Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Petersburg and Obninsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Obninsk: $1,123 a month against $1,334 in Saint Petersburg, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Saint Petersburg
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Saint Petersburg Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Obninsk
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Obninsk Living Index

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Saint Petersburg

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,334

/mo nomad

Obninsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,123

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,334 per month in Saint Petersburg vs $1,123 in Obninsk, rent included.

Saint Petersburg $1,334
Obninsk $1,123

A couple spends around $2,131 per month in Saint Petersburg vs $1,765 in Obninsk, rent included.

Saint Petersburg $2,131
Obninsk $1,765

A family of three spends $2,927 per month in Saint Petersburg vs $2,407 in Obninsk, rent included.

Saint Petersburg $2,927
Obninsk $2,407

Saint Petersburg costs about 19% more than Obninsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Saint Petersburg and Obninsk are more affordable than the global median – Saint Petersburg 2% lower, Obninsk 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.86 ₽990

$9.95 ₽830

19.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.90 ₽3,497

$36.70 ₽3,063

14.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.51 ₽544

$7.09 ₽592

-8.18%

Cappuccino

$3.21 ₽268

$2.97 ₽248

8.08%

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

$1.63 ₽136

$1.18 ₽98.8

38.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 ₽64.8

$0.47 ₽39.13

65.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.04 ₽254

$1.79 ₽150

69.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ₽310

$2.40 ₽200

55.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 ₽97.9

$1.14 ₽95.4

2.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 ₽83.4

$0.59 ₽49.57

69.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 ₽141

$1.76 ₽147

-3.98%

Eggs

$1.64 ₽137

$1.35 ₽112

21.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.32 ₽1,028

$7.57 ₽632

62.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 ₽553

$4.92 ₽411

34.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.56 ₽1,048

$8.49 ₽709

47.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 ₽147

$1.58 ₽131

12.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₽135

$1.70 ₽142

-4.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 ₽146

$1.81 ₽151

-3.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 ₽273

$2.38 ₽199

37.39%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 ₽70.3

$0.55 ₽45.96

52.73%

Onion (1kg)

$0.66 ₽54.7

$0.56 ₽46.63

17.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ₽108

$0.95 ₽79.2

35.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ₽63.6

$0.55 ₽45.84

38.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.07 ₽256

$3.25 ₽271

-5.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.59 ₽717

$8.31 ₽693

3.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 ₽101

$1.23 ₽103

-2.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ₽168

$1.84 ₽153

9.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 ₽87.2

$0.51 ₽42.83

105.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 ₽4,440

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 ₽229

$3.56 ₽297

-23.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₽51.6

$0.37 ₽31.05

67.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 ₽730

$11.87 ₽990

-26.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 ₽77.4

$0.83 ₽69.3

12.05%

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

$40.9K ₽3.4M

$44.1K ₽3.7M

-7.28%

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

$36.2K ₽3.0M

$40.0K ₽3.3M

-9.36%

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

$151 ₽12.6K

$187 ₽15.6K

-19.45%

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

$7.75 ₽647

$8.50 ₽710

-8.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.66 ₽723

$9.84 ₽822

-11.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.26 ₽3,444

$38.75 ₽3,234

6.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.73 ₽3,567

$22.80 ₽1,903

87.41%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 ₽622

$9.72 ₽812

-23.25%

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

$633 ₽52.9K

$352 ₽29.4K

79.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K ₽1.5M

$6,297 ₽525.6K

176.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.5 ₽8,224

$112 ₽9,318

-11.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.9 ₽4,412

$68.6 ₽5,728

-22.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 ₽11.5K

$148 ₽12.4K

-6.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 ₽10.1K

$189 ₽15.8K

-35.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 ₽61.8K

$513 ₽42.8K

44.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$447 ₽37.3K

$283 ₽23.6K

58.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,620 ₽135.2K

$854 ₽71.3K

89.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$939 ₽78.4K

$606 ₽50.6K

54.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,469 ₽373.0K

$2,276 ₽190.0K

96.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,803 ₽233.9K

$1,465 ₽122.3K

91.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,187 ₽99.1K

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 Obninsk: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint Petersburg

$447 33.5%

Obninsk

$283 25.2% 36.8% $165

Groceries & Markets

Saint Petersburg

$230 17.2%

Obninsk

$179 16% 22% $51

Eating Out

Saint Petersburg

$185 13.9%

Obninsk

$157 14% 15.3% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Petersburg

$185 13.9%

Obninsk

$233 20.7% 26% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Petersburg

$167 12.6%

Obninsk

$206 18.3% 22.9% $38

Getting Around

Saint Petersburg

$63 4.7%

Obninsk

$7.5 * 0.7% 88.2% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Petersburg

$56 4.2%

Obninsk

$58 5.2% 3.6% $2

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 $513 in Obninsk. 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 $37.00 in Obninsk. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $230 vs $179 – making Obninsk the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Saint Petersburg

🇷🇺 Obninsk

🕒 Local time

14:42 2:42 PM

Same time as Saint Petersburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,597,763

116,179

💱 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 Obninsk 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Saint Petersburg
Obninsk

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 Obninsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saint Petersburg costs about 19% more than Obninsk, 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 $1,685 in Obninsk. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,334 in Saint Petersburg and $1,123 in Obninsk. That's a gap of about 19%.

Kindergarten costs $633 per month in Saint Petersburg and $352 in Obninsk. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Obninsk, where all-in costs run around $1,123, than in Saint Petersburg at $1,334. In Obninsk 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. Obninsk costs $1,123 versus $1,334 in Saint Petersburg. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Obninsk. 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.