Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Russia and Italy

Name: Italy
Address: IT

For one person, living is cheaper in Russia: $1,267 a month against $1,843 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Russia
Learn more

Russia Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Italy
Learn more

Italy Living Index

Jump to prices

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,267

/mo nomad

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,843

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Russia and in Italy

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,267 in Russia versus $1,843 in Italy.

Russia $1,267
Italy $1,843

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,985 in Russia versus $2,816 in Italy.

Russia $1,985
Italy $2,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,703 in Russia versus $3,788 in Italy.

Russia $2,703
Italy $3,788

Russia ($82–$1,922) and Italy ($1,038–$2,555) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Russia costs about 31% less than in Italy on average.

Russia (7% below) and Italy (35% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.95 ₽962

$20.46 €18.32

-41.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.75 ₽3,443

$79.5 €71.2

-46.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.65 ₽536

$11.15 €9.99

-40.36%

Cappuccino

$3.18 ₽256

$2.04 €1.83

55.88%

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

$1.31 ₽106

$3.10 €2.78

-57.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₽49.95

$1.40 €1.25

-55.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 ₽193

$5.51 €4.94

-56.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₽245

$5.74 €5.14

-47.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₽101

$1.57 €1.41

-20.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.85 ₽68.7

$2.38 €2.13

-64.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 ₽120

$2.90 €2.60

-48.62%

Eggs

$1.68 ₽135

$4.07 €3.65

-58.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.17 ₽980

$17.44 €15.62

-30.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.03 ₽485

$12.56 €11.25

-51.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.18 ₽981

$20.17 €18.06

-39.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 ₽157

$2.58 €2.31

-24.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 ₽152

$2.19 €1.96

-13.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 ₽148

$2.68 €2.40

-31.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.30 ₽265

$3.27 €2.93

0.92%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 ₽63.3

$1.90 €1.70

-58.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.65 ₽52.0

$1.82 €1.63

-64.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 ₽120

$1.57 €1.40

-5.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₽61.8

$0.55 €0.49

40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.14 ₽253

$6.69 €5.99

-53.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.68 ₽699

$7.99 €7.15

8.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₽89.2

$1.77 €1.59

-37.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 ₽177

$2.35 €2.11

-6.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 ₽44.11

$1.91 €1.71

-71.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.54 ₽2,943

$43.44 €38.90

-15.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 ₽204

$5.62 €5.03

-54.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 ₽38.27

$1.71 €1.54

-71.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.79 ₽547

$33.64 €30.12

-79.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 ₽68.1

$2.03 €1.82

-58.13%

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

$54.1K ₽4.4M

$35.3K €31.6K

53.16%

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

$40.9K ₽3.3M

$36.7K €32.9K

11.25%

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

$144 ₽11.6K

$227 €203

-36.52%

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

$7.28 ₽586

$11.59 €10.38

-37.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.96 ₽722

$30.38 €27.21

-70.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.71 ₽3,117

$51.8 €46.37

-25.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.62 ₽2,627

$23.70 €21.22

37.64%

Cinema Ticket

$7.53 ₽606

$10.60 €9.50

-28.96%

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

$489 ₽39.4K

$568 €508

-13.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K ₽1.3M

$11.5K €10.3K

43.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.7 ₽7,384

$90.5 €81.1

1.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 ₽4,445

$38.55 €34.53

43.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$136 ₽10.9K

$103 €91.9

32.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 ₽10.2K

$131 €117

-3.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$618 ₽49.8K

$826 €739

-25.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 ₽33.6K

$646 €579

-35.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 ₽95.5K

$1,400 €1,254

-15.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₽63.5K

$1,054 €944

-25.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,068 ₽247.1K

$3,662 €3,280

-16.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,132 ₽171.7K

$2,301 €2,061

-7.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$977 ₽78.7K

$1,886 €1,689

-48.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.25

3.56

496.91%

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

Last update for Russia: October 25, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Russia

$418 33%

Italy

$646 35.1% 54.8% $229

Groceries & Markets

Russia

$228 18%

Italy

$348 18.9% 52.6% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Russia

$184 14.6%

Italy

$163 8.9% 11.4% $21

Eating Out

Russia

$180 14.2%

Italy

$279 15.1% 55.2% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Russia

$160 12.6%

Italy

$269 14.6% 67.8% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Russia

$54 4.2%

Italy

$73 4% 35.7% $19

Getting Around

Russia

$44 3.5%

Italy

$65 3.5% 49.6% $22

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $490 in Russia, $729 in Italy. Capital cities: $1,533 in Moscow vs $1,297 in Rome.

National salary averages: $817 in Russia, $1,890 in Italy. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 49% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 78% more in Italy.

Public transport is 54% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are about 2.3 times higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Russia

🇮🇹 Italy

🕒 Local time

03:21 3:21 AM

01:21 1:21 AM

2 h behind Russia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

145,975,300

58,850,717

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.92 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to RUB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Russia Italy 2,380 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Russia
Italy

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

Russia vs Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,843 per month in Italy and $1,267 in Russia, Russia comes out about 31% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Russia: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $729 in Italy and $490 in Russia. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: Russia wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.