Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Moscow and Kaluga

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaluga: $1,021 a month against $1,843 in Moscow, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Moscow
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Moscow Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Kaluga
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Kaluga Living Index

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Moscow

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,843

/mo nomad

Kaluga

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,021

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Moscow and in Kaluga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,843 in Moscow versus $1,021 in Kaluga.

Moscow $1,843
Kaluga $1,021

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,822 in Moscow versus $1,594 in Kaluga.

Moscow $2,822
Kaluga $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,801 in Moscow versus $2,168 in Kaluga.

Moscow $3,801
Kaluga $2,168

Living in Moscow is roughly 81% more expensive than in Kaluga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Moscow is 36% above, Kaluga is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 ₽995

$10.25 ₽840

18.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.2 ₽5,095

$37.27 ₽3,055

66.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.31 ₽599

$4.96 ₽407

47.38%

Cappuccino

$3.72 ₽305

$2.62 ₽215

41.98%

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

$1.67 ₽137

$0.92 ₽75.3

81.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₽67.7

$0.58 ₽47.85

43.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.03 ₽412

$1.44 ₽118

249.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.84 ₽397

$1.82 ₽149

165.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₽102

$1.26 ₽103

-1.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 ₽81.6

$0.99 ₽81.5

1.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 ₽140

$2.42 ₽198

-29.34%

Eggs

$1.90 ₽156

$2.05 ₽168

-7.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.34 ₽1,176

$13.66 ₽1,120

4.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 ₽545

$6.81 ₽558

-2.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.53 ₽1,191

$14.45 ₽1,185

0.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 ₽170

$1.83 ₽150

13.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 ₽155

$1.72 ₽141

9.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 ₽157

$1.71 ₽140

11.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 ₽325

$2.86 ₽234

38.46%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 ₽76.1

$0.54 ₽44.61

72.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 ₽57.5

$0.56 ₽45.61

25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.64 ₽134

$1.49 ₽122

10.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ₽75.2

$0.82 ₽67.1

12.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.50 ₽287

$3.18 ₽261

10.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.25 ₽1,004

$8.61 ₽705

42.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 ₽96.7

$1.21 ₽99.4

-2.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 ₽208

$2.73 ₽224

-6.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 ₽77.6

$0.45 ₽36.53

111.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.83 ₽3,511

$18.83 ₽1,544

127.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 ₽295

$0.95 ₽77.5

278.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 ₽62.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.20 ₽918

$6.71 ₽550

66.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 ₽73.5

$0.86 ₽70.3

4.65%

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

$42.9K ₽3.5M

$53.1K ₽4.4M

-19.29%

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

$40.0K ₽3.3M

$41.8K ₽3.4M

-4.18%

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

$177 ₽14.5K

$126 ₽10.3K

40.51%

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

$8.76 ₽718

$6.13 ₽503

42.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.72 ₽797

$9.38 ₽769

3.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.21 ₽3,460

$49.75 ₽4,078

-15.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.14 ₽3,782

$24.64 ₽2,019

87.26%

Cinema Ticket

$9.50 ₽779

$3.65 ₽299

160.27%

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

$869 ₽71.2K

$341 ₽28.0K

154.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K ₽2.5M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 ₽8,709

$97.7 ₽8,004

8.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.5 ₽5,535

$37.38 ₽3,064

80.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$144 ₽11.8K

$184 ₽15.0K

-21.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$179 ₽14.7K

$94.5 ₽7,744

89.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,481 ₽121.4K

$302 ₽24.8K

390.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$837 ₽68.6K

$223 ₽18.2K

275.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,018 ₽247.4K

$627 ₽51.4K

381.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,487 ₽121.9K

$367 ₽30.1K

304.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,639 ₽790.1K

$1,541 ₽126.3K

525.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,728 ₽387.5K

$1,302 ₽106.7K

263.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,804 ₽147.9K

$662 ₽54.2K

172.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.36

23.12

-16.26%

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

Last update for Moscow: November 3, 2026

Last update for Kaluga: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Moscow

$837 45.4%

Kaluga

$223 21.8% 73.4% $614

Groceries & Markets

Moscow

$263 14.3%

Kaluga

$247 24.2% 6.3% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Moscow

$223 12.1%

Kaluga

$186 18.2% 16.8% $38

Eating Out

Moscow

$208 11.3%

Kaluga

$145 14.2% 30.4% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Moscow

$196 10.6%

Kaluga

$142 13.9% 27.6% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Moscow

$61 3.3%

Kaluga

$57 5.6% 6.8% $4.2

Getting Around

Moscow

$54 2.9%

Kaluga

$22 * 2.1% 60.1% $32

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 $1,481 in Moscow and $302 in Kaluga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Moscow pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Moscow vs $37 in Kaluga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $263 vs $247 per month, with Kaluga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Moscow

🇷🇺 Kaluga

🕒 Local time

07:04 7:04 AM

Same time as Moscow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,700,000 Capital

331,842

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.22 USD

100 RUB = 1.08 EUR

100 RUB = 1.22 USD

100 RUB = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Moscow Kaluga 160 km

From you

Moscow
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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 Kaluga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,843 in Moscow and $1,021 in Kaluga, so Kaluga is about 45% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Moscow is about 2.7 times higher, 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: $1,481 in Moscow versus $302 in Kaluga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kaluga runs roughly 56% less than in Moscow. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $869 in Moscow versus $341 in Kaluga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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 Kaluga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Moscow. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.