Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Petersburg and Arzamas

For one person, living is cheaper in Arzamas: $1,117 a month against $1,375 in Saint Petersburg, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Saint Petersburg
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Saint Petersburg Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Arzamas
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Arzamas Living Index

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Saint Petersburg

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,375

/mo nomad

Arzamas

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,117

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,375 in Saint Petersburg versus $1,117 in Arzamas.

Saint Petersburg $1,375
Arzamas $1,117

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,195 in Saint Petersburg versus $1,737 in Arzamas.

Saint Petersburg $2,195
Arzamas $1,737

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,014 in Saint Petersburg versus $2,357 in Arzamas.

Saint Petersburg $3,014
Arzamas $2,357

Living in Saint Petersburg is roughly 23% more expensive than in Arzamas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.42 ₽1,000

$12.60 ₽1,015

-1.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.05 ₽3,547

$38.36 ₽3,090

14.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.95 ₽560

$6.10 ₽491

13.93%

Cappuccino

$3.26 ₽263

$2.65 ₽214

23.02%

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

$1.61 ₽129

$1.08 ₽86.9

49.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 ₽62.6

$0.66 ₽52.9

18.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.81 ₽226

$1.90 ₽153

47.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₽292

$3.22 ₽260

12.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 ₽95.9

$1.30 ₽105

-8.46%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₽76.8

$0.79 ₽63.8

20.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 ₽137

$1.57 ₽127

8.28%

Eggs

$1.67 ₽134

$1.68 ₽136

-0.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.39 ₽998

$9.96 ₽802

24.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.64 ₽535

$5.69 ₽458

16.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.85 ₽1,035

$12.43 ₽1,001

3.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.75 ₽141

$1.79 ₽144

-2.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₽132

$1.79 ₽144

-8.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 ₽145

$1.58 ₽127

13.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 ₽270

$3.03 ₽244

10.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 ₽66.8

$0.77 ₽61.9

7.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₽50.6

$0.54 ₽43.79

16.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₽107

$1.31 ₽105

1.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ₽62.7

$0.73 ₽59.0

6.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.16 ₽255

$2.69 ₽216

17.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.41 ₽758

$8.28 ₽667

13.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 ₽95.5

$1.20 ₽97.0

-0.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ₽159

$2.06 ₽166

-4.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 ₽88.8

$0.51 ₽40.90

115.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.1 ₽4,518

$26.27 ₽2,115

113.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 ₽226

$2.27 ₽183

23.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₽48.55

$0.34 ₽27.10

76.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.01 ₽726

$5.64 ₽454

59.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 ₽71.2

$0.92 ₽74.5

-4.35%

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

$43.0K ₽3.5M

$60.6K ₽4.9M

-28.96%

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

$37.4K ₽3.0M

$41.2K ₽3.3M

-9.29%

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

$156 ₽12.6K

$143 ₽11.5K

9.51%

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

$7.85 ₽632

$7.06 ₽568

11.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.71 ₽701

$7.59 ₽611

14.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.31 ₽3,327

$36.06 ₽2,904

14.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$43.82 ₽3,529

$25.44 ₽2,049

72.25%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ₽609

$6.94 ₽559

9.08%

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

$663 ₽53.4K

$373 ₽30.1K

77.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K ₽1.4M

$7,263 ₽584.9K

146.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.5 ₽7,935

$76.4 ₽6,156

28.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.2 ₽4,364

$51.3 ₽4,128

5.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$140 ₽11.3K

$116 ₽9,369

20.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 ₽10.3K

$113 ₽9,109

13.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$772 ₽62.1K

$303 ₽24.4K

154.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$466 ₽37.6K

$328 ₽26.4K

42.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,619 ₽130.4K

$497 ₽40.0K

225.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$974 ₽78.4K

$596 ₽48.0K

63.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,632 ₽373.0K

$2,238 ₽180.2K

106.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₽232.4K

$1,752 ₽141.1K

64.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,230 ₽99.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.69

21.45

-8.21%

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

Last update for Saint Petersburg: October 25, 2026

Last update for Arzamas: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint Petersburg

$466 33.9%

Arzamas

$328 29.4% 29.6% $138

Groceries & Markets

Saint Petersburg

$234 17%

Arzamas

$215 19.2% 8% $19

Eating Out

Saint Petersburg

$190 13.8%

Arzamas

$174 15.6% 8.6% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Petersburg

$189 13.8%

Arzamas

$161 14.4% 15.1% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Petersburg

$173 12.6%

Arzamas

$157 14.1% 9% $15

Getting Around

Saint Petersburg

$66 4.8%

Arzamas

$32 2.9% 51.4% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Petersburg

$56 4.1%

Arzamas

$50 4.5% 11.5% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $772 in Saint Petersburg and $303 in Arzamas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44 in Saint Petersburg vs $38 in Arzamas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $215 per month, with Arzamas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Saint Petersburg

🇷🇺 Arzamas

🕒 Local time

06:05 6:05 AM

Same time as Saint Petersburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,597,763

103,396

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Saint Petersburg Arzamas 950 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Saint Petersburg
Arzamas

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 Arzamas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,375 in Saint Petersburg and $1,117 in Arzamas, so Arzamas is about 19% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,063 in Saint Petersburg and $1,676 in Arzamas 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $772 in Saint Petersburg versus $303 in Arzamas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,375 per month in Saint Petersburg versus $1,117 in Arzamas – Arzamas is about 19% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Arzamas runs roughly 53% less than in Saint Petersburg. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Arzamas gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

Expats usually find Arzamas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Saint Petersburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.