Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kretinga and Kaunas

For one person, living is cheaper in Kretinga: $1,261 a month against $1,509 in Kaunas, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Kretinga, Lithuania
Kaunas, Lithuania
Kretinga
🇱🇹 Lithuania
$1,261
/mo nomad
Kaunas
🇱🇹 Lithuania
$1,509
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kretinga and in Kaunas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,261 in Kretinga versus $1,509 in Kaunas.

  • Kretinga $1,261
  • Kaunas $1,509

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,981 in Kretinga versus $2,259 in Kaunas.

  • Kretinga $1,981
  • Kaunas $2,259

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,702 in Kretinga versus $3,008 in Kaunas.

  • Kretinga $2,702
  • Kaunas $3,008

Living in Kretinga costs roughly 16% less than in Kaunas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kretinga is 7% below, Kaunas is 11% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kretinga
Kaunas
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.36 €11.10
$12.03 €10.80
2.74%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$49.97 €44.89
$67.5 €60.6
-25.95%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.64 €5.97
$10.20 €9.16
-34.90%
Cappuccino
$3.17 €2.84
$3.43 €3.08
-7.58%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.42 €2.18
$3.36 €3.02
-27.98%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.92 €1.73
$3.24 €2.91
-40.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.70 €5.12
$5.24 €4.71
8.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.57 €4.10
$4.54 €4.08
0.66%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kretinga
Kaunas
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.27 €1.14
$1.61 €1.45
-21.12%
White Bread (500g)
$1.47 €1.32
$1.72 €1.54
-14.53%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.80 €1.61
$2.26 €2.03
-20.35%
Eggs
$2.87 €2.58
$3.24 €2.91
-11.42%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.23 €9.19
$14.95 €13.43
-31.57%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.57 €5.00
$8.13 €7.30
-31.49%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.77 €8.77
$13.49 €12.12
-27.58%
Apples (1kg)
$1.66 €1.49
$1.59 €1.42
4.40%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 €1.28
$1.49 €1.34
-4.70%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.71 €1.54
$2.18 €1.96
-21.56%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.98 €2.67
$3.36 €3.02
-11.31%
Potato (1kg)
$0.78 €0.70
$0.91 €0.82
-14.29%
Onion (1kg)
$0.76 €0.69
$0.94 €0.85
-19.15%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$1.82 €1.64
-19.23%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.81 €0.72
$0.93 €0.83
-12.90%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.85 €5.25
$6.25 €5.61
-6.40%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.20 €7.37
$10.03 €9.01
-18.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 €1.51
$1.74 €1.56
-3.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.69 €1.52
$2.15 €1.93
-21.40%
🚌 Getting Around
Kretinga
Kaunas
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.07 €0.96
$1.15 €1.03
-6.96%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$33.60 €30.18
$31.91 €28.67
5.30%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.99 €2.69
$1.14 €1.02
162.28%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.87 €0.78
$0.89 €0.80
-2.25%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.43 €12.06
$15.76 €14.16
-14.78%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.88 €1.69
$2.01 €1.81
-6.47%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.6K €24.8K
$27.8K €25.0K
-0.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.6K €24.8K
$28.1K €25.2K
-1.52%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kretinga
Kaunas
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$201 €180
$196 €176
2.22%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.80 €12.39
$15.98 €14.36
-13.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$14.30 €12.85
$15.68 €14.09
-8.80%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kretinga
Kaunas
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.37 €33.57
$32.37 €29.08
15.45%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.98 €17.95
$27.72 €24.90
-27.92%
Cinema Ticket
$9.03 €8.11
$11.93 €10.71
-24.31%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kretinga
Kaunas
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$525 €472
$643 €577
-18.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,168 €8,236
$8,792 €7,898
4.28%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kretinga
Kaunas
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$92.9 €83.5
$85.8 €77.1
8.36%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.70 €37.46
$40.41 €36.30
3.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$82.1 €73.7
$119 €107
-31.18%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$127 €114
$162 €146
-21.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kretinga
Kaunas
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$641 €576
$710 €637
-9.65%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$345 €310
$490 €440
-29.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$731 €657
$1,056 €949
-30.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$716 €643
$698 €627
2.46%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,127 €2,809
$3,369 €3,026
-7.19%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,641 €1,474
$2,272 €2,041
-27.77%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kretinga
Kaunas
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,390 €1,248
$1,718 €1,543
-19.11%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.99
4.05
-1.48%

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

Last update for Kretinga: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kaunas: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Kretinga
$345
Kaunas
$490 41.8% $144
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kretinga
$229
Kaunas
$228 0.3% $0.8
Groceries & Markets
Kretinga
$220
Kaunas
$280 27.1% $60
Eating Out
Kretinga
$212
Kaunas
$230 8.4% $18
Clothing & Footwear
Kretinga
$155
Kaunas
$183 18.6% $29
Sport & Entertainment
Kretinga
$55
Kaunas
$56 1.4% $0.8
Getting Around
Kretinga
$45
Kaunas
$42 6.8% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $641 in Kretinga and $710 in Kaunas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kaunas pays 24% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $50 in Kretinga vs $67 in Kaunas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $220 vs $280 per month, with Kretinga cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇱🇹 Kretinga
🇱🇹 Kaunas
🕒 Local time
20:45 8:45 PM
20:45 8:45 PM
Same time as Kretinga
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
19,010
315,993
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kretinga Kaunas 200 km
From you
  • Kretinga
  • Kaunas

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
Kretinga vs Kaunas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Kretinga or Kaunas?
Kretinga wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Kaunas. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kretinga the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Kretinga or in Kaunas?
On paper, salaries run 19% lower in Kretinga. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Kretinga compared to Kaunas?
Rent for a central apartment: $641 in Kretinga versus $710 in Kaunas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Kretinga and in Kaunas?
Dining out is cheaper in Kretinga – a meal for two runs $50 versus $67 in Kaunas. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Kretinga compared to Kaunas?
All in, you’ll spend $1,261 per month in Kretinga versus $1,509 in Kaunas – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Kretinga or in Kaunas?
At $1,261 in Kretinga versus $1,509 in Kaunas, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kretinga but tight or insufficient in Kaunas. The gap between the two cities makes Kretinga the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Kretinga or Kaunas?
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.
How safe is Kretinga compared to Kaunas?
Safety-wise, Kretinga and Kaunas are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Should I move to Kretinga or to Kaunas?
It comes down to priorities – Kretinga wins on affordability, Kaunas on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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