Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kazan and Ulyanovsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulyanovsk: $898 a month against $1,201 in Kazan, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Ulyanovsk
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Ulyanovsk Living Index

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Kazan

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,201

/mo nomad

Ulyanovsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$898

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kazan and in Ulyanovsk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,201 in Kazan versus $898 in Ulyanovsk.

Kazan $1,201
Ulyanovsk $898

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,877 in Kazan versus $1,386 in Ulyanovsk.

Kazan $1,877
Ulyanovsk $1,386

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,552 in Kazan versus $1,874 in Ulyanovsk.

Kazan $2,552
Ulyanovsk $1,874

Living in Kazan is roughly 34% more expensive than in Ulyanovsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kazan 11% lower, Ulyanovsk 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.11 ₽1,094

$8.40 ₽701

56.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.04 ₽3,342

$30.41 ₽2,538

31.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.16 ₽514

$6.44 ₽538

-4.35%

Cappuccino

$3.33 ₽278

$2.29 ₽191

45.41%

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

$1.45 ₽121

$0.93 ₽77.8

55.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₽46.56

$0.36 ₽29.97

55.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.84 ₽154

$1.76 ₽147

4.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₽197

$1.96 ₽164

20.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 ₽92.5

$1.04 ₽86.9

6.73%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 ₽59.1

$0.62 ₽51.3

14.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 ₽132

$1.04 ₽87.2

51.92%

Eggs

$1.51 ₽126

$1.49 ₽124

1.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.43 ₽954

$14.58 ₽1,217

-21.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.60 ₽384

$7.43 ₽620

-38.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.68 ₽891

$7.35 ₽613

45.31%

Apples (1kg)

$1.97 ₽164

$1.59 ₽133

23.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ₽142

$1.55 ₽129

9.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 ₽157

$4.05 ₽338

-53.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.14 ₽262

$4.90 ₽409

-35.92%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 ₽71.0

$1.49 ₽124

-42.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 ₽48.17

$0.84 ₽70.0

-30.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 ₽122

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₽60.1

$0.53 ₽44.15

35.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.03 ₽253

$3.09 ₽258

-1.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 ₽659

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ₽84.5

$1.07 ₽89.2

-5.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ₽156

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ₽47.94

$0.44 ₽36.70

29.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.17 ₽1,600

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.39 ₽200

$3.52 ₽294

-32.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ₽46.76

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 ₽593

$3.61 ₽301

96.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 ₽72.3

$0.87 ₽72.5

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

$52.8K ₽4.4M

$53.4K ₽4.5M

-1.06%

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

$41.9K ₽3.5M

$41.0K ₽3.4M

2.25%

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

$127 ₽10.6K

$141 ₽11.8K

-9.96%

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

$5.28 ₽441

$4.81 ₽401

9.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.10 ₽592

$13.69 ₽1,143

-48.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.85 ₽3,075

$36.46 ₽3,043

1.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.66 ₽2,476

$24.86 ₽2,075

19.31%

Cinema Ticket

$6.62 ₽553

$8.51 ₽711

-22.21%

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

$294 ₽24.5K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,411 ₽535.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.4 ₽7,878

$30.17 ₽2,518

212.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$92.6 ₽7,730

$35.74 ₽2,983

159.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 ₽8,986

$95.2 ₽7,942

13.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.5 ₽6,551

$59.7 ₽4,979

31.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$674 ₽56.2K

$362 ₽30.2K

86.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$426 ₽35.5K

$243 ₽20.3K

75.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,132 ₽94.5K

$493 ₽41.1K

129.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$791 ₽66.0K

$431 ₽36.0K

83.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,456 ₽371.9K

$2,620 ₽218.7K

70.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,402 ₽200.5K

$1,519 ₽126.7K

58.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$985 ₽82.2K

$509 ₽42.5K

93.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.8

-9.57%

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

Last update for Kazan: October 20, 2026

Last update for Ulyanovsk: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kazan

$426 35.5%

Ulyanovsk

$243 27.1% 42.9% $183

Groceries & Markets

Kazan

$206 17.1%

Ulyanovsk

$205 * 22.9% 0.2% $0.5

Eating Out

Kazan

$185 15.4%

Ulyanovsk

$132 14.7% 28.8% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Kazan

$168 14%

Ulyanovsk

$99 11.1% 40.8% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kazan

$140 11.6%

Ulyanovsk

$160 17.8% 14.4% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Kazan

$50 4.2%

Ulyanovsk

$53 6% 6.8% $3.4

Getting Around

Kazan

$27 2.2%

Ulyanovsk

$5.3 * 0.6% 80.2% $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 $362 in Ulyanovsk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kazan pays 93% 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 $30.00 in Ulyanovsk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $205 per month, with Ulyanovsk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Kazan

🇷🇺 Ulyanovsk

🕒 Local time

14:07 2:07 PM

15:07 3:07 PM

1 h ahead of Kazan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,257,341

627,705

💱 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

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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 Ulyanovsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kazan and Ulyanovsk differ by about 34% in total monthly costs ($1,201 vs $898 including rent). Ulyanovsk is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 93% 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 $362 in Ulyanovsk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ulyanovsk – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $40.00 in Kazan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,201 per month in Kazan versus $898 in Ulyanovsk – a 34% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $898 in Ulyanovsk versus $1,201 in Kazan, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ulyanovsk but tight or insufficient in Kazan. The gap between the two cities makes Ulyanovsk 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 Ulyanovsk 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 Ulyanovsk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Kazan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.