Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riga and Saldus

For one person, living is cheaper in Saldus: $1,120 a month against $1,611 in Riga, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Riga
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Riga Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Saldus
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Saldus Living Index

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Riga

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,611

/mo nomad

Saldus

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,120

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Riga and in Saldus

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,611 in Riga versus $1,120 in Saldus.

Riga $1,611
Saldus $1,120

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,449 in Riga versus $1,714 in Saldus.

Riga $2,449
Saldus $1,714

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,288 in Riga versus $2,309 in Saldus.

Riga $3,288
Saldus $2,309

Living in Riga is roughly 44% more expensive than in Saldus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Riga is 19% above, Saldus is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.90 €15.01

$16.54 €14.69

2.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.0 €60.4

$68.4 €60.7

-0.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.96 €7.96

$9.45 €8.40

-5.19%

Cappuccino

$3.62 €3.22

$3.76 €3.34

-3.72%

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

$1.52 €1.35

$1.64 €1.46

-7.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.08

$1.16 €1.03

5.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.46 €4.85

$5.68 €5.04

-3.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.97 €4.41

$5.18 €4.60

-4.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.17 €1.04

-1.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.43 €1.27

5.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.44 €2.17

4.10%

Eggs

$3.44 €3.05

$3.68 €3.27

-6.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.18 €9.04

$10.54 €9.36

-3.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.54 €7.59

$8.45 €7.50

1.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.28 €12.68

$13.64 €12.11

4.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.13 €1.89

-5.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 €1.56

$1.73 €1.54

1.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 €2.21

$2.47 €2.20

0.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 €2.75

$3.14 €2.79

-1.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 €0.77

$0.87 €0.78

-1.15%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 €0.82

$0.95 €0.84

-3.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.73 €1.54

1.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 €0.89

$0.91 €0.81

9.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 €5.90

$6.78 €6.02

-2.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.76 €6.89

$8.03 €7.13

-3.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.98 €1.76

3.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.81

$2.09 €1.86

-2.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 €1.46

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.94 €29.26

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 €3.00

$3.43 €3.05

-1.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.91

$1.00 €0.89

2.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.57 €15.61

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.01 €1.79

4.48%

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

$27.7K €24.6K

$26.9K €23.9K

2.96%

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

$29.4K €26.2K

$29.7K €26.4K

-0.93%

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

$371 €330

$377 €335

-1.44%

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

$19.43 €17.26

$19.68 €17.48

-1.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.49 €16.42

$20.05 €17.81

-7.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.72 €42.39

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.30 €32.24

Cinema Ticket

$10.60 €9.42

$10.71 €9.52

-1.03%

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

$734 €652

$720 €640

1.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K €20.4K

$18.2K €16.2K

25.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.2 €62.4

$68.1 €60.5

3.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 €45.45

$50.6 €44.98

1.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 €75.3

-0.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 €121

$136 €121

0.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 €556

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$411 €365

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,225 €1,089

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 €685

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,983 €2,650

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,971 €1,751

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,541 €1,369

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.42

4.77

-7.34%

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

Last update for Riga: November 2, 2026

Last update for Saldus: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Riga

$411 25.5%

Saldus

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riga

$409 25.4%

Saldus

$417 37.2% 1.8% $7.2

Groceries & Markets

Riga

$266 16.5%

Saldus

$264 23.6% 0.6% $1.5

Eating Out

Riga

$254 15.8%

Saldus

$256 22.8% 0.8% $2.1

Clothing & Footwear

Riga

$154 9.6%

Saldus

$153 13.7% 0.8% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Riga

$69 4.3%

Saldus

$21 * 1.9% 68.9% $47

Getting Around

Riga

$48 3%

Saldus

$8.4 * 0.8% 82.5% $40

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $68 in Riga vs $68 in Saldus. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $264, with Saldus cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇱🇻 Riga

🇱🇻 Saldus

🕒 Local time

16:02 4:02 PM

Same time as Riga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

660,187 Capital

12,085

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Riga Saldus 100 km

From you

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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 Saldus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,611 in Riga and $1,120 in Saldus, so Saldus is about 31% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,417 in Riga and $1,679 in Saldus 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.

Childcare runs $734 in Riga versus $720 in Saldus. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,611 per month in Riga versus $1,120 in Saldus – Saldus is about 31% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Saldus is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Saldus are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.