Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kazan and Makhachkala

For one person, living is cheaper in Makhachkala: $1,049 a month against $1,201 in Kazan, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Kazan
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Kazan Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Makhachkala
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Makhachkala Living Index

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Kazan

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,201

/mo nomad

Makhachkala

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,049

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kazan and in Makhachkala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,201 in Kazan versus $1,049 in Makhachkala.

Kazan $1,201
Makhachkala $1,049

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,877 in Kazan versus $1,635 in Makhachkala.

Kazan $1,877
Makhachkala $1,635

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,552 in Kazan versus $2,222 in Makhachkala.

Kazan $2,552
Makhachkala $2,222

Living in Kazan is roughly 15% more expensive than in Makhachkala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kazan 11% lower, Makhachkala 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.11 ₽1,094

$10.80 ₽902

21.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.04 ₽3,342

$36.26 ₽3,026

10.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.16 ₽514

$6.40 ₽534

-3.75%

Cappuccino

$3.33 ₽278

$3.05 ₽255

9.18%

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

$1.45 ₽121

$1.25 ₽104

16.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₽46.56

$0.51 ₽42.98

9.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.84 ₽154

$1.98 ₽165

-7.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₽197

$2.83 ₽236

-16.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 ₽92.5

$1.12 ₽93.1

-0.89%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 ₽59.1

$0.72 ₽60.3

-1.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 ₽132

$1.44 ₽120

9.72%

Eggs

$1.51 ₽126

$1.63 ₽136

-7.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.43 ₽954

$11.49 ₽959

-0.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.60 ₽384

$5.42 ₽453

-15.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.68 ₽891

$11.18 ₽933

-4.47%

Apples (1kg)

$1.97 ₽164

$1.79 ₽149

10.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ₽142

$1.78 ₽148

-4.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 ₽157

$1.84 ₽153

2.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.14 ₽262

$2.69 ₽225

16.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 ₽71.0

$0.84 ₽69.8

1.19%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 ₽48.17

$0.61 ₽51.2

-4.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 ₽122

$1.44 ₽120

1.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₽60.1

$0.71 ₽59.2

1.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.03 ₽253

$3.39 ₽283

-10.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 ₽659

$7.84 ₽654

0.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ₽84.5

$1.04 ₽87.1

-2.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ₽156

$1.78 ₽149

5.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ₽47.94

$0.47 ₽39.20

21.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.17 ₽1,600

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.39 ₽200

$2.12 ₽177

12.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ₽46.76

$0.34 ₽28.11

64.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 ₽593

$6.02 ₽503

18.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 ₽72.3

$0.84 ₽70.3

3.57%

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

$52.8K ₽4.4M

$57.5K ₽4.8M

-8.16%

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

$41.9K ₽3.5M

$37.4K ₽3.1M

11.96%

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

$127 ₽10.6K

$121 ₽10.1K

4.94%

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

$5.28 ₽441

$5.46 ₽455

-3.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.10 ₽592

$8.46 ₽706

-16.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.85 ₽3,075

$35.95 ₽3,001

2.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.66 ₽2,476

$23.54 ₽1,964

26.00%

Cinema Ticket

$6.62 ₽553

$6.23 ₽520

6.26%

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

$294 ₽24.5K

$343 ₽28.7K

-14.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,411 ₽535.1K

$6,198 ₽517.3K

3.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.4 ₽7,878

$87.1 ₽7,266

8.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$92.6 ₽7,730

$60.4 ₽5,044

53.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 ₽8,986

$119 ₽9,895

-9.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.5 ₽6,551

$109 ₽9,073

-27.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$674 ₽56.2K

$467 ₽39.0K

44.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$426 ₽35.5K

$317 ₽26.5K

34.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,132 ₽94.5K

$916 ₽76.4K

23.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$791 ₽66.0K

$571 ₽47.7K

38.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,456 ₽371.9K

$2,241 ₽187.0K

98.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,402 ₽200.5K

$1,521 ₽126.9K

57.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$985 ₽82.2K

$614 ₽51.3K

60.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.8

21.45

-3.03%

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

Last update for Kazan: October 20, 2026

Last update for Makhachkala: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kazan

$426 35.5%

Makhachkala

$317 30.3% 25.5% $108

Groceries & Markets

Kazan

$206 17.1%

Makhachkala

$209 19.9% 1.3% $2.7

Eating Out

Kazan

$185 15.4%

Makhachkala

$165 15.7% 11% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Kazan

$168 14%

Makhachkala

$169 16.1% 0.4% $0.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kazan

$140 11.6%

Makhachkala

$135 12.9% 3.2% $4.5

Sport & Entertainment

Kazan

$50 4.2%

Makhachkala

$48 4.6% 3.4% $1.7

Getting Around

Kazan

$27 2.2%

Makhachkala

$5.7 * 0.5% 78.7% $21

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 $674 in Kazan and $467 in Makhachkala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kazan pays 60% 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: $40.00 in Kazan vs $36.00 in Makhachkala. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $209, with Kazan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Kazan

🇷🇺 Makhachkala

🕒 Local time

15:32 3:32 PM

Same time as Kazan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,257,341

604,266

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Kazan Makhachkala 1,430 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kazan
Makhachkala

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 Makhachkala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kazan and Makhachkala differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($1,201 vs $1,049 including rent). Makhachkala is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 60% 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: $674 in Kazan versus $467 in Makhachkala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Kazan pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,201 per month in Kazan versus $1,049 in Makhachkala – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,049 in Makhachkala versus $1,201 in Kazan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Makhachkala but tight or insufficient in Kazan. The gap between the two cities makes Makhachkala 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, Kazan and Makhachkala 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 Makhachkala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Kazan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.