Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Moscow and Gatchina

For one person, living is cheaper in Gatchina: $1,129 a month against $1,887 in Moscow, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Moscow
Learn more

Moscow Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Gatchina
Learn more

Gatchina Living Index

Jump to prices

Moscow

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,887

/mo nomad

Gatchina

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,129

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Moscow and in Gatchina

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,887 in Moscow versus $1,129 in Gatchina.

Moscow $1,887
Gatchina $1,129

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,893 in Moscow versus $1,755 in Gatchina.

Moscow $2,893
Gatchina $1,755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,899 in Moscow versus $2,381 in Gatchina.

Moscow $3,899
Gatchina $2,381

Living in Moscow is roughly 67% more expensive than in Gatchina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Moscow is 39% above, Gatchina is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.20 ₽1,018

$12.11 ₽1,010

0.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.3 ₽4,952

$42.53 ₽3,550

39.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.06 ₽589

$6.55 ₽547

7.79%

Cappuccino

$3.90 ₽326

$3.18 ₽265

22.64%

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

$1.70 ₽142

$1.56 ₽130

8.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 ₽71.6

$0.73 ₽60.7

17.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.92 ₽411

$3.01 ₽251

63.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 ₽437

$3.61 ₽301

44.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 ₽103

$1.13 ₽94.3

8.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 ₽85.2

$0.98 ₽82.1

4.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 ₽147

$1.65 ₽137

7.27%

Eggs

$1.97 ₽164

$1.64 ₽137

20.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.72 ₽1,229

$12.31 ₽1,028

19.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.97 ₽582

$6.61 ₽551

5.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.33 ₽1,279

$12.51 ₽1,044

22.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ₽179

$1.70 ₽142

26.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 ₽150

$1.63 ₽136

10.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 ₽171

$1.75 ₽146

17.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 ₽333

$3.13 ₽261

27.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 ₽77.6

$0.84 ₽70.3

10.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 ₽59.8

$0.66 ₽55.0

9.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 ₽138

$1.30 ₽109

26.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ₽83.6

$0.80 ₽66.6

25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.61 ₽301

$3.05 ₽255

18.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.11 ₽1,011

$8.69 ₽725

39.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₽103

$1.16 ₽96.8

6.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 ₽220

$1.97 ₽164

34.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 ₽83.6

$0.50 ₽41.51

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.43 ₽3,541

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 ₽298

$2.78 ₽232

28.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 ₽67.7

$0.35 ₽29.03

131.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.22 ₽1,020

$8.90 ₽743

37.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 ₽78.5

$0.87 ₽72.2

8.05%

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

$43.9K ₽3.7M

$42.0K ₽3.5M

4.52%

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

$39.5K ₽3.3M

$36.5K ₽3.0M

8.32%

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

$195 ₽16.2K

$151 ₽12.6K

28.53%

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

$8.83 ₽737

$7.52 ₽628

17.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.13 ₽845

$9.04 ₽755

12.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.77 ₽3,570

$41.30 ₽3,447

3.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.27 ₽3,779

$24.17 ₽2,017

87.30%

Cinema Ticket

$9.48 ₽791

$7.24 ₽604

30.94%

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

$850 ₽70.9K

$353 ₽29.4K

140.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.1K ₽2.4M

$6,170 ₽514.9K

370.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 ₽9,237

$96.9 ₽8,084

14.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 ₽5,709

$52.7 ₽4,396

29.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$148 ₽12.4K

$141 ₽11.8K

4.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$184 ₽15.4K

$123 ₽10.3K

49.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,480 ₽123.5K

$494 ₽41.2K

199.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$846 ₽70.6K

$298 ₽24.9K

183.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,083 ₽257.3K

$984 ₽82.1K

213.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,542 ₽128.7K

$522 ₽43.6K

195.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.1K ₽844.1K

$2,198 ₽183.5K

360.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,782 ₽399.1K

$1,319 ₽110.1K

262.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,743 ₽145.4K

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 Moscow: October 19, 2026

Last update for Gatchina: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Moscow

$846 44.8%

Gatchina

$298 26.4% 64.8% $548

Groceries & Markets

Moscow

$271 14.3%

Gatchina

$228 20.2% 15.6% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Moscow

$230 12.2%

Gatchina

$186 16.5% 19.1% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Moscow

$214 11.3%

Gatchina

$168 14.9% 21.4% $46

Eating Out

Moscow

$211 11.2%

Gatchina

$186 16.5% 11.8% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Moscow

$62 3.3%

Gatchina

$56 4.9% 9.6% $5.9

Getting Around

Moscow

$54 2.9%

Gatchina

$6.5 * 0.6% 88% $48

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 $494 in Gatchina. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $59.0 in Moscow vs $43.00 in Gatchina for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $271 vs $228 per month, with Gatchina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Moscow

🇷🇺 Gatchina

🕒 Local time

15:29 3:29 PM

Same time as Moscow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,700,000 Capital

94,377

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Moscow Gatchina 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Moscow
Gatchina

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 Gatchina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gatchina wins on cost – living expenses run 67% lower than in Moscow. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Gatchina the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,831 in Moscow and $1,694 in Gatchina to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,480 in Moscow versus $494 in Gatchina. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $850 in Moscow versus $353 in Gatchina. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Gatchina – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $59.0 in Moscow. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,129 in Gatchina versus $1,887 in Moscow, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Gatchina but tight or insufficient in Moscow. The gap between the two cities makes Gatchina the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Gatchina delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,129 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Gatchina hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Gatchina gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Moscow. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.