Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Novosibirsk and Ulan Ude

For one person, living costs are similar in Novosibirsk and in Ulan Ude: $1,153 and $1,138 a month, rent and utilities included.

55

Cost of Living Index in Novosibirsk
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Novosibirsk Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Ulan Ude
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Ulan Ude Living Index

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Novosibirsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,153

/mo nomad

Ulan Ude

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Novosibirsk and in Ulan Ude

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,153 in Novosibirsk versus $1,138 in Ulan Ude.

Novosibirsk $1,153
Ulan Ude $1,138

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,833 in Novosibirsk versus $1,770 in Ulan Ude.

Novosibirsk $1,833
Ulan Ude $1,770

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,512 in Novosibirsk versus $2,402 in Ulan Ude.

Novosibirsk $2,512
Ulan Ude $2,402

Monthly costs are close between Novosibirsk and Ulan Ude; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Novosibirsk 15% lower, Ulan Ude 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.60 ₽934

$7.01 ₽565

65.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 ₽3,920

$49.90 ₽4,019

-2.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.27 ₽505

$7.38 ₽595

-15.04%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ₽226

$3.70 ₽298

-24.05%

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

$1.18 ₽95.1

$1.82 ₽147

-35.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₽46.85

$1.89 ₽153

-69.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ₽98.9

$3.80 ₽306

-67.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ₽290

$6.33 ₽510

-42.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 ₽99.2

$1.46 ₽117

-15.75%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 ₽58.3

$0.87 ₽70.1

-17.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 ₽119

$1.43 ₽115

3.50%

Eggs

$1.73 ₽140

$2.22 ₽179

-22.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.99 ₽966

$12.66 ₽1,019

-5.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.00 ₽403

$6.81 ₽548

-26.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.33 ₽993

$13.50 ₽1,087

-8.67%

Apples (1kg)

$1.91 ₽154

$2.12 ₽171

-9.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 ₽144

$1.86 ₽150

-3.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.06 ₽166

$1.87 ₽151

10.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 ₽271

$2.81 ₽226

19.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₽66.4

$0.67 ₽53.9

22.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.61 ₽49.30

$0.79 ₽63.6

-22.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 ₽125

$2.19 ₽176

-29.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₽67.1

$0.65 ₽52.7

27.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.17 ₽255

$3.00 ₽242

5.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.66 ₽858

$6.99 ₽563

52.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ₽80.4

$1.51 ₽121

-33.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₽137

$1.28 ₽103

32.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 ₽44.11

$0.49 ₽39.36

12.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.41 ₽2,610

$24.50 ₽1,973

32.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 ₽204

$1.27 ₽102

100.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 ₽41.94

$0.15 ₽12.31

246.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.21 ₽500

$7.50 ₽604

-17.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 ₽66.4

$0.81 ₽65.6

1.23%

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

$43.9K ₽3.5M

$50.2K ₽4.0M

-12.64%

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

$39.4K ₽3.2M

$37.7K ₽3.0M

4.55%

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

$111 ₽8,964

$95.1 ₽7,655

17.11%

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

$7.18 ₽578

$4.84 ₽390

48.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.33 ₽670

$7.89 ₽635

5.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.16 ₽3,073

$24.48 ₽1,971

55.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.42 ₽2,450

$49.19 ₽3,962

-38.16%

Cinema Ticket

$7.41 ₽596

$7.49 ₽603

-1.07%

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

$312 ₽25.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 ₽5,793

$73.2 ₽5,895

-1.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.55 ₽3,829

$30.56 ₽2,461

55.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$144 ₽11.6K

$122 ₽9,859

18.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 ₽8,091

$126 ₽10.1K

-20.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$570 ₽45.9K

$526 ₽42.3K

8.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$379 ₽30.5K

$396 ₽31.9K

-4.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,022 ₽82.3K

$814 ₽65.5K

25.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$692 ₽55.8K

$616 ₽49.6K

12.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,446 ₽197.0K

$2,138 ₽172.2K

14.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,869 ₽150.5K

$1,580 ₽127.3K

18.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$922 ₽74.3K

$911 ₽73.4K

1.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.83

21.67

5.35%

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

Last update for Novosibirsk: October 24, 2026

Last update for Ulan Ude: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Novosibirsk

$379 32.8%

Ulan Ude

$396 34.8% 4.6% $17

Groceries & Markets

Novosibirsk

$225 19.5%

Ulan Ude

$238 20.9% 5.6% $13

Eating Out

Novosibirsk

$166 14.4%

Ulan Ude

$169 14.9% 2.1% $3.4

Clothing & Footwear

Novosibirsk

$164 14.2%

Ulan Ude

$158 13.9% 3.4% $5.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Novosibirsk

$127 11%

Ulan Ude

$108 9.5% 15% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Novosibirsk

$53 4.6%

Ulan Ude

$39 3.5% 25.5% $14

Getting Around

Novosibirsk

$40 3.5%

Ulan Ude

$28 2.5% 28.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $570 in Novosibirsk and $526 in Ulan Ude. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49 in Novosibirsk vs $50 in Ulan Ude for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $238 per month, with Novosibirsk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Novosibirsk

🇷🇺 Ulan Ude

🕒 Local time

20:11 8:11 PM

21:11 9:11 PM

1 h ahead of Novosibirsk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,620,162

436,138

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Novosibirsk Ulan Ude 1,660 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Novosibirsk
Ulan Ude

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 Ulan Ude: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $1,730 in Novosibirsk and $1,706 in Ulan Ude 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: $570 in Novosibirsk versus $526 in Ulan Ude. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ulan Ude runs roughly 24% less than in Novosibirsk. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Shoppers in Novosibirsk pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Ulan Ude gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.