the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 24% higher in Kaunas, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $710 in Kaunas versus $641 in Kretinga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kretinga – a meal for two runs $50 versus $67 in Kaunas. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,509 per month in Kaunas versus $1,261 in Kretinga – Kretinga is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,261 in Kretinga versus $1,509 in Kaunas, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kretinga but tight or insufficient in Kaunas. The gap between the two cities makes Kretinga the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Kaunas and Kretinga are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Kretinga wins on affordability, Kaunas on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.