Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kazan and Irkutsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Irkutsk: $1,168 a month against $1,254 in Kazan, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Kazan
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Kazan Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Irkutsk
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Irkutsk Living Index

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Kazan

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,254

/mo nomad

Irkutsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,168

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kazan and in Irkutsk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,254 in Kazan versus $1,168 in Irkutsk.

Kazan $1,254
Irkutsk $1,168

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,944 in Kazan versus $1,712 in Irkutsk.

Kazan $1,944
Irkutsk $1,712

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,635 in Kazan versus $2,256 in Irkutsk.

Kazan $2,635
Irkutsk $2,256

Living in Kazan is roughly 7% more expensive than in Irkutsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kazan 8% lower, Irkutsk 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.87 ₽1,117

$9.23 ₽744

50.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.79 ₽3,285

$36.50 ₽2,940

11.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.49 ₽522

$6.13 ₽494

5.87%

Cappuccino

$3.27 ₽263

$3.09 ₽249

5.83%

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

$1.42 ₽115

$1.62 ₽130

-12.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₽50.6

$0.65 ₽52.5

-3.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.83 ₽148

$2.41 ₽194

-24.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 ₽199

$3.73 ₽300

-33.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 ₽91.8

$1.25 ₽100

-8.80%

White Bread (500g)

$0.77 ₽62.3

$0.64 ₽51.2

20.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 ₽128

$1.54 ₽124

3.25%

Eggs

$1.49 ₽120

$1.67 ₽134

-10.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 ₽940

$11.87 ₽956

-1.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.84 ₽390

$7.44 ₽599

-34.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.03 ₽888

$12.70 ₽1,023

-13.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 ₽161

$2.20 ₽177

-9.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ₽139

$1.98 ₽159

-12.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.00 ₽161

$1.69 ₽136

18.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.16 ₽255

$3.51 ₽282

-9.97%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 ₽68.5

$0.71 ₽56.9

19.72%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₽44.21

$0.72 ₽58.0

-23.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 ₽121

$1.52 ₽122

-1.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ₽63.0

$0.67 ₽54.1

16.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.02 ₽243

$3.31 ₽266

-8.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.01 ₽645

$7.89 ₽636

1.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 ₽88.7

$1.03 ₽83.3

6.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₽160

$2.03 ₽163

-1.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 ₽46.94

$0.53 ₽43.06

9.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.56 ₽2,542

$19.42 ₽1,564

62.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₽201

$1.26 ₽102

98.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ₽42.95

$0.18 ₽14.45

194.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.58 ₽611

$9.22 ₽742

-17.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 ₽68.4

$0.84 ₽67.6

1.19%

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

$53.0K ₽4.3M

$54.6K ₽4.4M

-2.96%

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

$42.4K ₽3.4M

$41.8K ₽3.4M

1.30%

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

$128 ₽10.3K

$124 ₽9,963

3.46%

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

$5.61 ₽451

$6.10 ₽491

-8.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.33 ₽590

$11.77 ₽948

-37.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.72 ₽3,038

$71.9 ₽5,790

-47.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.24 ₽2,516

$21.96 ₽1,768

42.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.72 ₽541

$6.82 ₽549

-1.47%

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

$301 ₽24.3K

$403 ₽32.5K

-25.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,657 ₽536.1K

$3,288 ₽264.8K

102.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.3 ₽7,671

$78.5 ₽6,324

21.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$96.1 ₽7,742

$25.13 ₽2,024

282.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 ₽8,658

$105 ₽8,420

2.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 ₽6,358

$118 ₽9,531

-33.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 ₽56.3K

$535 ₽43.1K

30.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 ₽36.1K

$380 ₽30.6K

17.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,158 ₽93.2K

$791 ₽63.7K

46.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₽64.9K

$497 ₽40.0K

62.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,519 ₽363.9K

$2,799 ₽225.4K

61.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ₽200.5K

$1,886 ₽151.9K

32.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,000 ₽80.5K

$683 ₽55.0K

46.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.8

24.57

-15.34%

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

Last update for Kazan: October 24, 2026

Last update for Irkutsk: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kazan

$448 35.7%

Irkutsk

$380 32.5% 15.2% $68

Groceries & Markets

Kazan

$213 17%

Irkutsk

$232 19.9% 9.4% $20

Eating Out

Kazan

$192 15.3%

Irkutsk

$158 13.5% 17.7% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Kazan

$170 13.6%

Irkutsk

$147 12.6% 13.6% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kazan

$141 11.2%

Irkutsk

$142 12.1% 0.5% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Kazan

$51 4.1%

Irkutsk

$86 7.3% 67.2% $34

Getting Around

Kazan

$39 3.1%

Irkutsk

$24 2% 39.3% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $699 in Kazan and $535 in Irkutsk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kazan pays 46% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $41 in Kazan vs $37 in Irkutsk. Groceries flip the comparison at $213 vs $232, with Kazan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Kazan

🇷🇺 Irkutsk

🕒 Local time

11:00 11:00 AM

16:00 4:00 PM

5 h ahead of Kazan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,257,341

617,515

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Kazan Irkutsk 3,530 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Kazan
Irkutsk

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

Kazan vs Irkutsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Irkutsk wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Kazan. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Irkutsk the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 46% higher in Kazan, 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: $699 in Kazan versus $535 in Irkutsk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $301 in Kazan versus $403 in Irkutsk. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Kazan pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Irkutsk is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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