Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Moscow and Arkhangelsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Arkhangelsk: $1,168 a month against $1,887 in Moscow, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Moscow
Learn more

Moscow Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Arkhangelsk
Learn more

Arkhangelsk Living Index

Jump to prices

Moscow

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,887

/mo nomad

Arkhangelsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,168

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Moscow and in Arkhangelsk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,887 in Moscow versus $1,168 in Arkhangelsk.

Moscow $1,887
Arkhangelsk $1,168

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,893 in Moscow versus $1,801 in Arkhangelsk.

Moscow $2,893
Arkhangelsk $1,801

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,899 in Moscow versus $2,434 in Arkhangelsk.

Moscow $3,899
Arkhangelsk $2,434

Living in Moscow is roughly 62% more expensive than in Arkhangelsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Moscow is 39% above, Arkhangelsk is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.20 ₽1,018

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.3 ₽4,952

$49.21 ₽4,107

20.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.06 ₽589

$9.90 ₽826

-28.69%

Cappuccino

$3.90 ₽326

$3.67 ₽306

6.27%

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

$1.70 ₽142

$2.36 ₽197

-27.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 ₽71.6

$2.41 ₽201

-64.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.92 ₽411

$3.65 ₽304

34.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 ₽437

$6.03 ₽503

-13.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 ₽103

$1.07 ₽88.9

14.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 ₽85.2

$0.94 ₽78.2

8.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 ₽147

$1.78 ₽148

-0.56%

Eggs

$1.97 ₽164

$1.76 ₽147

11.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.72 ₽1,229

$8.36 ₽698

76.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.97 ₽582

$6.12 ₽511

13.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.33 ₽1,279

$13.38 ₽1,116

14.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ₽179

$2.45 ₽204

-12.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 ₽150

$1.79 ₽149

0.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 ₽171

$1.18 ₽98.3

73.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 ₽333

$2.49 ₽208

60.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 ₽77.6

$0.88 ₽73.2

5.68%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 ₽59.8

$0.50 ₽41.38

44.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 ₽138

$0.47 ₽38.99

251.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ₽83.6

$0.63 ₽52.5

58.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.61 ₽301

$2.98 ₽249

21.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.11 ₽1,011

$8.53 ₽712

41.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₽103

$0.89 ₽74.4

38.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 ₽220

$3.09 ₽258

-14.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 ₽83.6

$0.59 ₽49.65

69.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.43 ₽3,541

$51.6 ₽4,307

-17.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 ₽298

$4.97 ₽414

-28.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 ₽67.7

$0.18 ₽15.17

350.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.22 ₽1,020

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 ₽78.5

$0.79 ₽65.7

18.99%

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

$43.9K ₽3.7M

$52.5K ₽4.4M

-16.48%

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

$39.5K ₽3.3M

$40.1K ₽3.3M

-1.31%

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

$195 ₽16.2K

$114 ₽9,507

70.90%

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

$8.83 ₽737

$9.53 ₽796

-7.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.13 ₽845

$17.79 ₽1,485

-43.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.77 ₽3,570

$54.6 ₽4,557

-21.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.27 ₽3,779

$48.61 ₽4,057

-6.87%

Cinema Ticket

$9.48 ₽791

$9.73 ₽812

-2.57%

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

$850 ₽70.9K

$183 ₽15.2K

365.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.1K ₽2.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 ₽9,237

$85.4 ₽7,127

29.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 ₽5,709

$36.31 ₽3,030

88.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$148 ₽12.4K

$72.6 ₽6,059

104.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$184 ₽15.4K

$95.5 ₽7,968

93.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,480 ₽123.5K

$600 ₽50.1K

146.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$846 ₽70.6K

$428 ₽35.7K

97.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,083 ₽257.3K

$846 ₽70.6K

264.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,542 ₽128.7K

$719 ₽60.0K

114.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.1K ₽844.1K

$1,367 ₽114.1K

639.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,782 ₽399.1K

$859 ₽71.7K

456.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,743 ₽145.4K

$554 ₽46.3K

214.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.56

-14.96%

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

Last update for Moscow: October 19, 2026

Last update for Arkhangelsk: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Moscow

$846 44.8%

Arkhangelsk

$428 36.7% 49.4% $418

Groceries & Markets

Moscow

$271 14.3%

Arkhangelsk

$211 18.1% 22.1% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Moscow

$230 12.2%

Arkhangelsk

$130 11.2% 43.3% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Moscow

$214 11.3%

Arkhangelsk

$141 12.1% 33.9% $72

Eating Out

Moscow

$211 11.2%

Arkhangelsk

$123 * 10.5% 41.6% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Moscow

$62 3.3%

Arkhangelsk

$74 6.3% 20% $12

Getting Around

Moscow

$54 2.9%

Arkhangelsk

$60 5.1% 10.7% $5.8

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 $1,480 in Moscow and $600 in Arkhangelsk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Moscow pays 214% 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: $59.0 in Moscow vs $49.00 in Arkhangelsk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $271 vs $211 per month, with Arkhangelsk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Moscow

🇷🇺 Arkhangelsk

🕒 Local time

20:45 8:45 PM

Same time as Moscow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,700,000 Capital

344,927

💱 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

Moscow Arkhangelsk 990 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Moscow
Arkhangelsk

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

Moscow vs Arkhangelsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Moscow and Arkhangelsk differ by about 62% in total monthly costs ($1,887 vs $1,168 including rent). Arkhangelsk is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 214% higher in Moscow, 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: $1,480 in Moscow versus $600 in Arkhangelsk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,887 per month in Moscow versus $1,168 in Arkhangelsk – a 62% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Arkhangelsk runs roughly 22% less than in Moscow. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,168 in Arkhangelsk versus $1,887 in Moscow, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Arkhangelsk but tight or insufficient in Moscow. The gap between the two cities makes Arkhangelsk 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.

Expats usually find Arkhangelsk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Moscow. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.