Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Novosibirsk and Rostov-on-Don

For one person, living costs are similar in Novosibirsk and in Rostov-on-Don: $1,121 and $1,146 a month, rent and utilities included.

54

Cost of Living Index in Novosibirsk
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Novosibirsk Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Rostov-on-Don
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Rostov-on-Don Living Index

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Novosibirsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,121

/mo nomad

Rostov-on-Don

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,146

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Novosibirsk and in Rostov-on-Don

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,121 in Novosibirsk versus $1,146 in Rostov-on-Don.

Novosibirsk $1,121
Rostov-on-Don $1,146

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,786 in Novosibirsk versus $1,600 in Rostov-on-Don.

Novosibirsk $1,786
Rostov-on-Don $1,600

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,451 in Novosibirsk versus $2,055 in Rostov-on-Don.

Novosibirsk $2,451
Rostov-on-Don $2,055

Living in Novosibirsk costs roughly 2% less than in Rostov-on-Don, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Novosibirsk 17% lower, Rostov-on-Don 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.52 ₽962

$10.73 ₽895

7.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.38 ₽4,038

$24.52 ₽2,046

97.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.06 ₽506

$5.97 ₽498

1.51%

Cappuccino

$2.66 ₽222

$2.96 ₽247

-10.14%

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

$1.11 ₽92.7

$1.12 ₽93.5

-0.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₽47.92

$0.51 ₽42.78

11.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.18 ₽98.5

$1.23 ₽102

-4.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 ₽300

$3.11 ₽259

15.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 ₽100

$1.14 ₽94.9

5.26%

White Bread (500g)

$0.70 ₽58.5

$0.74 ₽62.1

-5.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 ₽114

$1.22 ₽102

12.30%

Eggs

$1.61 ₽135

$1.44 ₽120

11.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.06 ₽1,007

$9.29 ₽775

29.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.80 ₽401

$5.36 ₽448

-10.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.01 ₽1,002

$7.96 ₽664

50.88%

Apples (1kg)

$1.97 ₽164

$1.44 ₽120

36.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 ₽149

$1.86 ₽155

-4.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ₽163

$1.43 ₽120

36.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.30 ₽275

$2.31 ₽192

42.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 ₽73.0

$0.68 ₽56.6

27.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.60 ₽50.0

$0.63 ₽52.6

-4.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 ₽122

$1.00 ₽83.5

47.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ₽66.6

$0.65 ₽54.4

23.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.19 ₽266

$2.75 ₽230

16.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 ₽846

$6.09 ₽508

66.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ₽79.4

$0.97 ₽80.6

-2.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ₽138

$2.10 ₽175

-21.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 ₽46.81

$0.51 ₽42.79

9.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ₽2,453

$14.40 ₽1,202

104.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.41 ₽201

$3.58 ₽299

-32.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.49 ₽41.11

$0.14 ₽12.09

250.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.16 ₽514

$4.05 ₽338

52.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 ₽73.1

$0.81 ₽67.4

8.64%

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

$42.8K ₽3.6M

$52.1K ₽4.3M

-17.81%

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

$38.8K ₽3.2M

$40.8K ₽3.4M

-5.04%

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

$109 ₽9,089

$124 ₽10.3K

-11.81%

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

$7.32 ₽611

$7.47 ₽623

-2.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.35 ₽697

$8.95 ₽747

-6.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.80 ₽3,155

$34.64 ₽2,891

9.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.99 ₽2,503

$21.30 ₽1,778

40.80%

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 ₽609

$5.50 ₽459

32.55%

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

$303 ₽25.3K

$365 ₽30.4K

-16.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.3 ₽5,865

$55.9 ₽4,661

25.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.16 ₽3,852

$45.05 ₽3,760

2.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$140 ₽11.7K

$108 ₽9,013

29.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.3 ₽8,201

$106 ₽8,832

-7.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$546 ₽45.6K

$642 ₽53.6K

-14.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 ₽30.6K

$460 ₽38.4K

-20.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 ₽84.8K

$896 ₽74.8K

13.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$672 ₽56.1K

$572 ₽47.7K

17.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,352 ₽196.3K

$2,355 ₽196.5K

-0.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,778 ₽148.4K

$1,508 ₽125.8K

17.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₽74.0K

$825 ₽68.8K

7.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.83

19.83

15.13%

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

Last update for Novosibirsk: October 20, 2026

Last update for Rostov-on-Don: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Novosibirsk

$367 32.7%

Rostov-on-Don

$460 40.1% 25.5% $93

Groceries & Markets

Novosibirsk

$220 19.6%

Rostov-on-Don

$180 15.7% 18.1% $40

Eating Out

Novosibirsk

$162 14.5%

Rostov-on-Don

$158 13.8% 2.4% $3.9

Clothing & Footwear

Novosibirsk

$160 14.2%

Rostov-on-Don

$142 12.4% 11.3% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Novosibirsk

$125 11.1%

Rostov-on-Don

$140 12.2% 12.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Novosibirsk

$52 4.7%

Rostov-on-Don

$46 4% 12.9% $6.8

Getting Around

Novosibirsk

$37 3.3%

Rostov-on-Don

$21 1.8% 43.2% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $546 in Novosibirsk and $642 in Rostov-on-Don. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Novosibirsk pays 8% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48.00 in Novosibirsk vs $25.00 in Rostov-on-Don for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $220 vs $180 per month, with Rostov-on-Don cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Novosibirsk

🇷🇺 Rostov-on-Don

🕒 Local time

18:12 6:12 PM

14:12 2:12 PM

4 h behind Novosibirsk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,620,162

1,114,806

💱 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

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Between locations

Novosibirsk Rostov-on-Don 3,080 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Novosibirsk
Rostov-on-Don

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

Novosibirsk vs Rostov-on-Don: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Novosibirsk is cheaper overall, especially in utilities. The 2% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 8% higher in Novosibirsk, 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: $546 in Novosibirsk versus $642 in Rostov-on-Don. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $303 in Novosibirsk versus $365 in Rostov-on-Don. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Rostov-on-Don pay roughly 22% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,121 in Novosibirsk versus $1,146 in Rostov-on-Don, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Novosibirsk but tight or insufficient in Rostov-on-Don. The gap between the two cities makes Novosibirsk the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Novosibirsk is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Rostov-on-Don, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Novosibirsk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Rostov-on-Don. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.