Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kostanay and Ulan Ude

For one person, living is cheaper in Kostanay: $962 a month against $1,104 in Ulan Ude, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Kostanay
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Kostanay Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Ulan Ude
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Ulan Ude Living Index

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Kostanay

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$962

/mo nomad

Ulan Ude

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,104

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kostanay and in Ulan Ude

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

A single person spends $962 per month in Kostanay vs $1,104 in Ulan Ude, rent included.

Kostanay $962
Ulan Ude $1,104

A couple spends around $1,452 per month in Kostanay vs $1,731 in Ulan Ude, rent included.

Kostanay $1,452
Ulan Ude $1,731

A family of three spends $1,943 per month in Kostanay vs $2,358 in Ulan Ude, rent included.

Kostanay $1,943
Ulan Ude $2,358

Kostanay is about 13% cheaper than Ulan Ude, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kostanay and Ulan Ude are more affordable than the global median – Kostanay 29% lower, Ulan Ude 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.60 ₸2,532

$7.10 ₽593

-21.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.73 ₸13.0K

$49.25 ₽4,111

-41.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.05 ₸3,186

$7.34 ₽612

-3.95%

Cappuccino

$2.18 ₸988

$3.61 ₽302

-39.61%

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

$1.12 ₸506

$1.79 ₽149

-37.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 ₸389

$1.82 ₽152

-52.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 ₸656

$3.58 ₽299

-59.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 ₸1,181

$5.95 ₽497

-56.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 ₸550

$1.48 ₽124

-17.57%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 ₸235

$0.85 ₽70.6

-38.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ₸474

$1.37 ₽114

-23.36%

Eggs

$2.27 ₸1,026

$2.13 ₽178

6.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.21 ₸4,614

$12.42 ₽1,037

-17.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.72 ₸2,585

$6.62 ₽553

-13.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.33 ₸3,767

$13.42 ₽1,120

-37.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.61 ₸730

$2.13 ₽177

-24.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 ₸1,071

$1.89 ₽157

25.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 ₸831

$1.78 ₽148

3.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.32 ₸1,047

$2.75 ₽230

-15.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 ₸264

$0.69 ₽57.3

-15.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 ₸308

$0.81 ₽67.3

-16.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 ₸548

$2.20 ₽184

-45.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.69 ₽57.6

27.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.51 ₸1,135

$2.89 ₽241

-13.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.47 ₸3,827

$6.74 ₽563

25.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 ₸495

$1.49 ₽125

-26.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ₸1,071

$1.18 ₽98.7

100.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ₸142

$0.47 ₽39.09

-34.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.86 ₽1,991

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.95 ₸430

$1.30 ₽108

-26.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 ₸516

$0.18 ₽15.24

533.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.09 ₸2,755

$7.12 ₽594

-14.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.58 ₸263

$0.86 ₽71.4

-32.56%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$47.8K ₽4.0M

-36.70%

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

$30.5K ₸13.8M

$36.8K ₽3.1M

-17.12%

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

$76.8 ₸34.7K

$93.6 ₽7,812

-17.93%

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

$10.97 ₸4,961

$4.79 ₽400

129.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.99 ₸7,229

$7.75 ₽647

106.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.26 ₸21.8K

$24.29 ₽2,028

98.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.11 ₸9,091

$47.90 ₽3,997

-58.02%

Cinema Ticket

$4.40 ₸1,989

$7.18 ₽599

-38.72%

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

$209 ₸94.5K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,498 ₸2.9M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.3 ₸43.5K

$71.8 ₽5,993

34.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.8 ₸24.3K

$30.52 ₽2,547

76.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 ₸48.6K

$122 ₽10.2K

-12.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.7 ₸42.3K

$122 ₽10.1K

-22.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$402 ₸181.7K

$506 ₽42.2K

-20.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$321 ₸144.9K

$375 ₽31.3K

-14.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$598 ₸270.1K

$775 ₽64.7K

-22.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$494 ₸223.4K

$599 ₽50.0K

-17.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,218 ₸550.5K

$2,103 ₽175.5K

-42.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$925 ₸418.0K

$1,558 ₽130.0K

-40.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 ₸297.0K

$890 ₽74.3K

-26.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.5

21.67

-14.63%

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

Last update for Kostanay: October 20, 2026

Last update for Ulan Ude: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kostanay

$321 33.4%

Ulan Ude

$375 33.9% 16.9% $54

Groceries & Markets

Kostanay

$202 21%

Ulan Ude

$235 21.3% 16.4% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Kostanay

$158 16.4%

Ulan Ude

$156 14.1% 1.4% $2.2

Eating Out

Kostanay

$113 11.7%

Ulan Ude

$166 15.1% 47.9% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kostanay

$104 10.8%

Ulan Ude

$106 9.6% 2.3% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

Kostanay

$57 5.9%

Ulan Ude

$39 3.5% 32.3% $18

Getting Around

Kostanay

$7.9 * 0.8%

Ulan Ude

$28 2.5% 253% $20

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $402 in Kostanay versus $506 in Ulan Ude. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 35% higher in Ulan Ude, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29.00 in Kostanay versus $49.00 in Ulan Ude. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $202 vs $235 – making Kostanay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Kostanay

🇷🇺 Ulan Ude

🕒 Local time

23:45 11:45 PM

01:45 1:45 AM

2 h ahead of Kostanay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

264,446

436,138

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kostanay Ulan Ude 2,930 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kostanay
Ulan Ude

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

Kostanay vs Ulan Ude: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ulan Ude costs about 15% more than Kostanay, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,443 per month in Kostanay and $1,657 in Ulan Ude. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kostanay, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $962 in Kostanay and $1,104 in Ulan Ude. That's a gap of about 15%.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Ulan Ude, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kostanay, where all-in costs run around $962, than in Ulan Ude at $1,104. In Kostanay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ulan Ude it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kostanay – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Kostanay. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ulan Ude makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.