Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Russia and the United Kingdom

Name: United Kingdom
Address: GB

For one person, living is cheaper in Russia: $1,267 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Russia
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Russia Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
Learn more

United Kingdom Living Index

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🇷🇺 Russia

$1,267

/mo nomad

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Russia and in the United Kingdom

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 the United Kingdom actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,267 in Russia versus $2,462 in the United Kingdom.

Russia $1,267
United Kingdom $2,462

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,985 in Russia versus $3,600 in the United Kingdom.

Russia $1,985
United Kingdom $3,600

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,703 in Russia versus $4,738 in the United Kingdom.

Russia $2,703
United Kingdom $4,738

Internal cost variation is higher in the United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,126 to $4,646, compared to $82–$1,922 in Russia. City choice carries more weight in the United Kingdom.

Living in Russia costs about 49% less than in the United Kingdom on average.

Russia (7% below) and the United Kingdom (81% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.95 ₽962

$21.48 £16.04

-44.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.75 ₽3,443

$85.7 £64.0

-50.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.65 ₽536

$10.61 £7.92

-37.32%

Cappuccino

$3.18 ₽256

$4.91 £3.67

-35.23%

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

$1.31 ₽106

$2.66 £1.99

-50.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₽49.95

$1.87 £1.39

-66.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 ₽193

$6.63 £4.95

-63.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₽245

$6.84 £5.11

-55.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₽101

$1.68 £1.25

-25.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.85 ₽68.7

$1.72 £1.28

-50.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 ₽120

$2.17 £1.62

-31.34%

Eggs

$1.68 ₽135

$4.00 £2.99

-58.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.17 ₽980

$9.42 £7.03

29.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.03 ₽485

$9.19 £6.86

-34.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.18 ₽981

$14.77 £11.03

-17.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 ₽157

$2.97 £2.21

-34.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 ₽152

$1.62 £1.21

16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 ₽148

$2.85 £2.13

-35.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.30 ₽265

$3.52 £2.63

-6.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 ₽63.3

$1.83 £1.37

-56.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.65 ₽52.0

$1.61 £1.20

-59.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 ₽120

$1.25 £0.93

19.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₽61.8

$1.66 £1.24

-53.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.14 ₽253

$23.65 £17.66

-86.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.68 ₽699

$10.50 £7.84

-17.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₽89.2

$2.98 £2.23

-62.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 ₽177

$3.51 £2.62

-37.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 ₽44.11

$3.98 £2.97

-86.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.54 ₽2,943

$107 £80.2

-65.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 ₽204

$5.18 £3.87

-51.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 ₽38.27

$2.35 £1.75

-79.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.79 ₽547

$26.84 £20.04

-74.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 ₽68.1

$1.99 £1.48

-57.29%

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

$54.1K ₽4.4M

$39.4K £29.5K

37.09%

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

$40.9K ₽3.3M

$40.5K £30.2K

0.99%

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

$144 ₽11.6K

$327 £244

-56.05%

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

$7.28 ₽586

$18.21 £13.60

-60.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.96 ₽722

$43.60 £32.56

-79.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.71 ₽3,117

$42.36 £31.63

-8.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.62 ₽2,627

$18.22 £13.60

79.03%

Cinema Ticket

$7.53 ₽606

$13.85 £10.34

-45.63%

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

$489 ₽39.4K

$1,868 £1,395

-73.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K ₽1.3M

$22.6K £16.9K

-27.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.7 ₽7,384

$92.9 £69.4

-1.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 ₽4,445

$45.92 £34.29

20.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$136 ₽10.9K

$102 £75.9

33.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 ₽10.2K

$102 £76.3

24.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$618 ₽49.8K

$1,342 £1,002

-53.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 ₽33.6K

$1,073 £801

-61.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 ₽95.5K

$2,231 £1,666

-46.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₽63.5K

$1,742 £1,301

-54.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,068 ₽247.1K

$5,601 £4,182

-45.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,132 ₽171.7K

$4,265 £3,185

-50.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$977 ₽78.7K

$3,349 £2,501

-70.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.25

5.32

299.44%

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

Last update for Russia: October 25, 2026

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Russia

$418 33%

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6% 157% $656

Groceries & Markets

Russia

$228 18%

United Kingdom

$307 12.5% 34.8% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Russia

$184 14.6%

United Kingdom

$154 6.3% 16.3% $30

Eating Out

Russia

$180 14.2%

United Kingdom

$328 13.3% 82.5% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Russia

$160 12.6%

United Kingdom

$389 15.8% 143% $229

Sport & Entertainment

Russia

$54 4.2%

United Kingdom

$70 2.9% 30.3% $16

Getting Around

Russia

$44 3.5%

United Kingdom

$140 5.7% 221% $97

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $490 in Russia, $1,287 in the United Kingdom. Capital cities: $1,533 in Moscow vs $2,811 in London.

National salary averages: $817 in Russia, $3,251 in the United Kingdom. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 163% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 102% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 261% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are about 4 times higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Russia

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🕒 Local time

04:22 4:22 AM

01:22 1:22 AM

3 h behind Russia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

145,975,300

67,326,569

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR 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).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to RUB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Russia United Kingdom 2,500 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Russia
United Kingdom

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 United Kingdom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,267 per month in Russia and $2,462 in the United Kingdom, Russia comes out about 49% 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 $1,287 in the United Kingdom and $490 in Russia. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Russia, $2,500 covers most cities easily; in the United Kingdom it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

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