Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riga and Rijeka

For one person, living costs are similar in Riga and in Rijeka: $1,591 and $1,577 a month, rent and utilities included.

77

Cost of Living Index in Riga
Learn more

Riga Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Rijeka
Learn more

Rijeka Living Index

Jump to prices

Riga

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,591

/mo nomad

Rijeka

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,577

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Riga and in Rijeka

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,591 in Riga versus $1,577 in Rijeka.

Riga $1,591
Rijeka $1,577

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,428 in Riga versus $2,412 in Rijeka.

Riga $2,428
Rijeka $2,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,264 in Riga versus $3,248 in Rijeka.

Riga $3,264
Rijeka $3,248

Living in Riga is roughly 1% more expensive than in Rijeka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Riga 18% above, Rijeka 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.05 €15.17

$13.14 €11.69

29.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.9 €58.6

$73.2 €65.1

-9.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 €7.96

$10.10 €8.98

-11.49%

Cappuccino

$3.63 €3.23

$2.35 €2.09

54.47%

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

$1.62 €1.44

$3.03 €2.70

-46.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.95 €1.74

-38.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.43 €4.83

$3.86 €3.43

40.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 €4.41

$4.37 €3.88

13.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.25 €1.11

-4.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.53 €1.37

-2.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$3.29 €2.93

-24.01%

Eggs

$3.61 €3.21

$3.72 €3.31

-2.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.61 €9.44

$15.64 €13.91

-32.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.86 €7.88

$10.25 €9.12

-13.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.85 €12.32

$14.21 €12.64

-2.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.65 €1.47

30.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.75 €1.56

4.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 €2.18

$1.83 €1.63

33.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.09 €2.75

$2.62 €2.33

17.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 €0.74

$1.37 €1.22

-39.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 €0.84

$1.32 €1.17

-28.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.32 €1.17

28.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 €0.87

$1.35 €1.20

-27.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.75 €6.01

$5.92 €5.26

14.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.66 €6.81

$7.78 €6.92

-1.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.61 €1.43

21.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.12 €1.88

-2.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.69 €1.51

$2.21 €1.97

-23.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.13 €29.47

$54.4 €48.37

-39.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 €3.02

$5.73 €5.10

-40.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 €0.88

$1.44 €1.28

-31.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.89 €15.91

$27.76 €24.70

-35.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.85 €1.64

8.65%

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

$27.0K €24.0K

$26.0K €23.1K

3.76%

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

$31.4K €28.0K

$24.7K €21.9K

27.36%

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

$369 €328

$185 €164

99.69%

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

$19.45 €17.30

$23.53 €20.93

-17.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.83 €17.64

$38.52 €34.26

-48.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 €45.28

$54.1 €48.13

-5.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.88 €31.91

$11.04 €9.82

225.00%

Cinema Ticket

$11.05 €9.83

$6.70 €5.96

64.93%

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

$690 €614

$538 €479

28.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K €15.7K

$12.8K €11.4K

38.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.3 €61.6

$99.9 €88.8

-30.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 €44.88

$42.00 €37.36

20.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.7 €76.3

$101 €89.9

-15.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 €124

$108 €95.8

29.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$560 €498

$693 €616

-19.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$383 €341

$525 €467

-27.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,205 €1,072

-4.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 €657

$859 €764

-13.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,993 €2,662

$4,045 €3,598

-26.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,050 €1,824

$3,954 €3,517

-48.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,478 €1,315

$1,494 €1,329

-1.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

3.73

27.88%

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

Last update for Riga: October 12, 2026

Last update for Rijeka: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riga

$408 25.7%

Rijeka

$247 15.7% 39.5% $161

Accommodation & Living

Riga

$383 24.1%

Rijeka

$525 33.3% 37% $142

Groceries & Markets

Riga

$268 16.8%

Rijeka

$292 18.5% 8.9% $24

Eating Out

Riga

$255 16%

Rijeka

$212 13.4% 17.1% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Riga

$155 9.8%

Rijeka

$158 10% 1.6% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

Riga

$73 4.6%

Rijeka

$68 4.3% 7.5% $5.5

Getting Around

Riga

$48 3%

Rijeka

$76 4.8% 57.8% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $560 in Riga and $693 in Rijeka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rijeka pays 1% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Riga vs $73.0 in Rijeka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $292 per month, with Riga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇻 Riga

🇭🇷 Rijeka

🕒 Local time

09:25 9:25 AM

08:25 8:25 AM

1 h behind Riga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

660,187 Capital

107,964

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Riga Rijeka 1,450 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Riga
Rijeka

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Riga vs Rijeka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Riga and Rijeka differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($1,591 vs $1,577 including rent). Rijeka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 1% lower in Rijeka. 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: $560 in Riga versus $693 in Rijeka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $690 in Riga versus $538 in Rijeka. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Riga pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,577 in Rijeka versus $1,591 in Riga, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Rijeka but tight or insufficient in Riga. The gap between the two cities makes Rijeka 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.

Safety-wise, Riga and Rijeka are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Rijeka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Riga. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.