Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riga and Ventspils

For one person, living is cheaper in Ventspils: $935 a month against $1,614 in Riga, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Riga
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Riga Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Ventspils
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Ventspils Living Index

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Riga

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Ventspils

🇱🇻 Latvia

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Riga and in Ventspils

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,614 in Riga versus $935 in Ventspils.

Riga $1,614
Ventspils $935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,455 in Riga versus $1,461 in Ventspils.

Riga $2,455
Ventspils $1,461

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,295 in Riga versus $1,988 in Ventspils.

Riga $3,295
Ventspils $1,988

Living in Riga is roughly 73% more expensive than in Ventspils, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Riga is 19% above, Ventspils is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.02 €15.25

$13.44 €12.05

26.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 €60.1

$56.1 €50.3

19.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.10 €8.15

$8.42 €7.54

8.08%

Cappuccino

$3.66 €3.28

$2.51 €2.25

45.82%

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

$1.57 €1.41

$1.64 €1.47

-4.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.21 €1.08

-0.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.55 €4.97

$3.27 €2.93

69.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.13 €4.59

$2.33 €2.08

120.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.10

$1.21 €1.08

0.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.11 €0.99

36.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 €2.26

$2.40 €2.15

5.42%

Eggs

$3.72 €3.33

$3.16 €2.83

17.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.35 €9.27

$10.28 €9.22

0.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.57 €7.68

$8.48 €7.60

1.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.55 €12.14

$13.88 €12.44

-2.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.10 €1.88

$2.13 €1.91

-1.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 €1.62

$1.82 €1.63

-0.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 €2.28

$2.47 €2.21

3.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 €2.84

$3.22 €2.89

-1.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.90 €0.81

-7.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 €0.84

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.72 €1.54

-2.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 €0.88

$0.93 €0.83

5.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 €5.95

$6.62 €5.93

0.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.94 €7.11

$7.72 €6.91

2.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.83

$1.97 €1.76

3.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.86

$2.07 €1.85

0.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.10 €0.98

55.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.18 €29.73

$16.62 €14.89

99.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.39 €3.04

$3.30 €2.96

2.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.03 €0.92

0.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.59 €15.76

$17.74 €15.89

-0.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 €1.80

$1.81 €1.62

10.50%

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

$27.6K €24.8K

$27.3K €24.5K

1.16%

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

$29.5K €26.4K

$30.0K €26.9K

-1.76%

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

$366 €328

$265 €238

38.12%

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

$19.33 €17.32

$16.61 €14.89

16.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.06 €17.98

$16.80 €15.05

19.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.52 €44.38

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.17 €32.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.88 €9.75

$10.93 €9.79

-0.46%

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

$721 €646

$707 €633

2.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.1K €16.2K

0.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.1 €62.8

$70.2 €62.9

-0.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.52 €44.38

$49.86 €44.68

-0.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.1 €78.0

$66.9 €59.9

30.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 €124

$101 €90.2

37.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$621 €557

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$409 €367

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,211 €1,085

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 €690

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,048 €2,732

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,996 €1,789

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,452 €1,301

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

4.2

13.57%

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

Last update for Riga: October 24, 2026

Last update for Ventspils: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Riga

$409 25.4%

Ventspils

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riga

$406 25.1%

Ventspils

$299 32% 26.4% $107

Groceries & Markets

Riga

$267 16.6%

Ventspils

$260 27.8% 2.8% $7.5

Eating Out

Riga

$256 15.9%

Ventspils

$195 20.9% 23.8% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Riga

$155 9.6%

Ventspils

$129 13.9% 16.6% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Riga

$71 4.4%

Ventspils

$22 * 2.3% 69.4% $49

Getting Around

Riga

$49 3%

Ventspils

$29 3.2% 39.4% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $67 in Riga vs $56 in Ventspils for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $260 per month, with Ventspils cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇻 Riga

🇱🇻 Ventspils

🕒 Local time

03:54 3:54 AM

Same time as Riga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

660,187 Capital

41,998

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Riga Ventspils 160 km

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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 Ventspils: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,614 in Riga and $935 in Ventspils, so Ventspils is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,420 in Riga and $1,402 in Ventspils 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 $721 in Riga versus $707 in Ventspils. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Ventspils 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 Ventspils are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.