Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Petersburg and Kostroma

For one person, living costs are similar in Saint Petersburg and in Kostroma: $1,334 and $1,312 a month, rent and utilities included.

65

Cost of Living Index in Saint Petersburg
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Saint Petersburg Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Kostroma
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Kostroma Living Index

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Saint Petersburg

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,334

/mo nomad

Kostroma

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,312

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,334 per month in Saint Petersburg vs $1,312 in Kostroma, rent included.

Saint Petersburg $1,334
Kostroma $1,312

A couple spends around $2,131 per month in Saint Petersburg vs $2,085 in Kostroma, rent included.

Saint Petersburg $2,131
Kostroma $2,085

A family of three spends $2,927 per month in Saint Petersburg vs $2,859 in Kostroma, rent included.

Saint Petersburg $2,927
Kostroma $2,859

Saint Petersburg costs about 2% more than Kostroma, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Saint Petersburg and Kostroma are more affordable than the global median – Saint Petersburg 2% lower, Kostroma 3% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.86 ₽990

$12.01 ₽1,002

-1.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.90 ₽3,497

$61.1 ₽5,102

-31.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.51 ₽544

$7.20 ₽601

-9.58%

Cappuccino

$3.21 ₽268

$3.91 ₽326

-17.90%

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

$1.63 ₽136

$1.62 ₽136

0.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 ₽64.8

$0.85 ₽71.1

-8.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.04 ₽254

$1.80 ₽150

68.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ₽310

$5.29 ₽441

-29.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 ₽97.9

$1.24 ₽103

-5.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 ₽83.4

$1.01 ₽84.3

-0.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 ₽141

$1.68 ₽140

0.60%

Eggs

$1.64 ₽137

$1.88 ₽157

-12.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.32 ₽1,028

$14.95 ₽1,248

-17.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 ₽553

$6.93 ₽578

-4.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.56 ₽1,048

$14.95 ₽1,248

-15.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 ₽147

$2.17 ₽181

-18.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₽135

$1.82 ₽152

-10.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 ₽146

$1.98 ₽165

-11.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 ₽273

$3.96 ₽330

-17.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 ₽70.3

$0.89 ₽74.0

-5.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.66 ₽54.7

$0.70 ₽58.7

-5.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ₽108

$1.65 ₽137

-21.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ₽63.6

$0.93 ₽78.0

-18.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.07 ₽256

$3.49 ₽291

-12.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.59 ₽717

$12.31 ₽1,027

-30.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 ₽101

$1.22 ₽102

-1.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ₽168

$2.54 ₽212

-20.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 ₽87.2

$0.54 ₽45.15

94.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 ₽4,440

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 ₽229

$3.62 ₽302

-24.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₽51.6

$0.34 ₽28.73

82.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 ₽730

$11.94 ₽996

-26.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 ₽77.4

$0.88 ₽73.3

5.68%

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

$40.9K ₽3.4M

$42.4K ₽3.5M

-3.37%

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

$36.2K ₽3.0M

$40.1K ₽3.3M

-9.64%

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

$151 ₽12.6K

$191 ₽16.0K

-21.09%

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

$7.75 ₽647

$8.70 ₽726

-10.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.66 ₽723

$9.88 ₽825

-12.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.26 ₽3,444

$40.32 ₽3,365

2.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.73 ₽3,567

$25.01 ₽2,087

70.85%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 ₽622

$9.47 ₽791

-21.22%

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

$633 ₽52.9K

$344 ₽28.7K

84.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K ₽1.5M

$6,317 ₽527.2K

175.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.5 ₽8,224

$114 ₽9,511

-13.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.9 ₽4,412

$67.6 ₽5,645

-21.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 ₽11.5K

$148 ₽12.3K

-6.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 ₽10.1K

$189 ₽15.8K

-36.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 ₽61.8K

$500 ₽41.8K

48.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$447 ₽37.3K

$340 ₽28.3K

31.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,620 ₽135.2K

$837 ₽69.9K

93.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$939 ₽78.4K

$643 ₽53.6K

46.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,469 ₽373.0K

$2,226 ₽185.8K

100.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,803 ₽233.9K

$1,489 ₽124.3K

88.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,187 ₽99.1K

$762 ₽63.6K

55.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.81

19.56

1.28%

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

Last update for Saint Petersburg: October 17, 2026

Last update for Kostroma: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint Petersburg

$447 33.5%

Kostroma

$340 25.9% 24.1% $108

Groceries & Markets

Saint Petersburg

$230 17.2%

Kostroma

$268 20.4% 16.6% $38

Eating Out

Saint Petersburg

$185 13.9%

Kostroma

$194 14.8% 4.8% $8.9

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Petersburg

$185 13.9%

Kostroma

$233 17.8% 26.3% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Petersburg

$167 12.6%

Kostroma

$210 16% 25.4% $43

Getting Around

Saint Petersburg

$63 4.7%

Kostroma

$7.5 * 0.6% 88.1% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Petersburg

$56 4.2%

Kostroma

$59 4.5% 5.5% $3.1

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 $500 in Kostroma. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 56% higher in Saint Petersburg, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Saint Petersburg versus $61.0 in Kostroma. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $230 vs $268 – making Saint Petersburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Saint Petersburg

🇷🇺 Kostroma

🕒 Local time

14:41 2:41 PM

Same time as Saint Petersburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,597,763

277,393

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Saint Petersburg Kostroma 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Saint Petersburg
Kostroma

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 Kostroma: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saint Petersburg costs about 2% more than Kostroma, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,001 per month in Saint Petersburg and $1,968 in Kostroma. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kostroma, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Saint Petersburg and $61.0 in Kostroma. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 17% cheaper in Saint Petersburg – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kostroma, where all-in costs run around $1,312, than in Saint Petersburg at $1,334. In Kostroma it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saint Petersburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kostroma costs $1,312 versus $1,334 in Saint Petersburg. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Kostroma. 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.