Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rijeka and Riga

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

77

Cost of Living Index in Rijeka
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Rijeka Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Riga
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Riga Living Index

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Rijeka

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,577

/mo nomad

Riga

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,591

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rijeka and in Riga

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

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

Rijeka $1,577
Riga $1,591

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

Rijeka $2,412
Riga $2,428

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

Rijeka $3,248
Riga $3,264

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.14 €11.69

$17.05 €15.17

-22.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 €65.1

$65.9 €58.6

11.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.10 €8.98

$8.94 €7.96

12.98%

Cappuccino

$2.35 €2.09

$3.63 €3.23

-35.26%

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

$3.03 €2.70

$1.62 €1.44

87.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.20 €1.07

62.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.86 €3.43

$5.43 €4.83

-28.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 €3.88

$4.96 €4.41

-11.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.19 €1.06

5.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.49 €1.33

2.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.29 €2.93

$2.50 €2.22

31.60%

Eggs

$3.72 €3.31

$3.61 €3.21

3.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.64 €13.91

$10.61 €9.44

47.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.25 €9.12

$8.86 €7.88

15.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.21 €12.64

$13.85 €12.32

2.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.65 €1.47

$2.15 €1.91

-23.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.82 €1.62

-3.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$2.45 €2.18

-25.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.62 €2.33

$3.09 €2.75

-15.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.83 €0.74

65.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 €1.17

$0.95 €0.84

38.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.70 €1.51

-22.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.98 €0.87

37.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.92 €5.26

$6.75 €6.01

-12.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$7.66 €6.81

1.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.96 €1.75

-17.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 €1.88

$2.07 €1.84

2.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.69 €1.51

30.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.4 €48.37

$33.13 €29.47

64.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.73 €5.10

$3.40 €3.02

68.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.99 €0.88

45.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.76 €24.70

$17.89 €15.91

55.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.01 €1.79

-7.96%

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

$26.0K €23.1K

$27.0K €24.0K

-3.63%

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

$24.7K €21.9K

$31.4K €28.0K

-21.48%

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

$185 €164

$369 €328

-49.92%

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

$23.53 €20.93

$19.45 €17.30

20.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.52 €34.26

$19.83 €17.64

94.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.13

$50.9 €45.28

6.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.04 €9.82

$35.88 €31.91

-69.23%

Cinema Ticket

$6.70 €5.96

$11.05 €9.83

-39.37%

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

$538 €479

$690 €614

-22.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K €11.4K

$17.7K €15.7K

-27.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 €88.8

$69.3 €61.6

44.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.00 €37.36

$50.5 €44.88

-16.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €89.9

$85.7 €76.3

17.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 €95.8

$140 €124

-22.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$693 €616

$560 €498

23.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$525 €467

$383 €341

37.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 €1,072

$1,148 €1,021

4.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$859 €764

$739 €657

16.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,045 €3,598

$2,993 €2,662

35.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,954 €3,517

$2,050 €1,824

92.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,494 €1,329

$1,478 €1,315

1.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.73

4.77

-21.80%

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

Last update for Rijeka: October 11, 2026

Last update for Riga: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rijeka

$525 33.3%

Riga

$383 24.1% 27% $142

Groceries & Markets

Rijeka

$292 18.5%

Riga

$268 16.8% 8.2% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rijeka

$247 15.7%

Riga

$408 25.7% 65.4% $161

Eating Out

Rijeka

$212 13.4%

Riga

$255 16% 20.6% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Rijeka

$158 10%

Riga

$155 9.8% 1.5% $2.4

Getting Around

Rijeka

$76 4.8%

Riga

$48 3% 36.6% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Rijeka

$68 4.3%

Riga

$73 4.6% 8.1% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $693 in Rijeka and $560 in Riga. 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: $73.0 in Rijeka vs $66.0 in Riga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $268 per month, with Riga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Rijeka

🇱🇻 Riga

🕒 Local time

10:41 10:41 AM

11:41 11:41 AM

1 h ahead of Rijeka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

107,964

660,187 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

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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

Rijeka vs Riga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 1% higher in Rijeka, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $693 in Rijeka versus $560 in Riga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $538 in Rijeka versus $690 in Riga. 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, Rijeka and Riga 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.