Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kostroma and Saint Petersburg

For one person, living costs are similar in Kostroma and in Saint Petersburg: $1,312 and $1,334 a month, rent and utilities included.

62

Cost of Living Index in Kostroma
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Kostroma Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Saint Petersburg
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Saint Petersburg Living Index

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Kostroma

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,312

/mo nomad

Saint Petersburg

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,334

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kostroma and in Saint Petersburg

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

A single person spends $1,312 per month in Kostroma vs $1,334 in Saint Petersburg, rent included.

Kostroma $1,312
Saint Petersburg $1,334

A couple spends around $2,085 per month in Kostroma vs $2,131 in Saint Petersburg, rent included.

Kostroma $2,085
Saint Petersburg $2,131

A family of three spends $2,859 per month in Kostroma vs $2,927 in Saint Petersburg, rent included.

Kostroma $2,859
Saint Petersburg $2,927

Kostroma is about 2% cheaper than Saint Petersburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Kostroma and Saint Petersburg are more affordable than the global median – Kostroma 3% lower, Saint Petersburg 2% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 ₽1,002

$11.86 ₽990

1.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.1 ₽5,102

$41.90 ₽3,497

45.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.20 ₽601

$6.51 ₽544

10.60%

Cappuccino

$3.91 ₽326

$3.21 ₽268

21.81%

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

$1.62 ₽136

$1.63 ₽136

-0.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 ₽71.1

$0.78 ₽64.8

8.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.80 ₽150

$3.04 ₽254

-40.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.29 ₽441

$3.72 ₽310

42.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₽103

$1.17 ₽97.9

5.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 ₽84.3

$1.00 ₽83.4

1.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 ₽140

$1.69 ₽141

-0.59%

Eggs

$1.88 ₽157

$1.64 ₽137

14.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.95 ₽1,248

$12.32 ₽1,028

21.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.93 ₽578

$6.62 ₽553

4.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.95 ₽1,248

$12.56 ₽1,048

19.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 ₽181

$1.77 ₽147

22.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 ₽152

$1.62 ₽135

12.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 ₽165

$1.75 ₽146

13.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 ₽330

$3.27 ₽273

21.10%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 ₽74.0

$0.84 ₽70.3

5.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 ₽58.7

$0.66 ₽54.7

6.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 ₽137

$1.29 ₽108

27.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ₽78.0

$0.76 ₽63.6

22.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.49 ₽291

$3.07 ₽256

13.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.31 ₽1,027

$8.59 ₽717

43.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 ₽102

$1.20 ₽101

1.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 ₽212

$2.01 ₽168

26.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 ₽45.15

$1.05 ₽87.2

-48.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 ₽4,440

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.62 ₽302

$2.74 ₽229

32.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 ₽28.73

$0.62 ₽51.6

-45.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.94 ₽996

$8.74 ₽730

36.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 ₽73.3

$0.93 ₽77.4

-5.38%

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

$42.4K ₽3.5M

$40.9K ₽3.4M

3.48%

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

$40.1K ₽3.3M

$36.2K ₽3.0M

10.67%

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

$191 ₽16.0K

$151 ₽12.6K

26.72%

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

$8.70 ₽726

$7.75 ₽647

12.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.88 ₽825

$8.66 ₽723

14.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.32 ₽3,365

$41.26 ₽3,444

-2.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.01 ₽2,087

$42.73 ₽3,567

-41.47%

Cinema Ticket

$9.47 ₽791

$7.46 ₽622

26.94%

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

$344 ₽28.7K

$633 ₽52.9K

-45.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,317 ₽527.2K

$17.4K ₽1.5M

-63.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 ₽9,511

$98.5 ₽8,224

15.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.6 ₽5,645

$52.9 ₽4,412

27.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$148 ₽12.3K

$138 ₽11.5K

7.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$189 ₽15.8K

$121 ₽10.1K

56.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₽41.8K

$741 ₽61.8K

-32.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 ₽28.3K

$447 ₽37.3K

-24.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$837 ₽69.9K

$1,620 ₽135.2K

-48.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$643 ₽53.6K

$939 ₽78.4K

-31.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,226 ₽185.8K

$4,469 ₽373.0K

-50.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,489 ₽124.3K

$2,803 ₽233.9K

-46.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$762 ₽63.6K

$1,187 ₽99.1K

-35.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.56

19.81

-1.26%

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

Last update for Kostroma: October 18, 2026

Last update for Saint Petersburg: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kostroma

$340 25.9%

Saint Petersburg

$447 33.5% 31.7% $108

Groceries & Markets

Kostroma

$268 20.4%

Saint Petersburg

$230 17.2% 14.2% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Kostroma

$233 17.8%

Saint Petersburg

$185 13.9% 20.8% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kostroma

$210 16%

Saint Petersburg

$167 12.6% 20.3% $43

Eating Out

Kostroma

$194 14.8%

Saint Petersburg

$185 13.9% 4.6% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Kostroma

$59 4.5%

Saint Petersburg

$56 4.2% 5.2% $3.1

Getting Around

Kostroma

$7.5 * 0.6%

Saint Petersburg

$63 4.7% 743% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $500 in Kostroma versus $741 in Saint Petersburg. 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 56% higher in Saint Petersburg, 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 $61.0 in Kostroma versus $42.00 in Saint Petersburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $230 – making Saint Petersburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Kostroma

🇷🇺 Saint Petersburg

🕒 Local time

13:52 1:52 PM

Same time as Kostroma

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

277,393

5,597,763

💱 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

Kostroma Saint Petersburg 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kostroma
Saint Petersburg

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

Kostroma vs Saint Petersburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saint Petersburg costs about 2% more than Kostroma, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,968 per month in Kostroma and $2,001 in Saint Petersburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Kostroma and $42.00 in Saint Petersburg. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 17% cheaper in Saint Petersburg – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kostroma, where all-in costs run around $1,312, than in Saint Petersburg at $1,334. In Kostroma it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saint Petersburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kostroma costs $1,312 versus $1,334 in Saint Petersburg. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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