Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Novokuznetsk and Saint Petersburg

For one person, living costs are similar in Novokuznetsk and in Saint Petersburg: $1,382 and $1,326 a month, rent and utilities included.

67

Cost of Living Index in Novokuznetsk
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Novokuznetsk Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Saint Petersburg
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Saint Petersburg Living Index

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Novokuznetsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,382

/mo nomad

Saint Petersburg

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,326

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Novokuznetsk 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 Novokuznetsk and in Saint Petersburg actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,382 in Novokuznetsk versus $1,326 in Saint Petersburg.

Novokuznetsk $1,382
Saint Petersburg $1,326

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,238 in Novokuznetsk versus $2,102 in Saint Petersburg.

Novokuznetsk $2,238
Saint Petersburg $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,093 in Novokuznetsk versus $2,878 in Saint Petersburg.

Novokuznetsk $3,093
Saint Petersburg $2,878

Living in Novokuznetsk is roughly 4% more expensive than in Saint Petersburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Novokuznetsk is 2% above, Saint Petersburg is 2% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.84 ₽988

$11.75 ₽981

0.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.7 ₽4,901

$41.76 ₽3,485

40.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.69 ₽559

$6.59 ₽550

1.52%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₽209

$3.11 ₽260

-19.29%

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

$2.04 ₽170

$1.55 ₽129

31.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 ₽95.4

$0.72 ₽60.0

58.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.10 ₽342

$2.89 ₽241

41.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.82 ₽486

$3.68 ₽307

58.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 ₽117

$1.09 ₽91.4

29.36%

White Bread (500g)

$0.81 ₽67.4

$0.92 ₽76.6

-11.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 ₽114

$1.69 ₽141

-18.93%

Eggs

$1.57 ₽131

$1.68 ₽140

-6.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 ₽715

$12.48 ₽1,042

-31.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.90 ₽576

$6.41 ₽535

7.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.35 ₽780

$12.22 ₽1,020

-23.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 ₽167

$1.69 ₽141

18.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 ₽189

$1.66 ₽138

36.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ₽193

$1.73 ₽145

34.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.00 ₽334

$3.06 ₽255

30.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 ₽72.9

$0.85 ₽70.7

2.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₽49.07

$0.60 ₽50.0

-1.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 ₽121

$1.28 ₽107

13.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₽56.3

$0.78 ₽65.3

-14.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.65 ₽305

$2.92 ₽244

25.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.90 ₽493

$8.40 ₽701

-29.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ₽150

$1.15 ₽95.6

56.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ₽222

$1.98 ₽165

33.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ₽47.78

$1.02 ₽85.1

-44.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.95 ₽2,500

$53.9 ₽4,502

-44.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 ₽145

$2.92 ₽243

-40.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 ₽48.43

$0.62 ₽51.9

-6.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.61 ₽719

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 ₽68.1

$0.92 ₽77.0

-10.87%

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

$32.5K ₽2.7M

$35.2K ₽2.9M

-7.64%

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

$33.8K ₽2.8M

$32.9K ₽2.7M

2.86%

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

$221 ₽18.4K

$152 ₽12.7K

45.63%

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

$4.98 ₽415

$7.33 ₽612

-32.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.36 ₽531

$8.55 ₽713

-25.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.6 ₽4,225

$39.05 ₽3,260

29.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.86 ₽2,325

$42.28 ₽3,529

-34.11%

Cinema Ticket

$7.32 ₽611

$7.20 ₽601

1.67%

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

$673 ₽56.2K

$625 ₽52.2K

7.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K ₽1.5M

$17.1K ₽1.4M

1.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$140 ₽11.7K

$97.2 ₽8,110

44.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$84.2 ₽7,029

$51.8 ₽4,325

62.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$181 ₽15.1K

$134 ₽11.2K

35.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$364 ₽30.4K

$122 ₽10.1K

199.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$452 ₽37.7K

$742 ₽62.0K

-39.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$293 ₽24.4K

$452 ₽37.7K

-35.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$955 ₽79.7K

$1,599 ₽133.5K

-40.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$670 ₽56.0K

$919 ₽76.7K

-27.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,205 ₽184.1K

$4,496 ₽375.3K

-50.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,479 ₽123.4K

$2,811 ₽234.6K

-47.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$561 ₽46.9K

$1,150 ₽96.0K

-51.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.75

19.81

14.84%

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

Last update for Novokuznetsk: October 12, 2026

Last update for Saint Petersburg: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Clothing & Footwear

Novokuznetsk

$346 25.1%

Saint Petersburg

$182 13.7% 47.5% $165

Accommodation & Living

Novokuznetsk

$293 21.2%

Saint Petersburg

$452 34.1% 54.3% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Novokuznetsk

$232 16.8%

Saint Petersburg

$168 12.7% 27.9% $65

Groceries & Markets

Novokuznetsk

$219 15.8%

Saint Petersburg

$225 17% 2.9% $6.3

Eating Out

Novokuznetsk

$190 13.7%

Saint Petersburg

$182 13.7% 4.1% $7.7

Sport & Entertainment

Novokuznetsk

$65 4.7%

Saint Petersburg

$53 4% 18.1% $12

Getting Around

Novokuznetsk

$37 2.7%

Saint Petersburg

$64 4.8% 73.6% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $452 in Novokuznetsk and $742 in Saint Petersburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint Petersburg pays 105% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $59.0 in Novokuznetsk vs $42.00 in Saint Petersburg. Groceries flip the comparison at $219 vs $225, with Novokuznetsk cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Novokuznetsk

🇷🇺 Saint Petersburg

🕒 Local time

20:50 8:50 PM

16:50 4:50 PM

4 h behind Novokuznetsk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

544,583

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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Novokuznetsk Saint Petersburg 3,410 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Novokuznetsk
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

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

Novokuznetsk and Saint Petersburg differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($1,382 vs $1,326 including rent). Saint Petersburg is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 105% lower in Saint Petersburg. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $452 in Novokuznetsk versus $742 in Saint Petersburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Saint Petersburg – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $59.0 in Novokuznetsk. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,382 per month in Novokuznetsk versus $1,326 in Saint Petersburg – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,326 in Saint Petersburg versus $1,382 in Novokuznetsk, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Saint Petersburg but tight or insufficient in Novokuznetsk. The gap between the two cities makes Saint Petersburg 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 Saint Petersburg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Novokuznetsk. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.