Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Novosibirsk and Yekaterinburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Novosibirsk: $1,160 a month against $1,351 in Yekaterinburg, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Novosibirsk
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Novosibirsk Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Yekaterinburg
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Yekaterinburg Living Index

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Novosibirsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,160

/mo nomad

Yekaterinburg

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Novosibirsk and in Yekaterinburg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,160 in Novosibirsk versus $1,351 in Yekaterinburg.

Novosibirsk $1,160
Yekaterinburg $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,809 in Novosibirsk versus $2,221 in Yekaterinburg.

Novosibirsk $1,809
Yekaterinburg $2,221

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,458 in Novosibirsk versus $3,091 in Yekaterinburg.

Novosibirsk $2,458
Yekaterinburg $3,091

Living in Novosibirsk costs roughly 14% less than in Yekaterinburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₽1,001

$14.38 ₽1,178

-15.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.47 ₽3,561

$56.3 ₽4,615

-22.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.17 ₽587

$7.26 ₽595

-1.24%

Cappuccino

$3.04 ₽249

$2.32 ₽190

31.03%

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

$1.08 ₽88.3

$1.17 ₽96.2

-7.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₽45.42

$0.48 ₽39.19

14.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.25 ₽102

$2.21 ₽181

-43.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 ₽207

$3.05 ₽250

-17.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 ₽105

$1.22 ₽99.9

5.74%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 ₽59.1

$0.70 ₽57.4

2.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 ₽120

$1.29 ₽105

13.18%

Eggs

$1.70 ₽139

$1.67 ₽137

1.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.05 ₽987

$11.41 ₽934

5.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.86 ₽398

$5.49 ₽449

-11.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.51 ₽943

$13.56 ₽1,110

-15.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₽148

$2.03 ₽166

-11.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 ₽150

$1.75 ₽143

5.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 ₽162

$1.56 ₽127

26.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.56 ₽292

$2.84 ₽233

25.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 ₽69.3

$0.64 ₽52.6

32.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 ₽55.0

$0.61 ₽50.2

9.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 ₽124

$1.54 ₽126

-1.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₽66.3

$0.88 ₽72.5

-7.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.54 ₽290

$3.58 ₽293

-1.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.68 ₽793

$7.37 ₽604

31.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ₽83.0

$1.48 ₽122

-31.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₽140

$2.63 ₽216

-34.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 ₽43.91

$0.50 ₽40.87

8.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.56 ₽2,667

$18.74 ₽1,536

73.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ₽199

$4.27 ₽350

-43.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.51 ₽41.85

$0.18 ₽14.70

183.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.33 ₽518

$4.51 ₽370

40.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 ₽68.8

$0.83 ₽67.9

1.20%

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

$42.6K ₽3.5M

$52.5K ₽4.3M

-18.81%

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

$39.9K ₽3.3M

$38.3K ₽3.1M

4.32%

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

$109 ₽8,923

$124 ₽10.2K

-12.18%

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

$7.14 ₽585

$6.30 ₽516

13.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.30 ₽680

$12.26 ₽1,004

-32.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.33 ₽3,140

$43.92 ₽3,598

-12.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.61 ₽2,507

$36.27 ₽2,972

-15.61%

Cinema Ticket

$6.94 ₽569

$7.28 ₽596

-4.67%

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

$302 ₽24.7K

$353 ₽29.0K

-14.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,843 ₽314.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.5 ₽5,856

$120 ₽9,857

-40.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.80 ₽3,834

$91.7 ₽7,514

-48.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$144 ₽11.8K

$166 ₽13.6K

-13.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 ₽8,105

$153 ₽12.6K

-35.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$578 ₽47.3K

$802 ₽65.7K

-28.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$386 ₽31.6K

$474 ₽38.8K

-18.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,002 ₽82.1K

$1,346 ₽110.2K

-25.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 ₽54.4K

$1,018 ₽83.4K

-34.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,423 ₽198.5K

$2,747 ₽225.1K

-11.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,794 ₽146.9K

$2,139 ₽175.3K

-16.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$863 ₽70.7K

$945 ₽77.4K

-8.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.83

22.22

2.75%

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

Last update for Novosibirsk: October 31, 2026

Last update for Yekaterinburg: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Novosibirsk

$386 33.3%

Yekaterinburg

$474 35.1% 22.7% $88

Groceries & Markets

Novosibirsk

$221 19.1%

Yekaterinburg

$222 16.4% 0.4% $0.8

Eating Out

Novosibirsk

$174 15%

Yekaterinburg

$188 14% 8.6% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Novosibirsk

$163 14%

Yekaterinburg

$239 17.7% 47.1% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Novosibirsk

$124 10.7%

Yekaterinburg

$143 10.6% 14.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Novosibirsk

$52 4.5%

Yekaterinburg

$58 4.3% 12% $6.3

Getting Around

Novosibirsk

$40 3.4%

Yekaterinburg

$26 1.9% 34.7% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $578 in Novosibirsk and $802 in Yekaterinburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Yekaterinburg pays 10% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $43 in Novosibirsk vs $56 in Yekaterinburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $221 vs $222 per month, with Novosibirsk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Novosibirsk

🇷🇺 Yekaterinburg

🕒 Local time

08:06 8:06 AM

06:06 6:06 AM

2 h behind Novosibirsk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,620,162

1,495,066

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.22 USD

100 RUB = 1.09 EUR

100 RUB = 1.22 USD

100 RUB = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Novosibirsk Yekaterinburg 1,400 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Novosibirsk
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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Novosibirsk vs Yekaterinburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Novosibirsk is about 14% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Novosibirsk. 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: $578 in Novosibirsk versus $802 in Yekaterinburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Yekaterinburg runs roughly 42% less than in Novosibirsk. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $1,160 per month in Novosibirsk versus $1,351 in Yekaterinburg – Novosibirsk is about 14% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Novosibirsk gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

It comes down to priorities – Novosibirsk wins on affordability, Yekaterinburg on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.