Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Petersburg and Serpukhov

For one person, living is cheaper in Serpukhov: $1,212 a month against $1,334 in Saint Petersburg, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Saint Petersburg
Learn more

Saint Petersburg Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Serpukhov
Learn more

Serpukhov Living Index

Jump to prices

Saint Petersburg

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,334

/mo nomad

Serpukhov

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,212

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,334 in Saint Petersburg versus $1,212 in Serpukhov.

Saint Petersburg $1,334
Serpukhov $1,212

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,131 in Saint Petersburg versus $1,885 in Serpukhov.

Saint Petersburg $2,131
Serpukhov $1,885

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,927 in Saint Petersburg versus $2,559 in Serpukhov.

Saint Petersburg $2,927
Serpukhov $2,559

Living in Saint Petersburg is roughly 10% more expensive than in Serpukhov, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Saint Petersburg 2% lower, Serpukhov 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.86 ₽990

$12.30 ₽1,026

-3.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.90 ₽3,497

$60.5 ₽5,049

-30.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.51 ₽544

$7.42 ₽619

-12.26%

Cappuccino

$3.21 ₽268

$2.37 ₽198

35.44%

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

$1.63 ₽136

$0.88 ₽73.4

85.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 ₽64.8

$0.63 ₽52.4

23.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.04 ₽254

$0.94 ₽78.4

223.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ₽310

$1.18 ₽98.6

215.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 ₽97.9

$1.12 ₽93.4

4.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 ₽83.4

$0.71 ₽59.3

40.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 ₽141

Eggs

$1.64 ₽137

$0.88 ₽73.6

86.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.32 ₽1,028

$14.72 ₽1,228

-16.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 ₽553

$6.71 ₽560

-1.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.56 ₽1,048

$15.16 ₽1,265

-17.15%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 ₽147

$2.13 ₽178

-16.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₽135

$1.81 ₽151

-10.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 ₽146

$2.00 ₽167

-12.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 ₽273

$4.15 ₽347

-21.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 ₽70.3

$0.97 ₽81.2

-13.40%

Onion (1kg)

$0.66 ₽54.7

$0.77 ₽64.4

-14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ₽108

$1.65 ₽138

-21.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ₽63.6

$0.95 ₽79.2

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.07 ₽256

$3.49 ₽291

-12.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.59 ₽717

$5.90 ₽492

45.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 ₽101

$1.01 ₽84.0

18.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ₽168

$1.24 ₽104

62.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 ₽87.2

$0.55 ₽45.71

90.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 ₽4,440

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 ₽229

$2.44 ₽203

12.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₽51.6

$0.38 ₽31.41

63.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 ₽730

$6.48 ₽541

34.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 ₽77.4

$0.83 ₽69.0

12.05%

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

$40.9K ₽3.4M

$41.7K ₽3.5M

-1.95%

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

$36.2K ₽3.0M

$39.4K ₽3.3M

-8.10%

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

$151 ₽12.6K

$188 ₽15.7K

-19.80%

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

$7.75 ₽647

$7.04 ₽588

10.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.66 ₽723

$9.72 ₽811

-10.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.26 ₽3,444

$35.92 ₽2,998

14.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.73 ₽3,567

$26.04 ₽2,173

64.09%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 ₽622

$4.17 ₽348

78.90%

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

$633 ₽52.9K

$351 ₽29.3K

80.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K ₽1.5M

$6,403 ₽534.4K

171.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.5 ₽8,224

$113 ₽9,414

-12.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.9 ₽4,412

$66.9 ₽5,586

-21.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 ₽11.5K

$149 ₽12.4K

-7.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 ₽10.1K

$186 ₽15.6K

-35.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 ₽61.8K

$468 ₽39.0K

58.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$447 ₽37.3K

$318 ₽26.6K

40.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,620 ₽135.2K

$983 ₽82.1K

64.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$939 ₽78.4K

$493 ₽41.2K

90.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,469 ₽373.0K

$2,590 ₽216.2K

72.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,803 ₽233.9K

$1,573 ₽131.3K

78.14%

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 Serpukhov: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint Petersburg

$447 33.5%

Serpukhov

$318 26.3% 28.8% $129

Groceries & Markets

Saint Petersburg

$230 17.2%

Serpukhov

$244 20.1% 6% $14

Eating Out

Saint Petersburg

$185 13.9%

Serpukhov

$162 13.4% 12.4% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Petersburg

$185 13.9%

Serpukhov

$232 19.1% 25.4% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Petersburg

$167 12.6%

Serpukhov

$205 16.9% 22.5% $38

Getting Around

Saint Petersburg

$63 4.7%

Serpukhov

$6.5 * 0.5% 89.7% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Petersburg

$56 4.2%

Serpukhov

$44 3.7% 21.2% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Saint Petersburg and $468 in Serpukhov. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $42.00 in Saint Petersburg vs $60.0 in Serpukhov for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $230 vs $244 per month, with Saint Petersburg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Saint Petersburg

🇷🇺 Serpukhov

🕒 Local time

16:31 4:31 PM

Same time as Saint Petersburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,597,763

124,897

💱 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 Serpukhov 700 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Saint Petersburg
Serpukhov

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 Serpukhov: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Serpukhov wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Saint Petersburg. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Serpukhov the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,001 in Saint Petersburg and $1,818 in Serpukhov 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: $741 in Saint Petersburg versus $468 in Serpukhov. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $633 in Saint Petersburg versus $351 in Serpukhov. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Serpukhov – a meal for two runs $60.0 versus $42.00 in Saint Petersburg. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,212 in Serpukhov versus $1,334 in Saint Petersburg, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Serpukhov but tight or insufficient in Saint Petersburg. The gap between the two cities makes Serpukhov the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Serpukhov delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,212 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Serpukhov hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Serpukhov gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Saint Petersburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.