Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Petersburg and Apatity

For one person, living is cheaper in Apatity: $1,070 a month against $1,334 in Saint Petersburg, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Saint Petersburg
🇷🇺 Russia
$1,334
/mo nomad
Apatity
🇷🇺 Russia
$1,070
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Saint Petersburg and in Apatity

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

A single person spends $1,334 per month in Saint Petersburg vs $1,070 in Apatity, rent included.

  • Saint Petersburg $1,334
  • Apatity $1,070

A couple spends around $2,131 per month in Saint Petersburg vs $1,672 in Apatity, rent included.

  • Saint Petersburg $2,131
  • Apatity $1,672

A family of three spends $2,927 per month in Saint Petersburg vs $2,275 in Apatity, rent included.

  • Saint Petersburg $2,927
  • Apatity $2,275

Saint Petersburg costs about 25% more than Apatity, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Saint Petersburg and Apatity are more affordable than the global median – Saint Petersburg 2% lower, Apatity 21% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Saint Petersburg
Apatity
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.86 ₽990
$12.81 ₽1,069
-7.42%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$41.90 ₽3,497
$33.57 ₽2,801
24.81%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.51 ₽544
$6.93 ₽578
-6.06%
Cappuccino
$3.21 ₽268
$2.72 ₽227
18.01%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.63 ₽136
$1.07 ₽89.0
52.34%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 ₽64.8
$0.57 ₽47.60
36.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.04 ₽254
$1.69 ₽141
79.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.72 ₽310
$3.41 ₽285
9.09%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Saint Petersburg
Apatity
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.17 ₽97.9
$1.05 ₽87.8
11.43%
White Bread (500g)
$1.00 ₽83.4
$0.66 ₽54.8
51.52%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.69 ₽141
$1.23 ₽103
37.40%
Eggs
$1.64 ₽137
$1.73 ₽145
-5.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.32 ₽1,028
$12.08 ₽1,008
1.99%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.62 ₽553
$6.03 ₽503
9.78%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.56 ₽1,048
$12.86 ₽1,073
-2.33%
Apples (1kg)
$1.77 ₽147
$1.82 ₽152
-2.75%
Banana (1kg)
$1.62 ₽135
$1.67 ₽140
-2.99%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.75 ₽146
$1.61 ₽134
8.70%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.27 ₽273
$3.04 ₽254
7.57%
Potato (1kg)
$0.84 ₽70.3
$0.84 ₽69.8
-
Onion (1kg)
$0.66 ₽54.7
$0.64 ₽53.8
3.13%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.29 ₽108
$1.25 ₽104
3.20%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.76 ₽63.6
$0.68 ₽56.7
11.76%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.07 ₽256
$2.84 ₽237
8.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.59 ₽717
$8.52 ₽711
0.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.20 ₽101
$0.98 ₽81.6
22.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.01 ₽168
$1.93 ₽161
4.15%
🚌 Getting Around
Saint Petersburg
Apatity
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.05 ₽87.2
$0.59 ₽48.86
77.97%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$53.2 ₽4,440
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.74 ₽229
$2.25 ₽188
21.78%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.62 ₽51.6
$0.34 ₽28.42
82.35%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.74 ₽730
$5.41 ₽452
61.55%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.93 ₽77.4
$0.82 ₽68.8
13.41%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$40.9K ₽3.4M
$56.8K ₽4.7M
-27.99%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$36.2K ₽3.0M
$41.0K ₽3.4M
-11.49%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Saint Petersburg
Apatity
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$151 ₽12.6K
$134 ₽11.2K
12.80%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.75 ₽647
$7.14 ₽596
8.54%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$8.66 ₽723
$9.70 ₽810
-10.72%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Saint Petersburg
Apatity
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.26 ₽3,444
$33.93 ₽2,832
21.60%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$42.73 ₽3,567
$27.18 ₽2,269
57.21%
Cinema Ticket
$7.46 ₽622
$7.27 ₽607
2.61%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Saint Petersburg
Apatity
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$633 ₽52.9K
$401 ₽33.5K
57.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.4K ₽1.5M
$5,935 ₽495.3K
193.20%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Saint Petersburg
Apatity
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$98.5 ₽8,224
$90.8 ₽7,578
8.54%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$52.9 ₽4,412
$45.47 ₽3,795
16.27%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$138 ₽11.5K
$114 ₽9,533
20.91%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$121 ₽10.1K
$100 ₽8,361
20.91%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Saint Petersburg
Apatity
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$741 ₽61.8K
$417 ₽34.8K
77.57%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$447 ₽37.3K
$312 ₽26.0K
43.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,620 ₽135.2K
$982 ₽81.9K
64.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$939 ₽78.4K
$587 ₽49.0K
60.09%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,469 ₽373.0K
$1,948 ₽162.6K
129.44%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,803 ₽233.9K
$1,630 ₽136.0K
71.94%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Saint Petersburg
Apatity
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,187 ₽99.1K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
19.81
27.67
-28.41%

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

Last update for Saint Petersburg: October 17, 2026

Last update for Apatity: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Saint Petersburg
$447
Apatity
$312 30.3% $136
Groceries & Markets
Saint Petersburg
$230
Apatity
$217 5.5% $13
Eating Out
Saint Petersburg
$185
Apatity
$178 4% $7.5
Clothing & Footwear
Saint Petersburg
$185
Apatity
$158 14.6% $27
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Saint Petersburg
$167
Apatity
$151 10% $17
Getting Around
Saint Petersburg
$63
Apatity
$6.3 * 90% $57
Sport & Entertainment
Saint Petersburg
$56
Apatity
$48 13.7% $7.7

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $741 in Saint Petersburg versus $417 in Apatity. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Saint Petersburg versus $34.00 in Apatity. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $230 vs $217 – making Apatity the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇷🇺 Saint Petersburg
🇷🇺 Apatity
🕒 Local time
14:40 2:40 PM
14:40 2:40 PM
Same time as Saint Petersburg
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
5,597,763
48,748
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Saint Petersburg Apatity 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Saint Petersburg
  • Apatity

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Saint Petersburg vs Apatity: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Apatity cheaper than Saint Petersburg?
Yes – Saint Petersburg is pricier by about 25%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,001 per month in Saint Petersburg and $1,605 in Apatity. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Apatity, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Saint Petersburg and in Apatity?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,334 in Saint Petersburg and $1,070 in Apatity. That's a gap of about 25%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $633 per month in Saint Petersburg and $401 in Apatity. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Saint Petersburg or in Apatity?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Apatity, where all-in costs run around $1,070, than in Saint Petersburg at $1,334. In Apatity it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saint Petersburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Saint Petersburg or Apatity more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Apatity – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Saint Petersburg or Apatity?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Apatity. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Saint Petersburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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