Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaunas and Vilnius

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaunas: $1,456 a month against $1,653 in Vilnius, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Vilnius outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

71

Cost of Living Index in Kaunas
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Kaunas Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Vilnius
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Vilnius Living Index

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Kaunas

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,456

/mo nomad

Vilnius

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,653

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kaunas and in Vilnius

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 Vilnius actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,456 in Kaunas versus $1,653 in Vilnius.

Kaunas $1,456
Vilnius $1,653

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,201 in Kaunas versus $2,497 in Vilnius.

Kaunas $2,201
Vilnius $2,497

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,946 in Kaunas versus $3,340 in Vilnius.

Kaunas $2,946
Vilnius $3,340

Living in Kaunas costs roughly 12% less than in Vilnius, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kaunas 8% above, Vilnius 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.02 €10.70

$13.40 €11.92

-10.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 €59.3

$75.7 €67.3

-11.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.15 €9.03

$8.84 €7.87

14.82%

Cappuccino

$3.44 €3.06

$3.58 €3.18

-3.91%

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

$3.43 €3.05

$2.26 €2.01

51.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 €2.80

$2.28 €2.02

38.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.01 €4.46

$5.42 €4.82

-7.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 €4.06

$4.96 €4.41

-8.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.47 €1.31

4.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.60 €1.43

6.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.38 €2.11

-7.56%

Eggs

$3.36 €2.99

$3.31 €2.95

1.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.90 €13.26

$10.31 €9.17

44.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.29 €7.37

$8.39 €7.46

-1.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.42 €11.94

$12.00 €10.68

11.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.91 €1.70

-17.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.43 €1.27

4.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.71 €1.52

24.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.23 €2.87

$3.50 €3.11

-7.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.96 €0.85

-2.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 €0.83

$0.82 €0.73

14.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.63 €1.45

9.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.83

$0.81 €0.72

16.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.13 €5.45

$6.20 €5.52

-1.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.88 €8.79

$9.19 €8.17

7.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.75 €1.56

-5.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.93 €1.71

12.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.10 €0.98

0.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.71 €27.31

$41.91 €37.28

-26.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.13 €1.01

$3.02 €2.68

-62.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 €0.77

$1.26 €1.12

-30.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.95 €14.19

$14.33 €12.75

11.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.90 €1.69

0.53%

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

$27.1K €24.1K

$27.2K €24.2K

-0.42%

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

$28.5K €25.4K

$31.6K €28.1K

-9.72%

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

$201 €179

$231 €205

-12.97%

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

$15.71 €13.98

$13.86 €12.33

13.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.33 €13.64

$20.48 €18.21

-25.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.37 €28.80

$40.87 €36.36

-20.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.60 €25.44

$36.04 €32.06

-20.64%

Cinema Ticket

$12.07 €10.73

$9.92 €8.82

21.67%

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

$655 €583

$654 €582

0.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,756 €7,788

$11.2K €9,993

-22.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.2 €75.8

$95.8 €85.2

-11.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.85 €36.34

$41.28 €36.72

-1.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 €107

$92.7 €82.5

30.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$162 €144

$130 €115

24.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$635 €565

$809 €720

-21.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 €388

$622 €553

-29.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 €805

$1,408 €1,252

-35.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 €571

$999 €889

-35.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,730 €3,317

$6,028 €5,362

-38.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,371 €2,109

$3,375 €3,002

-29.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,676 €1,490

$1,903 €1,693

-11.96%

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 11, 2026

Last update for Vilnius: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kaunas

$437 30%

Vilnius

$622 37.6% 42.4% $185

Groceries & Markets

Kaunas

$278 19.1%

Vilnius

$257 15.5% 7.7% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kaunas

$232 15.9%

Vilnius

$265 16% 14.3% $33

Eating Out

Kaunas

$228 15.7%

Vilnius

$232 14% 1.5% $3.4

Clothing & Footwear

Kaunas

$184 12.6%

Vilnius

$162 9.8% 12% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Kaunas

$57 3.9%

Vilnius

$61 3.7% 7.5% $4.2

Getting Around

Kaunas

$41 2.8%

Vilnius

$56 3.4% 37% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $635 in Kaunas and $809 in Vilnius. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vilnius pays 14% 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: $67.0 in Kaunas vs $76.0 in Vilnius. Groceries flip the comparison at $278 vs $257, with Vilnius cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇱🇹 Kaunas

🇱🇹 Vilnius

🕒 Local time

20:01 8:01 PM

Same time as Kaunas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

315,993

581,475 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Kaunas Vilnius 91 km

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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 Vilnius: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kaunas wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Vilnius. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kaunas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Vilnius. 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: $635 in Kaunas versus $809 in Vilnius. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kaunas – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $76.0 in Vilnius. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,456 per month in Kaunas versus $1,653 in Vilnius – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,456 in Kaunas versus $1,653 in Vilnius, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kaunas but tight or insufficient in Vilnius. The gap between the two cities makes Kaunas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kaunas delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,456 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kaunas hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Kaunas and Vilnius are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Kaunas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Vilnius. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.