Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Novosibirsk and Yoshkar-Ola

For one person, living is cheaper in Yoshkar-Ola: $989 a month against $1,153 in Novosibirsk, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Novosibirsk
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Novosibirsk Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Yoshkar-Ola
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Yoshkar-Ola Living Index

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Novosibirsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,153

/mo nomad

Yoshkar-Ola

🇷🇺 Russia

$989

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Novosibirsk and in Yoshkar-Ola

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 Yoshkar-Ola actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,153 in Novosibirsk versus $989 in Yoshkar-Ola.

Novosibirsk $1,153
Yoshkar-Ola $989

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,833 in Novosibirsk versus $1,609 in Yoshkar-Ola.

Novosibirsk $1,833
Yoshkar-Ola $1,609

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,512 in Novosibirsk versus $2,229 in Yoshkar-Ola.

Novosibirsk $2,512
Yoshkar-Ola $2,229

Living in Novosibirsk is roughly 17% more expensive than in Yoshkar-Ola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Novosibirsk 15% lower, Yoshkar-Ola 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.60 ₽928

$6.07 ₽486

91.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 ₽3,894

$55.1 ₽4,409

-11.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.27 ₽501

$4.83 ₽386

29.81%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ₽225

$1.72 ₽137

63.37%

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

$1.18 ₽94.5

$0.79 ₽63.0

49.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₽46.53

$0.27 ₽21.54

114.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ₽98.3

$0.88 ₽70.0

39.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ₽288

$1.67 ₽134

116.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 ₽98.5

$0.75 ₽60.2

64.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 ₽57.9

$0.75 ₽59.9

-4.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 ₽119

$1.41 ₽113

4.96%

Eggs

$1.73 ₽139

$1.60 ₽128

8.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.99 ₽959

$12.01 ₽960

-0.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.00 ₽400

$4.98 ₽398

0.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.33 ₽986

$13.58 ₽1,086

-9.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.91 ₽153

$1.77 ₽142

7.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 ₽143

$1.70 ₽136

5.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.06 ₽165

$1.77 ₽141

16.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 ₽269

$3.61 ₽288

-6.93%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₽66.0

$0.73 ₽58.6

12.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.61 ₽48.96

$0.59 ₽47.48

3.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 ₽124

$1.35 ₽108

14.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₽66.7

$0.74 ₽59.5

12.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.17 ₽253

$3.28 ₽262

-3.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.66 ₽853

$8.40 ₽672

26.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ₽79.8

$1.13 ₽90.2

-11.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₽136

$2.51 ₽201

-32.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 ₽43.81

$0.48 ₽38.23

14.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.41 ₽2,592

$28.74 ₽2,299

12.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 ₽203

$1.42 ₽114

78.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 ₽41.65

$0.41 ₽32.89

26.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.21 ₽497

$7.29 ₽583

-14.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 ₽66.0

$0.87 ₽69.3

-5.75%

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

$43.9K ₽3.5M

$54.7K ₽4.4M

-19.75%

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

$39.4K ₽3.2M

$39.8K ₽3.2M

-0.99%

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

$111 ₽8,903

$97.1 ₽7,766

14.65%

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

$7.18 ₽574

$7.00 ₽560

2.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.33 ₽666

$8.77 ₽702

-5.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.16 ₽3,052

$33.19 ₽2,655

14.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.42 ₽2,433

$23.24 ₽1,859

30.90%

Cinema Ticket

$7.41 ₽592

$7.34 ₽587

0.95%

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

$312 ₽24.9K

$316 ₽25.3K

-1.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,210 ₽576.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 ₽5,753

$77.7 ₽6,216

-7.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.55 ₽3,803

$56.5 ₽4,518

-15.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$144 ₽11.6K

$136 ₽10.9K

6.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 ₽8,035

$84.3 ₽6,738

19.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$570 ₽45.6K

$482 ₽38.6K

18.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$379 ₽30.3K

$321 ₽25.7K

17.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,022 ₽81.7K

$921 ₽73.6K

10.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$692 ₽55.4K

$592 ₽47.3K

17.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,446 ₽195.6K

$2,472 ₽197.7K

-1.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,869 ₽149.5K

$1,396 ₽111.6K

33.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$922 ₽73.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.83

20.29

12.52%

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

Last update for Novosibirsk: October 24, 2026

Last update for Yoshkar-Ola: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Novosibirsk

$379 32.8%

Yoshkar-Ola

$321 32.5% 15.2% $57

Groceries & Markets

Novosibirsk

$225 19.5%

Yoshkar-Ola

$218 22% 3.3% $7.4

Eating Out

Novosibirsk

$166 14.4%

Yoshkar-Ola

$96 9.7% 42.3% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Novosibirsk

$164 14.2%

Yoshkar-Ola

$159 16.1% 2.8% $4.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Novosibirsk

$127 11%

Yoshkar-Ola

$113 11.4% 11% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Novosibirsk

$53 4.6%

Yoshkar-Ola

$48 4.8% 9.6% $5.1

Getting Around

Novosibirsk

$40 3.5%

Yoshkar-Ola

$34 3.5% 14.1% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $570 in Novosibirsk and $482 in Yoshkar-Ola. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49 in Novosibirsk vs $55 in Yoshkar-Ola. Groceries flip the comparison at $225 vs $218, with Yoshkar-Ola cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Novosibirsk

🇷🇺 Yoshkar-Ola

🕒 Local time

08:28 8:28 AM

04:28 4:28 AM

4 h behind Novosibirsk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,620,162

276,155

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.25 USD

100 RUB = 1.12 EUR

100 RUB = 1.25 USD

100 RUB = 1.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Novosibirsk Yoshkar-Ola 2,170 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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

Novosibirsk vs Yoshkar-Ola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yoshkar-Ola is about 14% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,730 in Novosibirsk and $1,484 in Yoshkar-Ola 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 $482 in Yoshkar-Ola. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $312 in Novosibirsk versus $316 in Yoshkar-Ola. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Novosibirsk. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.