Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Petersburg and Novokuznetsk

For one person, living costs are similar in Saint Petersburg and in Novokuznetsk: $1,326 and $1,382 a month, rent and utilities included.

64

Cost of Living Index in Saint Petersburg
Learn more

Saint Petersburg Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Novokuznetsk
Learn more

Novokuznetsk Living Index

Jump to prices

Saint Petersburg

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,326

/mo nomad

Novokuznetsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,382

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,326 in Saint Petersburg versus $1,382 in Novokuznetsk.

Saint Petersburg $1,326
Novokuznetsk $1,382

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Saint Petersburg versus $2,238 in Novokuznetsk.

Saint Petersburg $2,102
Novokuznetsk $2,238

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,878 in Saint Petersburg versus $3,093 in Novokuznetsk.

Saint Petersburg $2,878
Novokuznetsk $3,093

Living in Saint Petersburg costs roughly 4% less than in Novokuznetsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Saint Petersburg is 2% below, Novokuznetsk is 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.75 ₽981

$11.84 ₽988

-0.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.76 ₽3,485

$58.7 ₽4,901

-28.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.59 ₽550

$6.69 ₽559

-1.49%

Cappuccino

$3.11 ₽260

$2.51 ₽209

23.90%

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

$1.55 ₽129

$2.04 ₽170

-24.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₽60.0

$1.14 ₽95.4

-36.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.89 ₽241

$4.10 ₽342

-29.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ₽307

$5.82 ₽486

-36.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 ₽91.4

$1.41 ₽117

-22.70%

White Bread (500g)

$0.92 ₽76.6

$0.81 ₽67.4

13.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 ₽141

$1.37 ₽114

23.36%

Eggs

$1.68 ₽140

$1.57 ₽131

7.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.48 ₽1,042

$8.57 ₽715

45.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.41 ₽535

$6.90 ₽576

-7.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.22 ₽1,020

$9.35 ₽780

30.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.69 ₽141

$2.00 ₽167

-15.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ₽138

$2.26 ₽189

-26.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 ₽145

$2.32 ₽193

-25.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 ₽255

$4.00 ₽334

-23.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 ₽70.7

$0.87 ₽72.9

-2.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.60 ₽50.0

$0.59 ₽49.07

1.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 ₽107

$1.45 ₽121

-11.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ₽65.3

$0.67 ₽56.3

16.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.92 ₽244

$3.65 ₽305

-20.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.40 ₽701

$5.90 ₽493

42.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₽95.6

$1.80 ₽150

-36.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ₽165

$2.65 ₽222

-25.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 ₽85.1

$0.57 ₽47.78

78.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ₽4,502

$29.95 ₽2,500

80.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 ₽243

$1.74 ₽145

67.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₽51.9

$0.58 ₽48.43

6.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.61 ₽719

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 ₽77.0

$0.82 ₽68.1

12.20%

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

$35.2K ₽2.9M

$32.5K ₽2.7M

8.27%

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

$32.9K ₽2.7M

$33.8K ₽2.8M

-2.78%

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

$152 ₽12.7K

$221 ₽18.4K

-31.33%

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

$7.33 ₽612

$4.98 ₽415

47.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.55 ₽713

$6.36 ₽531

34.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.05 ₽3,260

$50.6 ₽4,225

-22.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.28 ₽3,529

$27.86 ₽2,325

51.76%

Cinema Ticket

$7.20 ₽601

$7.32 ₽611

-1.64%

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

$625 ₽52.2K

$673 ₽56.2K

-7.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₽1.4M

$17.4K ₽1.5M

-1.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.2 ₽8,110

$140 ₽11.7K

-30.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 ₽4,325

$84.2 ₽7,029

-38.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$134 ₽11.2K

$181 ₽15.1K

-26.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₽10.1K

$364 ₽30.4K

-66.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 ₽62.0K

$452 ₽37.7K

64.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$452 ₽37.7K

$293 ₽24.4K

54.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,599 ₽133.5K

$955 ₽79.7K

67.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$919 ₽76.7K

$670 ₽56.0K

37.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,496 ₽375.3K

$2,205 ₽184.1K

103.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,811 ₽234.6K

$1,479 ₽123.4K

90.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,150 ₽96.0K

$561 ₽46.9K

104.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.81

22.75

-12.92%

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

Last update for Saint Petersburg: October 11, 2026

Last update for Novokuznetsk: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint Petersburg

$452 34.1%

Novokuznetsk

$293 21.2% 35.2% $159

Groceries & Markets

Saint Petersburg

$225 17%

Novokuznetsk

$219 15.8% 2.8% $6.3

Eating Out

Saint Petersburg

$182 13.7%

Novokuznetsk

$190 13.7% 4.2% $7.7

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Petersburg

$182 13.7%

Novokuznetsk

$346 25.1% 90.5% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Petersburg

$168 12.7%

Novokuznetsk

$232 16.8% 38.6% $65

Getting Around

Saint Petersburg

$64 4.8%

Novokuznetsk

$37 2.7% 42.4% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Petersburg

$53 4%

Novokuznetsk

$65 4.7% 22.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Saint Petersburg and $452 in Novokuznetsk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint Petersburg pays 105% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $42.00 in Saint Petersburg vs $59.0 in Novokuznetsk. Groceries flip the comparison at $225 vs $219, with Novokuznetsk cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Saint Petersburg

🇷🇺 Novokuznetsk

🕒 Local time

18:05 6:05 PM

22:05 10:05 PM

4 h ahead of Saint Petersburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,597,763

544,583

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Saint Petersburg Novokuznetsk 3,410 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Saint Petersburg
Novokuznetsk

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 Novokuznetsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saint Petersburg and Novokuznetsk differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($1,326 vs $1,382 including rent). Saint Petersburg is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 105% higher in Saint Petersburg, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $742 in Saint Petersburg versus $452 in Novokuznetsk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Saint Petersburg – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $59.0 in Novokuznetsk. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,326 per month in Saint Petersburg versus $1,382 in Novokuznetsk – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,326 in Saint Petersburg versus $1,382 in Novokuznetsk, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Saint Petersburg but tight or insufficient in Novokuznetsk. The gap between the two cities makes Saint Petersburg the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Saint Petersburg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Novokuznetsk. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.